Chuck D of Public Enemy explores Hip Hop’s political awakening over the last 50 years. With a host of rap stars and cultural commentators he tracks Hip Hop’s socially conscious roots. From The Message to Fight The Power 2020, he examines how Hip Hop has become "the Black CNN."
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipHow to Watch Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World
Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
About the Show
"Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World" is an incredible narrative of struggle, triumph and resistance that will be brought to life through the lens of an art form that has chronicled the emotions, experiences and expressions of Black and Brown communities: Hip Hop. In the aftermath of America's racial and political reckoning in 2020, the perspectives and stories shared in Hip Hop are key to understanding injustice in the U.S. over the last half-century.
More About the Show
Authored by Public Enemy's Chuck D, who famously labeled Hip Hop as "the Black CNN" for bringing the stories of the street to the mainstream, this story will include personal testimonies of the MCs, DJs, graffiti artists, filmmakers, politicians and opinion formers who created and shaped its direction as it grew from an underground movement in the Bronx to the most popular music genre in the U.S. and the fastest growing genre in the world today.
Featuring interviews from A-list talent like Killer Mike, Will.i.am, Monie Love, Ice-T, Roxanne Shante, MC Lyte and many more, the series will paint a portrait of the unique relationship between Hip Hop and the political history of the U.S.
Episode 1 | The Foundation
Discover the factors that led to the birth of Hip Hop and its first socially conscious hit "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in 1982.
Episode 2 | Under Siege
Explore the 1980s and the birth of Hip Hop as social commentary in the Reagan Era with the emergence of artists like Public Enemy, KRS-One, Ice-T, and NWA.
Episode 3 | Culture Wars
Experience the 1990s during the Clinton years and the unstoppable rise in popularity of Hip Hop, which becomes a force that is attacked by all sides of the political establishment.
Episode 4 | Still Fighting
Follow the evolution of Hip Hop as its artists turn into multimillionaires and successful entrepreneurs. As a cultural phenomenon, Hip Hop continues to change history and is adopted as the voice of protest around the world.
Chuck D, Lorrie Boula and Yemi Bamiro
PBS spoke with Executive Producers Chuck D and Lorrie Boula, and Series Director Yemi Bamiro, about the evolution of Hip Hop, its influence on popular culture, the next generation, and more.
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