Chuck D combined his twin loves of sports and hip-hop in composing a rap-themed jingle for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. "I know baseball, so my whole thing is to make a lot of metaphors, don't go too far over people's heads," says Chuck D of the theme that opens the program. "I just tried to make something that's in line with 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' and a little bit of the Hank Williams Jr. ["Are You Ready for Some Football"] thing. What he did for Monday Night Football worked well, so all we had to do was follow that lead."

Recorded with Public Enemy associate Gary G. Wiz, the piece has already drawn praise from SNB broadcasters Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. "Joe Morgan is a hall of famer," says Chuck D. "For him to compliment me on the theme, I was blown away by it."

In other Chuck D news, the long-awaited Public Enemy album, Revolverlution, will be released July 23rd. A combination of live and new music, the album also includes fan remixes of "Shut Em Down," "Public Enemy No. 1," "B Side Wins Again" and "By the Time I Get to Arizona," as part of a promotion which allowed fans to downloaded a capella tracks and write new music for the songs.

According to the rapper, the a capella tracks were downloaded 11,000 times, and 450 mixes were offered by fans, from which the four winners were chosen. "My point was definitely telling people that the world has more to offer," Chuck D says. "I think the [music] industry pretty much suits itself and protects itself against the ongoing creativity of its public."

COLIN DEVENISH
(June 13, 2002)