Public Enemy's Chuck D and Professor Griff have a new baby named Confrontation Camp, a rap-rock outfit in the spirit of Rage Against the Machine. Even though it's a fresh sound and a fresh start for the elder statesmen, the same fire and spirit that inspired all the Public Enemy albums live in the Camp. That's the best news. It's also the project's biggest obstacles.
Guitars, drums and turntables provide a sound any rock fan can appreciate. The music slides from the hyperangst of "Brake the Law" to the melodramatic "Jasper," which deals with the lingering spirit of Old South racism, eerily illustrated in the dragging death of James Byrd.
The Camp addresses all the rampant "isms" PE has refused to let the world forget exist. This album is raw, and it's exactly what Chuck and Griff want. Confrontation Camp proves they'd rather rock with a few than front with a million.
