“Elvis was a hero to most/But he never meant s**t to me, you see/Straight up racist that sucker was, simple and plain.”

Chuck D Speaks on Elvis’ Legacy
Public Enemy frontman Chuck D derided Elvis Presley on the group’s 1989 anthem “Fight The Power,” but it turns out his feelings for Presley are a little more complicated than the song suggests.
“As a musicologist ó and I consider myself one ó there was always a great deal of respect for Elvis, especially during his Sun sessions. As a black people, we all knew that,” the rapper said.
“My whole thing was the one-sidedness ó like, Elvis’ icon status in America made it like nobody else counted. … My heroes came from someone else. My heroes came before him. My heroes were probably his heroes. As far as Elvis being ‘The King,’ I couldn’t buy that.”
Chuck D spoke to Newsday about Presley’s legacy for a 25th anniversary story on the singer’s death.
On “Fight the Power,” he said of Presley, “Elvis was a hero to most/But he never meant (expletive) to me, you see/Straight up racist that sucker was, simple and plain.”
As for whether there is a modern-day Elvis, Chuck D points to Eminem.
“Eminem is the new Elvis because, number one, he had the respect for black music that Elvis had,” Chuck D said. “I think he’s courteous and sympathetic to black music, and, unfortunately, he’s more sympathetic to black music than many black artists themselves.”
Public Enemy’s new album is “Revolverlution.”