Night of the Living Baseheads
Encyclopedia
"Night of the Living Baseheads" is the third single released by hip hop
group Public Enemy, from their critically acclaimed album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
. The lyrics deal with the effects of crack cocaine
on African-Americans during the 1980s crack epidemic, referring to the slang for cocaine "base". The song reached #62 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.
The song uses more samples than any other song on the album, a total of 20 (including the sample of Chuck D
saying "Bass!" at the start of the song "Bring the Noise
"). The chorus of the song asks "How low can you go?", refers to a person degrading himself/herself, rather than a dance. The title is a reference to the film Night of the Living Dead
, equating people addicted to crack cocaine with zombies.
The group Digital Assassins did a cover of this song entitled "Return of the Living Bassheads (Somethin' Really Bad)." This cover was featured on video games such as Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2
and BMX XXX
.
as a reporter and Flavor Flav appears as co-anchor of a fictional T.V. news program, PETV. The video shows footage of the Audubon Ballroom
in Washington Heights
, New York City
(After Malcolm X
left the Nation of Islam
in 1964, he founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity
(OAAU). The weekly meetings of the OAAU were held at the Audubon Ballroom and it was at one of those meetings, on February 21, 1965, that Malcolm X was assassinated.) During the video, MC Lyte searches for 'baseheads' and finds them on Wall Street
where executives are caught sniffing cocaine
, pointing out that drug use is viewed differently among black and white communities. In another scene, Chuck D is captured by the racist, anti-rap group the "Brown Bags". In the middle of the music video, a T.V. commercial is shown of a "beeper
tie" which allows drug dealers to appear respectable, and in another scene a reporter investigates a crack house
, showing what crack addiction does to families.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group Public Enemy, from their critically acclaimed album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is the second studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released April 14, 1988, on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place at Chung King Studios, Greene Street Recording, and Sabella Studios in New York City...
. The lyrics deal with the effects of crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
on African-Americans during the 1980s crack epidemic, referring to the slang for cocaine "base". The song reached #62 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.
The song uses more samples than any other song on the album, a total of 20 (including the sample of Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
saying "Bass!" at the start of the song "Bring the Noise
Bring the Noise
"Bring the Noise" is a song by the hip hop group Public Enemy. It was included on the soundtrack of the 1987 film Less Than Zero and was also released as a single that year. It later became the first song on the group's 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back...
"). The chorus of the song asks "How low can you go?", refers to a person degrading himself/herself, rather than a dance. The title is a reference to the film Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
, equating people addicted to crack cocaine with zombies.
The group Digital Assassins did a cover of this song entitled "Return of the Living Bassheads (Somethin' Really Bad)." This cover was featured on video games such as Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2
Mat Hoffman Pro BMX 2 is the sequel to Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX. It was made available for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.-Gameplay:...
and BMX XXX
BMX XXX
BMX XXX is a video game published by Acclaim Entertainment for the Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and PlayStation 2 and developed by Z-Axis. While primarily a BMX-based action sports title, it earned most of its notoriety for containing nudity, foul language and adult humor...
.
Music video
The song had a unique, six-minute video presented as a television channel with news anchors and commercials. The music video features MC LyteMC Lyte
MC Lyte is an American rapper who first gained fame in the late-1980s becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock.-Early life:...
as a reporter and Flavor Flav appears as co-anchor of a fictional T.V. news program, PETV. The video shows footage of the Audubon Ballroom
Audubon Ballroom
The Audubon Ballroom was a theatre and ballroom located on Broadway at 165th Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, north of Harlem in New York. It is best known as the site of Malcolm X's assassination on February 21, 1965....
in Washington Heights
Washington Heights
Washington Heights may refer to some places in the United States:*Washington Heights, Manhattan **Washington Heights , a 2003 film set in Washington Heights, Manhattan*Washington Heights, New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(After Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
left the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
in 1964, he founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity
Organization of Afro-American Unity
The Organization of Afro-American Unity was a Pan-Africanist organization founded by Malcolm X in 1964. The OAAU was modeled on the Organisation of African Unity, which had impressed Malcolm X during his visit to Africa in April and May 1964...
(OAAU). The weekly meetings of the OAAU were held at the Audubon Ballroom and it was at one of those meetings, on February 21, 1965, that Malcolm X was assassinated.) During the video, MC Lyte searches for 'baseheads' and finds them on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
where executives are caught sniffing cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, pointing out that drug use is viewed differently among black and white communities. In another scene, Chuck D is captured by the racist, anti-rap group the "Brown Bags". In the middle of the music video, a T.V. commercial is shown of a "beeper
Pager
A pager is a simple personal telecommunications device for short messages. A one-way numeric pager can only receive a message consisting of a few digits, typically a phone number that the user is then requested to call...
tie" which allows drug dealers to appear respectable, and in another scene a reporter investigates a crack house
Crack house
Crack house is a term mainly used in the United States used to describe an old, often abandoned or burnt-out building often in an inner-city neighborhood where drug dealers and drug users buy, sell, produce, and use illegal drugs, including, but not limited to, crack cocaine.In the 1980s, inner...
, showing what crack addiction does to families.
Charts
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 62 |
Samples
- Excerpt of speech by Khalid Abdul MuhammadKhalid Abdul MuhammadKhalid Abdul Muhammad was an African American activist who came to prominence as the National Assistant to Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam . After a 1993 speech at Kean College Khalid was condemned and removed from his position in the Nation of Islam by Louis Farrakhan...
(intro) - "UFO" by ESGESG (band)ESG are a band that emerged from the South Bronx, New York, U.S. in the early 1980's. Trouser Press called it "one of the most dynamic bands that New York could offer at the top of the '80s." ESG have been influential across a wide range of musical genres, including hip hop, post punk, disco,...
(sirens) - "FameFame (David Bowie song)"Fame" is a song recorded by David Bowie, initially released in 1975. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of September 20, 1975.-Song development:...
" by David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s... - "The Grunt" by The J.B.'s (horn glissando)
- "Scorpio" by Dennis CoffeyDennis CoffeyDennis Coffey is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings.-Biography:Coffey learned to play guitar at the age of thirteen, in the Michigan Upper Peninsula town of Copper City...
and The Detroit Guitar Band (drums) - "Son of Shaft" by Bar-Kays
- "Funky Man" by Kool & The Gang
- "Bring the Noise" by Public Enemy (Vocals: "Bass! How low can you go?")
- "Christmas Rappin'" by Kurtis BlowKurtis BlowKurt Walker , better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major record label...
(Vocals: "Twas the night"/"Hold it now") - "Do the Funky Penguin" by Rufus Thomas (drums)
- "Rock SteadyRock Steady (Aretha Franklin song)"Rock Steady" is a song written and performed by Aretha Franklin and released in 1971, from the album Young, Gifted and Black. The single reached the #9 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that same year. It also peaked at #2 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart...
" by Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
(Vocals: "Rock!") - "I Can't Get Next to You" by The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
(Piano hook/Vocals: "Everybody hold it, listen") - "Pick Up the Pieces" by Average White Band
- "You Can Make It If You Try" by Sly & the Family StoneSly & the Family StoneSly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
(drums) - "I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" by The Soul ChildrenThe Soul ChildrenThe Soul Children was an American vocal group who recorded soul music for Stax Records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They had three top ten hits on the Billboard R&B chart – "The Sweeter He Is" , "Hearsay" , and "I'll Be The Other Woman" – all of which crossed over to the Hot...
(Vocals: "Brothers and sisters") - "Here We Go" (Live at the Funhouse) by Run-DMC
- "Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1)" by Run-DMC (Drums/Vocals: "Years ago","First come, first serve basis")
- "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" by James Brown
- "Soul Power Pt. I" by James Brown
- "Rappin' Ain't No Thang" by The Boogie Boys featuring Kool Ski, Kid Delight & Disco Dave (Vocals: "We are willing")