Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Expresses Disappointment With Use of His 'Protest Song' in Videos of LA Fires: 'Learn the History'

Chuck D sent a message that was full of disappointment to the people who have used one of his songs to soundtrack videos of the devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires.

The Public Enemy frontman shared his criticism on Instagram on Thursday, Jan. 9. As the 64-year-old rapper noted, the lyrics for the song “Burn Hollywood Burn” from the group’s 1990 album Fear of a Black Planet were never meant to be literal.

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“Burn Hollywood Burn is a protest song,” the hip hop star’s message began. “Extracted from the Watts Rebellion monikered by the Magnificent Montague in 1965 against inequality when he said ‘burn baby burn’ across the air.”

Chuck D continued, writing, “We made mind revolution songs aimed at a one sided exploitation by a industry.” The song itself “Has nothing to do with families, losing everything they have in a natural disaster,” he added before urging people to “Learn the history.”

“Godspeed to those in loss,” he wrote to conclude his message. Chuck D, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2013 as a member of Public Enemy, also included a caption for the post that briefly addressed those impacted by the wildfires, writing, “PRAY 4 LA🙏🏾.”

Photos and videos documenting the devastation caused by the multiple fires that broke out in Southern California spread rapidly on social media this week as thousands of people were forced to evacuate. Many people, including several celebrities, lost their homes in the deadly blazes, which were still burning on Friday, Jan. 10.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said more than 90 wildfires broke out across the state in the first 10 days of 2025. The active fires that were most destructive as of Friday were the Palisades Fire, which ignited on Tuesday, Jan. 7, in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood, and the nearby Eaton Fire in Altadena, which also started on Tuesday. The Palisades Fire had burned more than 21,300 acres and the Eaton Fire had burned more than 13,600 acres as of 3:30 p.m. local time on Friday, the state agency reported.

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