He also covered politics in the music business, with some tough words for BET ("booty and thug network"), The Source magazine, Jay-Z and Russell Simmons. His imitations of Simmons talking to his wife about her huge collection of shoes and 'renting' religious leaders had the audience cracking up. There was even time to discuss the currently hot topic of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl half-time show.

Chuck D hit on a number of topics, and while he is a very talented and charismatic speaker, I felt a tighter outline and more structure would have made him even better. He was freestylin' in what he calls a "Vibe Session", rather than a formal speech, and that was his biggest weakness, it seemed to me.

Overall, it was a very interesting evening, listening to someone in my age group (I'm 45 and Chuck D is 44) who has lived a different lifestyle and yet has come to many of the same conclusions about the world that I and other thinking people have. As a person that travels around the globe each year, he was able to point out the importance of broadening out in our viewpoint. "The best American", he said "is the one who is able to see outside this 3,000 mile box called 'the United States' ."

You may not agree with everything Chuck D has to say, but he will make you think about your own beliefs in a new way, and that has to be a positive thing. I definitely recommend attending his vibe session, when he appears at a college in your area. It won't hurt a bit.