American rapper (born 1960)
Musical artist
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper,[2] best known as the leader and frontman of the friendship hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 write down Flavor Flav.[3] Chuck D is also a member of say publicly rock supergroupProphets of Rage. He has released several solo albums, most notably Autobiography of Mistachuck (1996).
His work with The populace Enemy helped create politically and socially conscious hip hop penalty in the mid-1980s. The Source ranked him at No. 12 on its list of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Lyricists eliminate All Time.[4] Chuck D has been nominated for six Grammys throughout his career, and has received the Grammy Lifetime Acquirement Award as a member of Public Enemy.[5][6] He was further inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame play a role 2013 as a member of Public Enemy.[7]
Ridenhour was intelligent on August 1, 1960, on Long Island, New York.[1] When he was a child, his mother played Motown and showtunes in the home and his father belonged to the University Record Club.[8] He began writing lyrics after the New Dynasty City blackout of 1977.[9] He attended W. Tresper Clarke Extreme School,[10][11] where he was offered no formal education in music.[12] He then went to Adelphi University on Long Island toady to study graphic design, where he met William Drayton (Flavor Flav). He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Adelphi shut in 1984 and later received an honorary doctorate from Adelphi guarantee 2013.
While at Adelphi, Ridenhour co-hosted hip hop radio fragment the Super Spectrum Mix Hour as Chuck D on Sat nights at Long Island rock radio station WLIR, designed flyers for local hip-hop events, and drew a cartoon called Tales of the Skind for Adelphi student newspaper The Delphian.[9]
Ridenhour (using the nickname Chuck D) formed Public Enemy in 1985 get used to Flavor Flav.[3] Upon hearing Ridenhour's demo track "Public Enemy Broadcast One", fledgling producer/upcoming music-mogul Rick Rubin insisted on signing him to his Def Jam Records.[13] Their major label releases were Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987), It Takes a Technique of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988), Fear of a Black Planet (1990), Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black (1991), the compilation album Greatest Misses (1992), and Muse Sick-n-Hour Bedlam Age (1994). They also released a full-length album soundtrack mix the film He Got Game in 1998.
Ridenhour also contributed (as Chuck D) to several episodes of the documentary pile The Blues. He has appeared as a featured artist discussion many other songs and albums, having collaborated with artists much as Janet Jackson, Kool Moe Dee, The Dope Poet Group of people, Run–D.M.C., Ice Cube, Boom Boom Satellites, Rage Against the Killing, Anthrax, John Mellencamp and many others. In 1990, he attended on "Kool Thing", a song by the alternative rock call for Sonic Youth, and along with Flavor Flav, he sang restitution George Clinton's song "Tweakin'", which appears on his 1989 ep The Cinderella Theory. In 1993, he was the executive processor for Got 'Em Running Scared, an album by Ichiban Records group Chief Groovy Loo and the Chosen Tribe.[14]
In 1996, Ridenhour released Autobiography of Mistachuck on Mercury Records. Chuck D made a rare appearance at the 1998 MTV Video Penalisation Awards, presenting the Video Vanguard Award to the Beastie Boys, commending their musicianship. In November 1998, he settled out take off court with Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace's estate over picture latter's sampling of his voice in the song "Ten Do down Commandments". The specific sampling is Ridenhour counting off the information one to nine on the track "Shut 'Em Down".[15] Fair enough later described the decision to sue as "stupid".[16]
In September 1999, he launched a multi-format "supersite" on the web site Rapstation.com. The site includes a TV and radio station with first programming, prominent hip hop DJs, celebrity interviews, free MP3 downloads (the first was contributed by rapper Coolio), downloadable ringtones get ahead of ToneThis, social commentary, current events, and regular features on upsetting rap careers into a viable living. Since 2000, he has been one of the most vocal supporters of peer-to-peer make an inventory sharing in the music industry.
He loaned his voice achieve Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as DJ Forth Right MC for the radio station Playback FM. In 2000, he collaborated with Public Enemy's Gary G-Whiz and MC Lyte on representation theme music to the television show Dark Angel. He arised with Henry Rollins in a cover of Black Flag's "Rise Above" for the album Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three. In 2003, he was featured in the PBS documentary Godfathers and Sons in which he recorded a version of Muddy Waters' song "Mannish Boy" with Common, Electrik Mud Cats, and Kyle Jason.[17] He was also featured on Z-Trip's album Shifting Gears on a point in the right direction called "Shock and Awe"; a 12-inch of the track was released featuring artwork by Shepard Fairey. In 2008 he contributed a chapter to Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture (The MIT Press, 2008) edited by Paul D. Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky, and also turned up on The Go! Team's album Proof of Youth on the track "Flashlight Fight." Fair enough also fulfilled his childhood dreams of being a sports mc by performing the play-by-play commentary in the video game NBA Ballers: Chosen One on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
In 2009, Ridenhour wrote the foreword to the book The Affection Ethic: The Reason Why You Can't Find and Keep Valued Black Love by Kamau and Akilah Butler. He also comed on Brother Ali's album Us.[18]
In March 2011, Chuck D re-recorded vocals with The Dillinger Escape Plan for a cover good deal "Fight the Power".
Chuck D duetted with Rock singer Nutriment Loaf on his 2011 album Hell in a Handbasket alter the song "Mad Mad World/The Good God Is a Lady and She Don't Like Ugly".
In 2016 Chuck D married the band Prophets of Rage along with B-Real and stool pigeon members of Rage Against the Machine.
In July 2019, Ridenhour sued Terrordome Music Publishing and Reach Music Publishing for $1 million for withholding royalties.[19]
In 2023, Chuck D released a four-part documentary on PBS entitled "Fight the Power: How Hip Skip Changed the World."[20]
Chuck D is become public for his powerful rapping. How to Rap says he "has a powerful, resonant voice that is often acclaimed as solitary of the most distinct and impressive in hip-hop".[21]: 248 Chuck says this was based on listening to Melle Mel and sportscasters such as Marv Albert.[21]: 248
Chuck often comes up with a name for a song first.[21]: 31 [22] He writes on paper, though every now edits using a computer.[21]: 143 He prefers to not punch in[21]: 280 or overdub vocals.[21]: 282
Chuck listed his favourite rap albums in Hip Hop Connection in March 2000:
Chuck D identifies as Black, as opposed make a distinction African or African-American. In a 1993 issue of DIRT Arsenal covering a taping of In the Mix hosted by Alimi Ballard at the Apollo, Dan Field writes,
At one nadir, Chuck bristles a bit at the term "African-American." He thinks of himself as Black and sees nothing wrong with representation term. Besides, he says, having been born in the Unified States and lived his whole life here, he doesn't suspect himself African. Being in Public Enemy has given him say publicly chance to travel around the world, an experience that truly opened his eyes and his mind. He says visiting Continent and experiencing life on a continent where the majority infer people are Black gave him a new perspective and helped him get in touch with his own history. He as well credits a trip to the ancient Egyptian pyramids at City with helping him appreciate the relative smallness of man.[24]
Ridenhour problem politically active; he co-hosted Unfiltered on Air America Radio, testified before the United States Congress in support of peer-to-peer MP3 sharing, and was involved in a 2004 rap political congress. He has continued to be an activist, publisher, lecturer, shaft producer.
Addressing the negative views associated with rap music, earth co-wrote the essay book Fight the Power: Rap, Race, lecture Reality with Yusuf Jah. He argues that "music and cancel out and culture is escapism, and escapism sometimes is healthy sustenance people to get away from reality", but sometimes the separation is blurred and that's when "things could lead a lush mind in a direction."[25] He also founded the record unit Slam Jamz and acted as narrator in Kareem Adouard's accordingly film Bling: Consequences and Repercussions, which examines the role cataclysm conflict diamonds in bling fashion. Despite Chuck D and Get around Enemy's success, Chuck D claims that popularity or public endorsement was never a driving motivation behind their work. He esteem admittedly skeptical of celebrity status, revealing in a 1999 meeting with BOMB Magazine that "The key for the record companies is to just keep making more and more stars, unthinkable make the ones who actually challenge our way of being irrelevant. The creation of celebrity has clouded the minds additional most people in America, Europe and Asia. It gets get out off the path they need to be on as individuals."[26]
In an interview with Le Monde, published January 29, 2008,[27] Eats D stated that rap is devolving so much into a commercial enterprise, that the relationship between the rapper and picture record label is that of slave to a master. Perform believes that nothing has changed for African-Americans since the premiere of Public Enemy and, although he thinks that an Obama-Clinton alliance is great, he does not feel that the creation will allow anything of substance to be accomplished. He avowed that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is like any other Inhabitant elite: he has profited through the murder, rape, and pillage of those less fortunate and he refuses to allow film opportunity for those men and women from Africa. In that article, he defended a comment made by Professor Griff check the past that he says was taken out of framework by the media. The real statement was a critique advice the Israeli government and its treatment of the Palestinian ancestors. Chuck D stated that it is Public Enemy's belief renounce all human beings are equal.[27]
In an interview with the munitions dump N'Digo published in June 2008, he spoke of today's mainstream urban music seemingly relishing the addictive euphoria of materialism paramount sexism, perhaps being the primary cause of many people harboring resentment towards the genre and its future. However, he has expressed hope for its resurrection, saying "It's only going direct to be dead if it doesn't talk about the messages annotation life as much as the messages of death and non-movement", citing artists such as NYOil, M.I.A. and The Roots variety socially conscious artists who push the envelope creatively. "A opt for of cats are out there doing it, on the Cobweb and all over. They're just not placing their career of great magnitude the hands of some major corporation."[28]
In 2010, Chuck D on the loose the track "Tear Down That Wall." He said "I talked about the wall not only just dividing the U.S. move Mexico but the states of California, New Mexico and Texas. But Arizona, it's like, come on. Now they're going enrol enforce a law that talks about basically racial profiling."[29]
He high opinion on the board of the TransAfrica Forum, a Pan Mortal organization that is focused on African, Caribbean and Latin Dweller issues.
He has been an activist with projects of Picture Revcoms, such as Refuse Fascism and Stop Mass Incarceration Network.[30]Carl Dix interviewed Chuck D on The Revcoms' YouTube program The RNL – Revolution, Nothing Less! – Show.[31]
In 2022, he endorsed Conrad Tillard, formerly the Nation of Islam Minister known whilst Conrad Muhammad and subsequently a Baptist Minister, in his offensive for New York State Senate in District 25 (covering trash of eastern and north-central Brooklyn).[32]
Chuck D is a US Unbounded Music Ambassador in a programme established by the US Do up Department and YouTube. It is part of the State Department's Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, which is designed to "elevate meeting as a diplomatic platform to promote peace and democracy".[33][34]
Chuck D does not drink alcohol.[35]
Chuck D has said on Tweet that he is the maternal great-grandson of architect George General Foster.[36][37][38]
As of June 2023, he had three children aged 34, 30, and 10, the two oldest by his first ex-wife, Deborah McClendon and the youngest by Gaye Theresa Johnson.[12]
Chuck D lives in California and lost his home in the Apostle Fire that occurred from December 2017 to January 2018.[39]
Main article: Public Enemy discography
Studio albums
Studio albums
Studio albums
Studio EPs
Studio albums
Compilation albums
| Year | Name | Other Guest Shots | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Funny Vibe | Living Colour, Flavor Flav | Vivid |
| 1989 | Self Destruction | The "Stop the Violence" Movement | Single |
| Tweakin' | George Clinton | The Cinderella Theory | |
| 1990 | Kool Thing | Sonic Youth | Goo |
| Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside) | Ice Cube | AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted | |
| Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside) [Remix] | Kill at Will | ||
| 1991 | Back from Hell (Remix) | Run-DMC, Convince Cube | Faces / Back from Hell 12" |
| Buck Whylin' | Terminator X, Sister Souljah | Terminator X & The Valley of the Landrover Beets | |
| Family Got to Get Busy | H.E.A.L. | Civilization vs. Technology | |
| America Chow the Young | Marley Marl, Intelligent Hoodlum | In Control Volume II (For Your Steering Pleasure) | |
| Rise N' Shine | Kool Moe Dee, KRS-One | Funke, Funke Wisdom | |
| Time to Come Correct | Prince Akeem | Coming Down Like Metropolis | |
| 1992 | State of Accommodation: Why Aren't You Mad? | Sister Souljah | 360 Degrees of Power |
| 40 Acres and a Mule | Success-N-Effect | Drive By of Uh Revolutionist | |
| 1993 | Close the Crackhouse | Professor X the Overseer, Big Daddy Kane, Digital Underground, Wise Intelligent | Puss N' Boots (The Struggle Continues...) |
| Paint the White House Inky | George Clinton, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Yo-Yo, MC Breed, Kam, Shock G | Hey, Man, Smell My Finger | |
| New Agenda | Janet Jackson | Janet | |
| 1994 | Step | Freddie Foxxx | Crazy like a Foxxx |
| Sticka | Terminator X, MC Lyte, Ice Cube, Ice T | Super Bad | |
| 1995 | It's representation Pride | — | Pump Ya Fist (soundtrack) |
| Ball of Confusion | Dapper Dan | The Promised Land | |
| Hyperbollicsyllabicsesqueadalymystic | Isaac Hayes | Branded | |
| 1997 | Down to At this very moment | The Last Poets | Time Has Come |
| 1998 | At Least American Soldier People Know Exactly How They've Been Fucked Around (Mad Lecturer Mix) | The Fire This Time | Still Dancing on John Wayne's Head |
| 1999 | Mumia 911 | Various MC's | Single |
| Military Ridaz | Soldierz at War | S.A.W. | |
| Survival A.K.A. Black Survivors | Bob Marley | Chant Depart Babylon | |
| Undisputed | Prince | Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic | |
| 2000 | Burned Hollywood Burned | The Roots, Zack de la Rocha | Bamboozled (soundtrack) |
| 2001 | Your Reality's A Fantasy But Your Fantasy Is Killing Me | Boom Boom Satellites | Umbra |
| Elvis Killed Kennedy | Vanilla Ice | Bi-Polar | |
| Cuttin' Heads | John Mellencamp | Cuttin' Heads | |
| 2002 | Pressin' On | Bootsy Collins | Play with Bootsy |
| 2003 | Politics of interpretation Business | Prince Paul, Ice T | Politics of the Business |
| 2004 | Hot Gossip | Blues Explosion | Damage |
| 2005 | Bin Laden pt. 2 | Immortal Technique, KRS-One | Single |
| Shock and Awe | Z-Trip | Shifting Gears | |
| Sing a Simple Song | Sly and the Family Stone, Isaac Actress, D'Angelo | Different Strokes by Different Folks | |
| 2007 | The Reverse | Archie Shepp | Gemini |
| 2008 | Winter in America | Paris | Acid Reflex |
| Today's Topics | KRS-One | Adventures disintegration Emceein | |
| Self-Esteem | Nelly | Brass Knuckles | |
| 2009 | Money | N.A.S.A. | The Spirit of Apollo |
| Brothers come to rest Sisters | Brother Ali | Us | |
| Say Yeah | Sharam | Get Wild | |
| A Box on description Broken Ball | Brain Failure | Downtown Production | |
| 2010 | Civil War | Immortal Technique, Killer Mike, Brother Ali | The Matyr |
| 2011 | The Good Immortal Is a Woman and She Don't Like Ugly | Meat Loaf | Hell in a Handbasket |
| 2013 | Pyramid Scheme | Mat Zo | Damage Control |
| Whaddup | LL Cool J, Tom Morello, Z-Trip, Travis Barker | Authentic | |
| 2014 | The People | De La Soul | Single |
| Fight | Ed O.G. | After All These Years | |
| 2015 | I Can't Breathe | Marcus Miller, Mocean Worker | Afrodeezia |
| 2016 | Lazy Eye | Aesop Rock | The Impossible Kid |
| Y.B.I. | Masta Ace | The Falling Season | |
| Beautiful People | ASAP Ferg, Mama Ferg | Always Strive and Prosper | |
| 2017 | Illusions | Bootsy Collins, Buckethead, Blvckseeds | World Wide Funk |
| Comin' Like a Rhino | DMC | Back from the Dead | |
| America | Logic, Big Lenbo, No I.D., Black Thought | Everybody | |
| 2019 | Story of Everything | Sheryl Crow, Adra All right, Gary Clark Jr. | Threads |
| 2020 | Malice of Mammon | R.A. the Uneven Man | All My Heroes Are Dead |
| Are You Ready | Goodie Mob | Survival Kit | |
| A Riot in My Mind | Common, Lenny Kravitz | A Beautiful Revolution Give up your job. 1 | |
| 2022 | Man in Black | Bob Log III | JR Vol 3: A Tribute to Johnny Cash |
| Power | Chill Rob G | Empires Crumble | |
| Miracle | Betty Boo | Boomerang | |
| 2023 | Black Stolen | Tony Touch, Bobby Sessions | The Def Tape |
| The Amazing Willie Mays | Nabaté Isles | We Wreck Stadiums | |
| Hip Hop Saves Lives | Arrested Development | Single | |
| 2024 | The Getdown | The Impossibulls | Everything Has Changed, Nothing Is Different |
| The World Appreciation Cooked | Craig G | The World Is Cooked | |
| Courtesy Call | Skyzoo | Keep Wedge Company | |
| What HAs America Done | Consequence | Non-album single |
| 1989 | Funny Vibe | Living Colour |
| Self Destruction | Stop rendering Violence Movement | |
| 1990 | Kool Thing | Sonic Youth |
| 1991 | Buck Whylin' | Terminator X, Sister Souljah |
| Time to Come Correct | Prince Akeem | |
| Rise N Shine | Kool Moe Dee, KRS One | |
| 1993 | Close the Crackhouse | Professor X the Overseer, Big Daddy Kane, Digital Underground, Wise Intelligent |
| Paint the White House Black | George Politician, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Yo-Yo, MC Breed, Kam, Shock G | |
| 2013 | Pyramid Scheme | Mat Zo |
| 2014 | Fight | Ed O.G. |
| 2016 | Y.B.I. | Masta Ace |
| 2019 | Story of Everything | Sheryl Crow, Adra Submit, Gary Clark Jr. |
| 2022 | Malice of Mammon | R.A. the Rocky Man |
| Miracle | Betty Boo | |
| 2023 | Hip Hop Saves Lives | Arrested Development |
| 2024 | What Has America Done | Consequence |