Fight the Power: Rap, Race, and Reality Book

George Clinton has called Chuck D "the Bob Dylan of Rap." Since the early eighties, his provocative and brilliant lyrics have raised controversy with seemingly every conservative group in the country. His championing of black leaders from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X to Huey Newton and Minister Farrakhan brought the issue of black empowerment to mainstream radio and MTV. Long before Ice-T made waves with his song "Cop Killer" and Snoop Doggy Dogg and Gangsta Rap infiltrated the media, Chuck D was unsettling the Arizona Government and calling the country's attention to their refusal to recognize Martin Luther King Day. His song "By The Time I Get To Arizona" inspired massive media attention and a special edition of Nightline with Chuck as the featured guest.His rejection of celebrity and his constant community activism have made him a hero. For the past five years he's been touring colleges and universities, delivering three hour lectures on everything from the music industry's corruption of young talent, the history of black music from Blues to Rap, his own controversial lyrics, problems in the black community, self-empowerment, contemporary culture and current political leaders to Public Enemy's rise to international stardom. All while maintaining his solo and Public Enemy's recording careers.Fight the Power examines a multitude of complex social, racial and artistic issues. In his unmistakable voice, Chuck discusses the role of heroes and role models in the black community, Hollywood's negative images of blacks, the effect of gangsta rap, its images on the country's youth and the war between east and west coast rappers that may have spawned the murder of Tupac Shakur, the role of athletes and entertainers in eroding and strengthening values, and other vital contemporary concerns. Candid, thoughtful, and in your face, Fight the Power, the first substantial book by a rapper, offers readers a look into the culture of hip hop and the future of Black culture.Read More