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Public Enemy, Chuck D, Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM

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@ National Portrait Gallery

Description

Born Queens, New YorkIn the early 1980s, while at Adelphi University on Long Island, Chuck D (Carlton D. Ridenhour) created a tape for the student radio station where he worked (WBAU) to fend off a fellow local MC. The tape was titled Public Enemy #1. Chuck D’s interest in politics and activism formed the basis for the hip-hop group Public Enemy. Joined by fellow student William Drayton (Flavor Flav), they ushered in a new sound to hip-hop. With layered, noisy street sounds and Chuck D’s booming voice and anti-establishment message juxtaposed against Flavor Fav’s comic relief, Public Enemy changed the face of hip-hop. Chuck D remains a constant voice today, writing a song about Hurricane Katrina and appearing before Congress regarding music file sharing.Since 2000 David Scheinbaum has photographed more than a hundred hip-hop performers, both in concert and backstage.
Type:
Image
Format:
Gelatin Silver Print
Rights:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
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Record Contributed By

National Portrait Gallery

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution