It is hard to word an intro for something that has grown and shaped so much of what Hiphop was and now has become. Before the premise of an aspirational lifestyle and terms such as après bling, there was a conscience side to rap that was unrelenting in its approach to inform and teach as well as entertain the masses.
Public Enemy stood at the forefront of that movement with its heavy sound and larger than life group members. Professor Griff stood alongside Chuck-D, Flavor Flav and the legendry Terminator X. Griff’s position in the group was not just as a musician but as the leader of the S1W’s which stood for Security of the 1st World. A fundamental part of the group’s dynamics Griff lent his talents to production and Mcing within the group while also working on side projects such as the group the 7th Octave. A hard man to pin down yes, but as insightful as ever the professor is now in the house and ready to give us some long awaited answers…….


To start off with how does it feel to be back with P.E., has the group’s dynamics changed and how has the recent reception been from the fans old & new?
Well that’s that’s a long question but I’ll take the last part 1st. The way people have received Public Enemy now as apposed to 1989, is I guess the times have changed. So it’s a different generation of people, the new fans are shocked because they can’t believe that the acts that they now follow don’t perform like these old skool catz because when we come and kick it at a live gig we are going to hit you with a 2-3hrs show, so they trying to figure out how come my mum or dad, my older brother/sister did not tell me about these guys. But as far as the dynamics are concerned they have changed simply because of the fact that no one has implemented the bands structure, no one has implemented freeing the Dj up from playing the main track thus giving the Dj a chance to express himself little bit better, you understand what I’m saying…

You mentioned there about the 2-3hr stage shows and P.E have always been known for giving full on and complete live experience, why do you feel that some of the artists that are around now don’t put that sort of effort into their live performances?
I think simply because the people expect something from these rap artists nowadays, they see the real expensive videos and they expect that when these guys come to town to perform that they are going to see something special and they just don’t give it to ‘em. And I think a lot of artists that are in the rap game today need to do their history, they need to do their research. Like we did we studied James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone and other groups that came out back in the day in order to perfect our show. Those same groups that are coming out today they need to do the same thing. There is nothing wrong with the fans wanting their favourite artist to really perform and do well, there is nothing wrong with that but when you gotta get that experience from the old skool it makes you look at the new skool like, ok, what’s next?….

Moving on from the live shows I would like to ask about your involvement with the production of Public Enemy’s music and if you could tell us a bit about the creative processes that you use?
Well my studio kinda looks like any other persons studio, just a couple of keyboards computer, regular mixing desk, Mpc and so on, but I think I approach my production from being an old skool artist as well as being a drummer and I think that I also have the knowledge of knowing the inner workings of P.E. and the texture of Chuck and Flavors voice, but really its just being born and bred on that Public Enemy sound. And I think as the producer inside the camp, the way I approach it is that I use different types of formulas, I may use Reason and I may use an Mpc but still approach my music making with no rules, so I find a sound and I strip it down and chop it up, turn it upside down and but that’s the sound of the music. And I could go in the kitchen run the blender and record that and I’m putting it into the mix you know what I’m saying so there is no rules. That’s number 1 on how to approach production. Once you come in to produce a Public Enemy track and you have all these rules and the track has to do this and has to be formatted like this you automatically lose. Because with us as a group there is now dictated structure you just feel it and you put in whatever it is that you feel will make the track move. That’s basically the way I do things although I do have access to some different types of sounds because I reach back in the vaults and start stacking the early 80’s and 90’s sounds while other producers are using a lot of digital sounds now days…

Speaking of a less digital sound as well as you mentioning that you are a drummer could you elaborate on the Public Enemy band and your direct involvement with that?
I had put together a band called the 7th Octave, and I put that together to keep guys working and to keep them developing the sound. Then we thought that we should get the band to back Public Enemy so that they could get their feet wet that’s how it began. Then on top of that we decided to take it to the next level to give our selves something new and exciting giving the whole P.E collective a bigger sound not necessarily a better sound but something that we could interact with during live performances. Just basically adding a new dimension to our live shows and giving the people something new and exciting…

To wrap things up and moving away slightly from your musical ethics, I would also like to ask many years ago you have been misquoted by the press for your points of view and beliefs within the band, so I would therefore like to ask if your views have altered or changed in this now very paranoid social climate?
Well I think from the out start that if the quotes weren’t taken out of context the people would have understood. But my views have changed simply because I grew up. I think that Paul says in the scriptures from the bible that “when I was a child I spoke as a child, but know that I’m a grown man I put away childish things”. So that I have grown and my views are a bit worldlier and I think that I understand concepts such as global oppression, global political science and certain other aspects of life, which I now understand in a more adult kind of way and I appreciate other peoples views…

The Prof on wikipedia

Professor Griff Interview