Over the course of the past century, the recorded music industry has gone through countless changes that have transformed the industry time and time again. From the early days of genres like Jazz to more modern interpretations of popular music such as hip-hop and rock-and-roll, the music industry has changed dramatically over the course of the past hundred years as it has adapted to modern tastes and preferences which seem to never stop evolving. Now it is easier than ever before to become a major player in the music industry, however this wasn’t always the case. If it wasn’t for the work of countless individuals who paved the way for today’s talented musicians, it would be difficult to imagine where the world of recorded music would be today. Now one new project is set to pay homage to one of the individuals who did exactly that in The Story of Hip-Hop with Chuck D, a new series being produced by PBS that will see the Public Enemy frontman Chuck D detail the history of the genre he knows best.
Hip-hop has an expansive history that dates back several decades, with its roots embedded in the small neighborhood of Bushwick in Brooklyn. From there the genre took on a life of its own that has seen hip-hop travel to every corner of the globe and back again, however it certainly wasn’t easy. Hip-hop was not immediately widely accepted however and certainly experienced some growing pains during its early days, and The Story of Hip-Hop with Chuck D will seemingly set to outline those struggles in detailing hip-hop’s path to notoriety. The Story of Hip-Hop with Chuck D was developed by Chuck D himself and his manager Lorrie Boula, who will serve as executive producer, and will set to explore the past forty years of hip-hop history that has allowed the genre to become a global phenomenon today. Chuck D certainly seems excited about the prospect, adding this when asked about the upcoming project being produced in conjunction with PBS and BBC: “The hip-hop community has, from the start, been doing what the rest of media is only now catching up to… Long before any conglomerate realized it was time to wake up, hip-hop had been speaking out and telling truths. Working with PBS and BBC is an opportunity to deliver these messages through new ways and help explain hip-hop’s place in history and hopefully inspire us all to take it further.” Further details about The Story of Hip-Hop with Chuck D remain unclear, with further updates set to emerge in the coming weeks as production commences.
Though it may not be the prettiest, hip-hop has an indisputably rich history that dates back several decades. The genre looks substantially different today than it did at its inception however, and the growth that hip-hop has seen since that time is astounding to say the least. This history will only become even more interesting when told through the lens of a man who lived it, and The Story of Hip-Hop with Chuck D should be intriguing to say the least. Interested fans can remain on the lookout for further updates about the new project as production commences in the coming weeks.
