Chuck D.
Chuck D.
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, better known by his stage name Chuck D, is an American emcee, author, and producer. As the leader of the rap group Public Enemy, he helped create politically and socially conscious hip hop music in the mid-1980s . About.com ranked him at No. 9 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him at No. 12 on their list of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Lyricists of All Time...
ProfessionRapper
Date of Birth1 August 1960
CityQueens, NY
people trying records
Never try to make the same record twice, even when people are screaming for the same sound.
real artist people
People aren't going to support an artist just because they have an audio file. They have to feel a real connection.
rapper people able
Rappers should just be able to perform what they create and satisfy the people that like and love them.
art passion thinking
When somebody greedily comes along and thinks that they gonna snatch everything, and you have so many people that have not, the passion that drives me is trying to make them understand that they have to share. So, my art reflects that; the whole reason I do what I do reflects that.
government evil people
The Illuminati is just the evil, 'nameless' people who are behind governments.
sports years awards
I grew up as a sports fan, and I know that a hall of fame is very different than an award for being the best of the year. It's a nod to the longevity of our accomplishment.
artist jam records
What made me want to become a recording artist; I was the first artist that was repeatedly asked by a label to record with them. That label was Def Jam Records.
earth passionate equal
I'm most passionate about, you know, making everybody understand that we should all have equal access on this earth.
confused rap boys
People are so confused about race and hip-hop that people didn't even consider the Beastie Boys one of the greatest rap groups of all time because they were white.
optimistic three levels
I always remain optimistic. There are three levels of music production: the majors, indies, and what I call "inties," music distributed via the Internet. The Internet is one area that I have used pretty effectively to break free of corporate control.
wall real teenager
Why would twenty-six-year-old "teenagers" care about political ramifications if their backs are not up against the wall? But if their backs are against the wall they may be plucked to fight in Iraq, and all of sudden they become politicized real quick.
giving soul guts
If you have no soul you can gut it out. You know, like a marionette, you'll just follow what seems to actually give you whatever you ain't got.
hip-hop corporations hips
The biggest thing that has happened to hip-hop is the clinging on to the corporation as the all-mighty hub of the music.
rap artist enemy
Public Enemy started out as a benchmark in rap music in the mid-1980s. We felt there was a need to actually progress the music and say something because we were slightly older than the demographic of rap artists at the time. It was a time of heightened rightwing politics, so the climate dictated the direction of the group.