Halftimeonline.com Hip Hop Icons Series: Chuck D Pt. 2

Podcast Episode Summary

As the front man for the legendary group Public Enemy Chuck D helped revolutionize the rap game by bringing political, social and cultural consciousness to the forefront of hip hop discussion. Following Public Enemy’s success a number of groups came forward with a foundation in Afrocentrism. The production team, The Bomb Squad consisting of Chuck D, Hank & Keith Shocklee, and Eric “Vietnam” Sadler, created a dense, ferocious rock infused sound unlike anything that came before them to outline PE’s scathing narratives. In addition to their lyrical content and sound, PE also pioneered a number of other hip hop movements including the first rap world tours, introduced the first hype man in Flavor Flav, and released the first albums on mp3.

We caught up with Chuck following his work on Ali Rap to discuss a number of topics. In a conversation that lasted roughly two hours we talked about the creation of P.E., his relationship with Flavor Flav, Ice Cube, politics and a lot in between.