“1989 the number another summer!”
Well, it’s been 25 years since Public Enemy’s classic “Fight the Power” hit the airwaves with that rousing declaration from frontman Chuck D; and 25 years since the film that shook up the world was released with that incendiary track as it’s theme songs. Director Spike Lee celebrated the 25 year anniversary of his seminal 1989 film Do the Right Thing with a block party on the same block in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where the movie was shot in late 1988.
It seemed as though all of Brooklyn was on-hand for the celebration, which featured appearances from notables like Dave Chappelle, Mos Def/Yasiin Bey, Erykah Badu, and Chuck D himself, all paying tribute to the neighborhood and to the film.
“This is Brooklyn!” declared Chuck D. “Brooklyn is the center of the world and Brooklyn is love! Hip-hop has to get back to ‘we’ instead of ‘me!'” Fans packed into the intersection at Stuyvesant Boulevard and Lexington Avenue for the party, which lasted from noon until 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 28.
“I just had to be here — this is history,” said Kweenia Carlson, who made the trek from New Jersey for the party. “I was a teenager when Do the Right Thing came out and it’s a timeless piece of art that really showed what was going on — not just in Brooklyn, but around America.”
CHECK OUT A FEW MORE PICS BELOW:
