Synopses & Reviews
His lyrics are a lesson in history.
His songs are a movement in groove theory.
His book is a light out of the dark that will change the way you think about America and the world as a whole.
From Rap to Hip-Hop, Gangsta to Trip-Hop, Chuck D, his Bomb Squad, and his monumental band, Public Enemy, have been a sonic, singular, and transcendental force in modern music. As a poet and philosopher, Chuck D has been the hard rhymer, rolling anthems off his tongue in an era of apathy, tapping into the youth culture of the world for more than a decade.
Fight the Power, his first book, part memoir, part treatise, part State of the Union Address, is a testament to his nearly twenty years in the music business and his experiences around the world. Here is a history of one of the most important and controversial musical movements of our century, its impact on modern culture, and the heroes and victims it has created in its wake.
Chuck D has never been just a rapper. He's an artist, a rock 'n' roll star who's shared the spotlight with everyone from U2 to Anthrax. He's fought to bridge the gap between musical genres and cultural differences. He is truly the voice of a generation.
Startling, gripping, and uncompromising, Fight the Power is most of all the story of one man's struggle to bring about change in this difficult world at all costs. It is certain to take its place among the classics of African American experience.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-269). Discography: p. 271.
About the Author
Chuck D is the founder of and lead rapper for Public Enemy, which has a fan base of over twenty million people, and is considered one of the pioneers of Rap music. Aside from his work with the "Rock the Vote" campaign, for which he was honored with the Patrick Lippert Humanitarian Award, he recently signed on as a reporter for Fox News Channel. He also acted in his first film, An Alan Smithee Film--Burn, Hollywood, Burn. A new Public Enemy album will be released in late 1997.
Yusuf Jah is the author of Uprising: Crips and Bloods Tell the Story of America's Youth in Crossfire. He has also written two other books relating to the Black community and has lectured in colleges across the country.