August 9th 2023.
In July 2023, Audible released the trailer to a new and exciting series narrated by Public Enemy lead Chuck D, titled "Can You Dig It? A Hip Hop Origin Story." Chuck spoke to Billboard about narrating the series and the importance of the story it tells.
The 50th anniversary of hip-hop is a milestone for the world's biggest music genre, and Audible has put together a series that explores the events that led to its birth. On December 8th, 1971, Cornell "Black Benjie" Benjamin, leader of the Ghetto Brothers gang, was tragically beaten to death while trying to keep the peace between two groups. After this incident, people decided to focus their energy into artistry instead of fighting, and this set the stage for the likes of Afrika Bambaataa and DJ Kool Herc to do what they have become known for.
Chuck said that when he heard of this project, he knew it was something he wanted to be involved in. He explained, "When I started unpeeling it, I was like, 'Wow, this is the story behind the story.' It was the germination of the seed, the beginnings of hip-hop. This [series] got to the detail of what was what. You could almost smell the fresh paint of the Cross Bronx Expressway over the rubble." This story is very important for people to understand and appreciate the full story of hip-hop.
Chuck went on to say, "It's important to put that stuff into some kind of paper. When you come into the written fact of the matter, you pay a true respect to those people that paid the price. This documentary highlights what they all tried to do afterwards—keep the peace. The fact that it comes before the Holy Trinity [of hip-hop] — Kool Herc, Bambaataa, [and] later on Grandmaster Flash—is a great story to tell."
The first episode of the series, called "The Bronx is Burning," takes place in the South Bronx. It looks into the story of two groups ending their feud and using their energy for peace instead. The killing of a peacekeeper and member of the Ghetto Brothers, Cornell "Black Benjie" Benjamin, sparked this movement.
The five-part series is set to premiere the day before the anniversary of the birth of hip-hop on August 10th, 2023. It will be an exciting event for all hip-hop fans and a great way to celebrate the anniversary of this inspiring genre.
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