A profound meditation on hip hop's transformative power, In the Hour of Chaos takes us deep into the mind of the genre's most unabashed revolutionary.
This book is not an autobiography. It's not a manifesto. It's a razor-sharp investigation into hip hop and rap music by searing lyricist and global music icon Chuck D of Public Enemy.
Engaging with some of the world's leading thinkers on hip hop, ""Professor Chuck"" sets out on a journey that celebrates fifty years of hip hop and charts paths forward for its future. Exploring the intersections of hip hop with Black radicalism and feminism, media and technology, and globalization and politics, this curated collection shows the power of culture and the arts not only to bring people together but to bring about political change in this current hour of chaos.
By:
Chuck D
Edited by:
Chuck D
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Volume: 6
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9780520427396
ISBN 10: 0520427394
Series: California Series in Hip Hop Studies
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 28 March 2026
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Contents Illustration inserts are placed after page 148. Preface Introduction: Living in the Hour of Chaos Chuck D 1. Fear of a Black Planet: Black Geography, (Im)migration, and Sound Chuck D, H. Samy Alim, and Robin D. G. Kelley 2. Welcome to the Terrordome: History, Context, and the (R)evolution of Hip Hop Chuck D and Jeff Chang 3. Don’t Believe the Hype: Technology, Media, and the Importance of Community Chuck D and Davey D 4. Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need: Hip Hop and Funk Chuck D and Scot Brown 5. Revolutionary Generation: Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Hip Hop Chuck D and Cheryl L. Keyes 6. World Tour Sessions: Global Hip Hop Culture Chuck D, Samuel Lamontagne, Mikko Kapanen, Amkelwa Mbekeni, and H. Samy Alim 7. Prophets of Rage: Hip Hop and the Futures of Black Radicalism Chuck D and Gaye Theresa Johnson 8. Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos: Hip Hop, Justice, and the Prison Industrial Complex Chuck D, Bryonn Bain, and Maya Jupiter 9. Harder Than You Think: The Poetics of Hip Hop Chuck D and Adam Bradley 10. Show ’Em Whatcha Got: Hip Hop and the Visual Arts Chuck D and Joan Morgan Bibliography Index Praise for Chuck D
Chuck D is the Grammy-winning leader of the hip hop group Public Enemy. A rapper, lyricist, producer, visual artist, and author, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2022, he was the UCLA Hip Hop Initiative’s Inaugural Artist-in-Residence and currently serves on its National Advisory Board.
Reviews for In the Hour of Chaos: Art and Activism with Public Enemy's Chuck D
""[Chuck D is] neither snootily professorial nor just an OG unspooling war stories. Rather, he’s a thoughtful interlocutor . . . . a valuable chronicle of the genre’s role in troubled times—and how the times have always been troubled. Smart and chatty hip-hop history."" * Kirkus Reviews * “Anyone even slightly familiar with the work of P.E. will know that Chuck D is a gifted lyricist, capable of boiling down very real experiences into lines that have the greatest impact—an attribute he shares with the likes of Dylan, Guthrie, and Marley. So, it’s not at all surprising that his book packs a genuine punch. The man can write.” * Music Connection *
