Public Enemy frontman Chuck D has sharply criticized the recent misuse of the group’s 1990 track “Burn Hollywood Burn” amid the devastating wildfires that have been ravaging Los Angeles.
As the fires continue to wreak havoc, some social media users have co-opted the politically charged anthem as a way to celebrate the destruction, prompting Chuck D to urge the public to understand the song’s true meaning and historical context.
Tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate amid the fires, and nearly 10,000 structures have been destroyed. The Palisades Fire is now considered the most destructive fire in Los Angeles County history, burning over 17,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire has also consumed more than 10,000 acres, causing severe damage to surrounding communities.
In response to the wildfires, Chuck D took to Instagram to express his frustration over how some are using “Burn Hollywood Burn” in relation to the disaster.
The song, which critiques Hollywood’s exploitation of Black culture and the entertainment industry’s negative portrayals of Black people, has been appropriated by some social media users as a celebratory anthem for the destruction.
The hip-hop icon shared a photo on Instagram of a Los Angeles neighborhood engulfed in flames, writing, “PRAYERS UP. BE SAFE. EVACUATE,” along with a list of the ongoing fires in the area.
He clarified that “Burn Hollywood Burn” — featured on Public Enemy’s seminal Fear of a Black Planet — was never intended to reference or glorify natural disasters, but was instead a critique of racial inequality and media representation.
“‘Burn Hollywood Burn’ is a protest song extracted from the Watts rebellion, coined by the magnificent Montague in 1965 against inequality when he said ‘burn baby burn’ across the air,” Chuck D wrote. “We made mind-revolution songs aimed at a one-sided exploitation by an industry.” He stressed that the track was never meant to glorify destruction or loss, adding, “It has nothing to do with families losing everything they have in a natural disaster. Learn the history. Godspeed to those in loss.”
“Burn Hollywood Burn” was released during a crucial moment in hip-hop’s history. The song appeared on Fear of a Black Planet, released in 1990, during hip-hop’s golden age. The track features guest verses from Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane, and “Burn Hollywood Burn” became an anthem for Black empowerment, calling for greater and more authentic representation in the media.
Several figures in the entertainment industry have since shared harrowing images of the descrution to social media. Paris Hilton revealed she had lost her Malibu home in the wildfires, while Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker’s children, Landon and Alabama, shared on Instagram that they had to evacuate their home, with Landon writing, “Just evacuated praying for everyone the fires have [affected].”
Singer Jhené Aiko is one of the thousands of people who lost their homes amid the devastating fires blazing across Los Angeles this week.
The “Bed Peace” singer took to social media on Thursday (Jan. 9) to reveal that her home was “burned to the ground with all of our things inside,” but her two-year-old son Noah — whom she shares with Big Sean — and 16-year-old daughter Namiko are both safe with her. “Lord have mercy 🙏 Thankful we still have eachother 💙 starting from scratch. My heart is so heavy 💔,” she wrote.
“Lord have mercy 🙏 Thankful we still have eachother 💙 starting from scratch. My heart is so heavy 💔,” she wrote.
She continued on another slide, “praying for everyone this morning. those who lost their home, those who lost their life’s work, those who lost their life. praying for my city. praying for the wild life and lost pets. praying for the world 💙.”