Chuck D

SPECIAL GUEST FOR SELECTED APPEARANCESChuck D, is a hip-hop activist, entrepreneur, producer and mc who, as leader of the rap group Public Enemy, helped usher in the period of politically conscious rap music in the mid-1980s. Public Enemy was known for their revolutionary, pro-black lyricism and groundbreaking production. PE's fiery rhymes and unique stage show (featuring their military-style dancer, the S1W's) won them millions of fans across the globe. They released four classic albums between 1987 and 1991: their 1987 debut Yo! Bum Rush the Show, It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold us Back (1988), Fear of a Black Planet (1990), Apocalypse ’91, The Enemy Strikes Back (1991). Also during this period PE released the single “Fight the Power,” which was the theme song for Spike Lee’s politically-charged 1989 film Do The Right Thing. Over the next decade Chuck D launched a solo career, and became an advocate for MP3 technology with the release of his 1999 There’s Poison Goin’ On, the first full-length album to be made available on the Internet. He’s the founder of rapstation.com and slamjamz.com. He’s also the author of The Autobiography of Mista Chuck and co-author of Fight the Power: Rap, Race and Reality. Most recently he has been the co-host of the Air America Radio talk show Unfiltered, released the single “Tear Down That Wall” in 2010 in protest of Arizona’s anti-immigrant bill, and in 2011 conducted a global reunion tour with Public Enemy. In addition to countless causes he’s supported from raising awareness regarding conflict diamonds to the 2004 National Hip-Hop Political Convention, he also sits on the board for the human rights organization TransAfrica.