Members of the rap group Public Enemy are displeased with the Oscar’s use of their 1989 song “Fight the Power” during Sunday’s ceremony.
The show started and ended with the black power anthem, and host Chris Rock’s jokes and commentary surrounding this year’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy were prominent throughout the show.
Public Enemy member Chuck D took to Twitter following the telecast to share his thoughts on the song’s usage, in addition to other thoughts regarding the entertainment and arts.
“I dont wanna hear about Oscars being white. Oscar been white. We have need black communities to support our ARTS as much as we do sports IMO,” wrote the 55-year-old.
He added: “The song FightThe Power is beyond me & the crew. The point of the song is a call to making change eventually not just applauding the thought.”
Group member Professor Griff also commented on the Oscar’s use of the song.
During a conversation with TMZ, the rapper said the song was more or less used to pay lip service to those upset by the show’s lack of diversity, and he said he had doubts things would change going forward, according to the site.
The rapper then told TMZ, “the show can’t claim the blackness of Public Enemy’s message.”
“Fight the Power” was originally written for director Spike Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing. The song later appeared on the group’s 1990 album Fear of a Black Planet and was nominated for a Grammy.
Spike Lee was among the group of prominent black entertainers who boycotted the Oscars.
Watch the “Fight the Power” music video below:
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