Public Enemy’s “Don’t Believe The Hype” appears on their sophomore album, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, released in 1988. Chuck D’s warning about blindly following the media and The Bomb Squad’s dense agitational noise truly personified the emcee’s famous quote about rap music being the Black CNN.  Flavor Flav’s ad-libs were more than the role of hype man but integral parts of the song designed to gently wake up the listener’s consciousness in contrast to Chuck D’s authoritative baritone. “Don’t Believe the Hype” criticized stereotypes about Black people and hip-hop and had a guest appearance from pioneering rap journalist Harry Allen. In 2024, the single is even more relevant because of the explosion of the internet and the rise of Donald Trump. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back went platinum within a year but was recognized for its classic status immediately upon release. The album was remastered in 1995, and a deluxe edition came in 2014 with 13 bonus tracks. Public Enemy released their 15th album, What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?, in 2020. Chuck D was named a U.S. Global Music Ambassador as part of the U.S. Department of State-YouTube Global Music Diplomacy Partnership in June 2024. 

Will rap artists start to improve the way they do concerts to make up for the lack of administration Chuck D says is hurting the genre? 

Chuck D is working with MLB as a music ambassador and content originator to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. The Public Enemy co-founder and frontman will be MLB’s special correspondent at the Hip Hop 50 Live At Yankee Stadium concert on Friday. He is collaborating with MLB throughout the year to create content, stories and music. The programming includes MLB’s social, MLB Network and videos centered on the relationship between hip-hop and baseball. Chuck D expressed his gratitude for the partnership in a press release. “As a longtime baseball fanatic, I am beyond honored to be the first Hip Hop artist to work with Major League Baseball in this exciting new way – connecting sound and culture to the stories of the game. Thank you to MLB for adding me to the lineup…and the pitch is on the way.” MLB launches its yearlong partnership with Mass Appeal’s Hip Hop 50 this Friday, August 11 with Hip Hop 50 Live At Yankee Stadium. The location is an acknowledgment of hip-hop’s beginnings in the Bronx. Chuck D’s coverage of the event will be for all of MLB’s platforms including @MLB, @MLBLife social handles, MLB.com, MLB.TV and MLB Network. MLB will also have merchandise and giveaways through 2024. Earlier this year Chuck D was the executive producer and developer of Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World. The four-part series aired on PBS. 

Sunday night The Grammys celebrated 50 years of hip-hop with a lineup of some of the most prominent rappers of the genre. Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Run DMC, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Rakim, Mr. Scarface, Busta Rhymes, Too Short, Ice-T, Method Man, Lil Baby, GloRilla, LL Cool J and Public Enemy performed the compact tribute on the stage outfitted like 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx where DJ Kool Herc hosted the earliest hip-hop parties. Black Thought narrated the segment while The Roots provided the music. Questlove curated the evening and he, unfortunately, had to remove many artists because of time constraints.