By Kory Grow
Chuck D‘s new solo single, “New Gens,” contains multitudes: Its music is a wild, febrile tapestry of soulful horns, dubby echoes, and old-school beats that recall Chuck’s Bomb Squad days, while his lyrics bounce all over the place, affirming his love for new generations while accepting how younger people dismiss the old school, all before Daddy-O (of Stetsasonic fame) starts talkin’ all that jazz at the end. The whole thing is barely three minutes but comes with a positive message: “New gens, I love you, have a ball.”
What makes it great, though, is how Chuck connects his thoughts on the single, which will feature on the Public Enemy frontman’s upcoming Radio Armageddon album, due May 18. The song begins with a funky, 1950s PSA voice opining about adolescence: “Everyone asks themselves, ‘How will I turn out?’” Chuck immediately answers, “Weird, I’m weird, too.” And he proves it with a deconstruction of the National Anthem (“O say, you can’t see.”) And just like that, he’s on another trip, about how new gens can’t dance or listen to the music, with a whole new musical vibe supporting it. But somehow the abrupt shift works, like flipping TikTok, and it holds your attention.
The best lyric, though, is “I been your age, you ain’t been mine … yet.” And it perfectly sets up Daddy-O, whose contribution is kind of its own song. “Call me a dinosaur,” he raps, and a voice answers back, “I’m before the internet.” The music is more straightforward and funkier for Daddy-O, and he comes with the words that explain the whole song: “Some people claim they legends but don’t put nothing out.” Here are two rap legends with something new, and the new gens can take it or leave it.
The track is the first to come off of Chuck’s first solo record since 2018’s Celebration of Ignorance. The new album, Radio Armageddon, will contain 13 other songs, which feature appearances by Schoolly D, the Universal Zulu Nation’s Donald D and Jazzy Jay, Phill Most Chill, and 1/2 Pint, among others.
Radio Armageddon track list:
1. “Radio Armageddon”
2. “What Rock Is”
3. “Black Don’t Dead”
4. “New Gens”
5. “Station Break”
6. “Rogue Runnin”
7. “Is God She”
8. “Station Identification”
9. “Here We Are Heard”
10. “Superbagg”
11. “Carry On”
12. “What Are We to You”
13. “Sight Story Style Sound”
14. “Signing Off”
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