Chuck D is synonymous with Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” which was first heard in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” in 1989.
Chuck D is still prophesying more than 30 years later, and 50 years after the rumoured birth of hip-hop at a house party in the Bronx. But this time, he’s taking his message a step further.
As the creator and executive producer of “Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World,” Chuck D (born Carlton Ridenhour) and his producing partner Lorrie Boula enlisted a notable lineup of hip-hop figures to weigh in on the musical genre’s evolution and historical significance.
The four-part series premieres on PBS on Tuesday (9 p.m. EST/PST), as well as on the PBS app and PBS.org.
Chuck D is synonymous with Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” which was first heard in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” in 1989.
Chuck D is still prophesying more than 30 years later, and 50 years after the rumoured birth of hip-hop at a house party in the Bronx. But this time, he’s taking his message a step further.
As the creator and executive producer of “Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World,” Chuck D (born Carlton Ridenhour) and his producing partner Lorrie Boula enlisted a notable lineup of hip-hop figures to weigh in on the musical genre’s evolution and historical significance.
The four-part series premieres on PBS on Tuesday (9 p.m. EST/PST), as well as on the PBS app and PBS.org.
Drake at the Apollo: Dipset and 21 Savage performed alongside the hip-hop star at the legendary venue.
Chuck D is the driving force behind the four-part PBS documentary series “Fight The Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World.”
From Killer Mike, Eminem, and Fat Joe to KRS-One, Monie Love, and Grandmaster Melle Mel, the docuseries delves into hip-societal hop’s impact – civil rights, police brutality, graffiti art, turf wars, and protests – as well as its ongoing role in reflecting the state of the world.
Chuck D is also releasing a fine art book with sketches of Bob Dylan and visual depictions of the numerous hotel rooms and airports he’s visited. “Livin’ Loud: ARTitation,” a collection of 250 artworks, will be released on February 7.
What did you discover while researching hip-hop history?
Chuck D: Grandmaster Caz, Monie Love, and Eminem all sound like scholars because they’ve never been asked in-depth questions about hip-hop before. When you present questions with high regard, when quality is the conversation rather than quantity, everyone comes up with answers that go above and beyond what was expected.
Monie Love discusses how music born from pain is now being made for profit in the series’ final episode. Do you believe hip-hop has become overly corporate?
Boula: Hip-hop was born out of oppression, but we didn’t want to be a part of it. It’s about emphasising the significance of hip-hop. Even if people aren’t taking hip-message hop’s to heart and are simply discovering a new artist, they are moving the culture forward.
Chuck D: It was in the 1990s that record labels believed they could reduce everything to one MC (rather than a group). Hip-hop before and after the 1990s has become more individualised rather than collective.
In your art book, you say that your Public Enemy groupmate Flavor Flav’s job is to enter the room and “suck the stardom out of it.” How is your current relationship with him?
D. Chuck: You can be the icing on the cake and the spectacle, but the rest of the cast is required to make it spectacular. “You’ve done the spectacle,” I always urged. Work on the spectacular now.” However, it is always beneficial (between us). We can reach each other by phone. I believe in work ethic, and I’ve been waiting for him to release solo albums. He should have ten by now. To be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and then not record? Man, come on!
