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LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 16: Rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy speaks to the audience at “An Evening With Public Enemy” at The GRAMMY Museum on April 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
Audible has released the trailer to a new series narrated by Public Enemy lead Chuck D, Can You Dig It? A Hip Hop Origin Story. The trailer starts with the booming voice of Chuck D, introducing the story about to be told regarding an integral part of the beginning of the hip-hop culture from a different perspective.
“December 8, 1971, was a defining moment in American history. A time when the gangs of New York laid down their weapons and redirected their youthful energy toward the creative arts. Arts that would eventually become the foundation of what we now know as hip hop.”
According to AllHipHop, the tale that Chuck D is referencing played a significant role in the burgeoning culture of hip-hop.
The first in the series, titled “The Bronx is Burning,” takes place in the southern region of the Bronx. It goes into the story of two groups deciding to end the bad blood between them and use that energy toward being more peaceful.
The killing of a peacekeeper and member of the Ghetto Brothers, Cornell “Black Benjie” Benjamin, presented the spark to end the violence in the streets.
“If Kool Herc is considered the father of hip hop, then my uncle was the general; my uncle was the martyr,” says Angelique Lenox, niece of Black Benjie. “He didn’t die in vain. Something good came from his death; his life mattered. This is truly my best version of a love letter to my father and my family, and I will not stop until his name is a part of the hip-hop story.”
Source: Black Enterprise
