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Chuck D and fellow rap stars chart the devastating impact of the crack epidemic, which becomes the spark that leads to the formation of acts like Public Enemy and NWA.

Chuck D, alongside a host of hip-hop luminaries and cultural commentators, explores the genre’s exponential growth in the 1980s as groups like Public Enemy and NWA were formed. It charts how the art form was able to speak truth to power during a period in US history that saw Reaganomics flourish, crack cocaine obliterate inner city communities and the black male body become a symbol of mass incarceration and rising homicide rates.

58 minutes

Last on

Fri 27 Jan 202300:15
BBC Two except Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD

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The FoundationSeries 1

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Culture WarsSeries 1

See all episodes from Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World

Clip

Music Played

  • Public Enemy

    Fight The Power

  • Liquid Liquid

    Cavern

  • Run‐D.M.C.

    Hard Times

  • Public Enemy

    Fight The Power

  • Ice T, Ice-T

    Six N The Morning

  • N.W.A

    F*** Tha Police

  • Ice Cube

    Check Yo Self

  • Snoop Dogg

    Gin And Juice

Credits

Executive ProducerChuck D
Executive ProducerLorrie Boula
Executive ProducerSam Emmery
Executive ProducerDanielle Peck
Executive ProducerAnna Sadowy
Series ProducerHelen Bart
Production ManagerPaul Allen

Broadcasts

  • Sat 21 Jan 202322:00
    BBC Two
  • Fri 27 Jan 202300:15
    BBC Two except Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD