Public Enemy rapper Chuck D has come to Madonna's defence after a video of the pop supernova performing "Ray of Light" at her Celebration tour — which was rescheduled after an emergency hospitalization for a bacterial infection — showed Madge dancing while tethered to a grab bar as part of the rig for the square platform she uses to hover above the stage.
Although he didn't mention the clip in his post on the website we're still going to keep calling Twitter, damn it, Chuck D gave the icon props for "pushing the bars," comparing ageist critiques of Madonna to racism "both ways." The rapper continued, "For anyone over 50 the rule is either you do the songs or the songs do you. @Madonna has some hard songs in her catalogue."
Chuck D also pointed out that, at age 63, he can bike better than he ever did and shouted out Flavor Flav for doing pilates.
Although he didn't mention the clip in his post on the website we're still going to keep calling Twitter, damn it, Chuck D gave the icon props for "pushing the bars," comparing ageist critiques of Madonna to racism "both ways." The rapper continued, "For anyone over 50 the rule is either you do the songs or the songs do you. @Madonna has some hard songs in her catalogue."
Chuck D also pointed out that, at age 63, he can bike better than he ever did and shouted out Flavor Flav for doing pilates.
The aforementioned video was posted on the social media platform last night (January 3), filmed close-up in a way that doesn't allow for the context of how far Madonna was off the ground when it was captured. A grab bar is a fairly common safety measure employed for performers doing high-flying stunts.
Madonna and Public Enemy's history dates back to 1990, when the hip-hop group featured on "Justify My Love" from The Immaculate Collection. Chuck D fancies himself a bit of a public defender, too, having previously published an open letter in defence of Travis Scott in the wake of the Astroworld tragedy.
The Celebration tour makes its Canadian debut next week, with Madonna scheduled to perform in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.