LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 Hip-hop became a cultural phenomenon against the backdrop of American history, and now Public Enemy鈥檚 Chuck D has committed himself to explore the artform's origins.
Chuck D rounded up several rap greats 鈥 including Ice-T, Run DMC and MC Lyte 鈥 who offered their firsthand accounts ahead of this year's 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Their reflections are explored in the four-part docuseries that aired on PBS and is available to stream on its platforms and YouTube with a premium subscription.
The series delves into the history of hip-hop including the genre鈥檚 radical rise from the New York City streets, creating a platform for political expression and being a leading voice for social justice
鈥淔ight the Power鈥 touches on how the hip-hop has played an impactful role in speaking up against injustice in the aftermath of America鈥檚 racial and political reckoning in 2020 after . The series, executive produced by Chuck D, features archival footage and insightful interviews from of rap鈥檚 most integral figures including Fat Joe, Lupe Fiasco, Grandmaster Caz, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Melle Mel, will.i.am, John Forte, Roxanne Shant茅 and Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Chuck D talked about hip-hop鈥檚 cultural growth in 50 years, the genre being the backbone for Black men鈥檚 voices and how rap could last for another half century.
Remarks have been edited for clarity and bravery. ___ AP: You mentioned in your docuseries that hip-hop was a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement. How so?
CHUCK D: It鈥檚 a collective where people felt the same way. It spoke politically to the injustice regarding George Floyd and was a spark that connected around the world. Hip-hop has done the same thing. Hip-hop ties human beings for their similarities and knocks the differences to the side. It鈥檚 a movement, when you talk about collective people feeling similar, enact upon something and still even stay within the constraints of the law. Younger people say, 鈥淥K, listen, we鈥檙e going to speak truth to power right now. We鈥檙e going to protest march. We're going to show you numbers that you ain鈥檛 seen in a long time about something you probably didn鈥檛 care about." That鈥檚 hip-hop, right?
AP: During the birth of hip-hop, how do it help encourage Black voices?
CHUCK D: Black men didn鈥檛 have a voice. You might鈥檝e sung records for people who were fortunate to become recording artists. Our music has always been code. Hip-hop is the term for our creativity, maybe for the last 50 years. But before that, we always was creative and musicianship, vocalization, arts and craft, and also the movement of dance. Just that the elements had gotten refined in another period in the '70s out of another Big Bang Theory of socio political environments. That鈥檚 where that voice came out and it came out culturally. It still speaks loudly, culturally.
AP: How does your documentary amplify that notion?
CHUCK D: Some people like to deal with hip-hop where they first started. I think what this documentary series says is 鈥淣ah, this is where it started.鈥 You might have picked up on it after you were born in the 1990s and picked up maybe 2000, but it started before you.
AP: What do you want people to take away from your documentary?
CHUCK D: I don鈥檛 want people to do what they don鈥檛 want to do. If you say you love hip-hop, then you should be able to know about what you love. You don鈥檛 have to love hip-hop. I used to ask people straight out, 鈥淒o you love hip-hop?鈥 They would respond 鈥淥h yeah. I love it.鈥 Then I was ask, 鈥淒o you love Black people?鈥 They would say 鈥淲hat鈥檚 that got to do with it?鈥 I鈥檓 here to tell you that the culture and the music comes out of the people. Sometimes your love of it got to infuse and give something back to the people. That鈥檚 the cycle.
AP: How do you feel about hip-hop being misinterpreted at times?
CHUCK D: I鈥檓 12 years older than hip-hop, so I鈥檓 not in awe of it. I鈥檝e seen the trajectory and my involvement in it was to see if I can make it go head-to-head, stand shoulders and shoulders next to everything else that gets bragged and talked about. I鈥檓 a big sports fan. You know, a lot of people in New York broke up because the Giants lost. That鈥檚 how they tied into their loyalty for something that they say that they love. Well, people love music, too. They seem to know less about it than they know about sports, because sports make sure you鈥檙e not stupid. Stephen A. Smith now is a superstar journalist who makes sure that if you come in the room, you鈥檙e not stupid about sports. You can鈥檛 go off the top of your head and freestyle what you think when it鈥檚 fact. This four-part series at least deals with facts, especially in this misinformation age. Facts are important. Facts is not opinion, bro.
AP: How have you seen hip-hop transcend?
CHUCK D: Africa is the future of hip-hop. It鈥檚 54 African nations. Not only are they spitting like crazy, but they鈥檙e also braiding languages. Hip-hop is going to like 3.0 when you talk about Africa. Hip-hop is there. So that鈥檚 the sustaining power if you want to pay attention to it.
AP: Do you feel like rappers can still be commercially successful while being socially conscious?
CHUCK D: Depends on where they are and who they鈥檙e talking to. If you鈥檙e in France, it might work for you. Each level that you get into it, you got to go deeper because you build a fan base that鈥檚 three times harder than you. If you鈥檙e an activist, you鈥檙e going to bring on activists that's really doing this. You as an artist could engage on it and group them together.
Now, as far as what鈥檚 going to make that artists keep a light on or go out and get the Lamborghini, that鈥檚 a personal thing. Money is relative. There鈥檚 pressure put on the arts. That鈥檚 an illusion. It鈥檚 a little unfair to any art 鈥 which is not supposed to bring you an industry. It鈥檚 supposed to be able to bring a canvas to the world.
AP: What鈥檚 it going to take for hip-hop to live for another 50 years?
CHUCK D: Commitment collective, people recognizing that this is a part of us and recognizing more parts of us that have been part of our cultural history around the world. We got to recognize the world too.
