Article: Rap on the Learning Curve;Public Enemy's Chuck D, Educating, Entertaining, Enraging

The Baltimore Arena is abuzz with rap fans, most in their teens and early twenties, many of them sporting African medallions and Afrocentric fashions ranging from kente cloth scarves and kufi hats to Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela T-shirts. The rippling red-green-black rainbow of black nationalism is evident in a sea of work clothes and designer sportswear.

The fans have come for an all-star package that includes such pop-rap favorites as Heavy D and the Boys, Kid N'Play and Digital Underground. But the most powerful act, the one that has inspired much of the night's fashion and will provoke the most visceral response, is Public Enemy. (The show comes to Capital Centre tonight.)

In a ...

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