"Burn Hollywood Burn is a protest song" — Chuck D dispels assumptions about “Fear of a Black Planet” song amid LA wildfires 

In light of the ongoing LA wildfires, many netizens have been using the audio of a 90s track, Burn Hollywood Burn, on their reels and social media posts. Last weekend, Chuck D finally addressed the usage, issuing a statement on Instagram that dispelled the assumptions about his 1990 track.

In his statement, the lead rapper of Public Enemy claimed that their creation, Burn Hollywood Burn, had a different meaning and message altogether, writing:

"Burn Hollywood Burn is a protest song, extracted from the Watts rebellion monikered by the magnificent Montague in 1965 against inequality when he said ‘Burn Baby Burn’ across the air."

Then adding how the song had nothing to do with the ongoing LA wildfires, Chuck D wrote:

"We made mind revolution songs aimed at a one sided exploitation by an industry. Has nothing to do with families losing everything they have in a natural disaster. Learn the history."

For the unversed, Burn Hollywood Burn is a track from Fear of a Black Planet - the third studio album by the hip-hop group, Public Enemy. In the track, Chuck D collaborates with Ice Cube and Daddy Kane.

Per AllHipHop, the opening of the song is reportedly an obvious reference to the Watts Rebellion, where Chuck D raps:

"Burn Hollywood burn I smell a riot/Goin’ on — first they’re guilty, now they’re gone"

In the caption of his Instagram post, Chuck D appealed to his viewers not to use their song in reels and pictures of the LA wildfires, calling it a "horrifying natural disaster."

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The death toll in the LA wildfires is expected to rise

Chuck D's statement about the unrelated use of the 1990 song comes as the LA wildfires continue to rise across multiple LA counties, per The Guardian. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has reported that the fires have consumed 63 sq. miles (160 sq. km.) of LA, with thousands of structures in the suburbs of Malibu, Hollywood Hills, Eaton Canyon, and Pacific Palisades.

The two biggest wildfires - Palisades and Eaton - were only contained up to 11% and 27% respectively by early Sunday, Cal Fire reported. All the confirmed death cases in the LA wildfires also come from these two. Per The Guardian, the current death toll has risen to 24 - with 8 of them found in the Palisades fire zone, and the other 16 in the Eaton fire zone.

A more disturbing fact is the warning issued by Californian officials on Sunday, announcing that the winds in the Golden State are likely to strengthen in the coming days, which is likely to expand the destruction across LA.

Per the firefighters responding in the Palisades fire zone, the shifting Santa Ana winds could blow the Palisades fire further toward the coast. So far, it has razed over 24,000 acres of area. By Sunday, over 150,000 in Los Angeles County were under evacuation warnings as the LA wildfires blaze on.

On Sunday, Californian officials revealed in a news conference that over 4,700 personnel were assigned to prevent the spread of the wildfires in the state. Christian Litz - the battalion chief of the LA County Fire Department, said:

"We have airplanes, we have helicopters, even drones. We’re dropping retardant, we’re dropping water everywhere we can to secure that edge."

According to Litz, the Palisades fire was “looking good as far as flame activity but there’s still heat all along the edges." Their crew was still working to ensure there was “no fire progression or to limit it as much as possible.”

Meanwhile, Rich Thompson from the National Weather Service noted a "very extreme fire behavior" driven by the strengthening winds, adding:

"Unfortunately, we’re still under a Santa Ana wind pattern and have expectation of moderate to strong winds through Wednesday … with gusts anywhere from 35 to 55 miles per hour."

Per Thompson, the combination of wind and dry conditions could produce some critical fire weather conditions.

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In the wake of the LA wildfires, many Hollywood celebrities have suffered the loss of their home in Malibu and Pacific Palisades, including Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Anthony Hopkins, Cary Elwes, Eugene Levy, John Goodman, Jeff Bridges, and John C. Reilly.