“By the Time I Get to Arizona,” Public Enemy
Public Enemy is known for starting off their songs with powerful statements. So when Sista Souljah opens up the rap song “By the Time I Get to Arizona,” she set the tone.
The pre-cursor and the direct resistance-ancestor of Tamika Mallory, Souljah blasted Arizona for not recognizing Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Day as a national holiday.
“This is Sister Souljah. Public Enemy, Security of the First World, and all allied forces are traveling west to head off a white supremacy scheming to destroy the national celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday. Public Enemy believes that the powers that be in the states of New Hampshire and Arizona have found psychological discomfort in paying tribute to a black man who tried to teach white people the meaning of civilization. Good luck brothers, show ’em what you got.”
The song leaps into protest as Chuck D details all the reasons why as a citizen he believes Dr. King deserves for his holiday be nationally recognized. Under Evan Mecham’s governorship, MLK Day was canceled, despite being signed into law in 1983. The people of the state actually voted against a proposition create a state holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by a margin of 17,000 votes in 1990. Chuck told the media that he was a fan of Isaac Hayes’ sing “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and he flipped to address the very serious issue at hand, the refusal to put respect on the slain civil rights leader’s name.
“Why I want a holiday? Damn it, ’cause I wanna … So what if I celebrate it standin’ on a corner? I ain’t drinkin’ no forty, thinkin’ time with a nine … ‘Til we get some land, call me the trigger man … Lookin’ for the governor, huh? He ain’t lovin’ ya, ha? But here to trouble ya, he’s rubbin’ ya wrong … Get the point and come along, he can get to the joint … I urinated on the state while I was kickin’ this song … Yeah, he appear to be fair … The sucker over there, he try to keep it yesteryear.”
The holiday was signed into law by Ronald Reagan in 1983; first observed in 1986 and observed officially by all 50 states in 2000, over 50 years passed King’s assassination and over 10 years after PE dropped the song that was banned from MTV.