During the heyday of Public Enemy, he was the frontman who didn’t drink or take drugs (he was always the designated driver), something he attributes to “ the pressure of holding your crew and your whole thing together”.

His visual works will no doubt be a major topic of discussion as the acclaimed rapper continues his mission—to quote from one of Public Enemy’s hits—as a “Rebel Without a Pause. Numbered 1 to 800, the Collector copies are quarter bound in cloth with gold foiling and presented in a clamshell box. From around the start of COVID-19 in early 2000 to late 2022, Chuck D drew his way through those immensely challenging years.

And we don’t just mean a musical artist, although the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has certainly made his mark in that field . But all of this seems in the service of giving a rounded portrait of its author: working musician, political orator, visibly grateful to those who inspired him and people he’s worked with, in some ways mellower than the firebrand listeners first encountered during the late 1980s, in other ways remarkably unchanged.

Chuck D has been creating musical and cultural observations that challenge public opinion since 1985 and his visual compositions continue to interpret and question the world around us. In Livin’ Loud, Chuck D’s artworks reveal his visual dexterity as he explores a diverse range of subjects paying homage to his musical influences and peers from James Brown and Woody Guthrie to Def Jam labelmates Run-DMC and Beastie Boys. I was a furnace, burning hot,” he proclaims of his indefatigable determination to draw whatever his mind manifested for hours.His book is the culmination of a string of his exhibitions appearing at Gallery 30 South, Shepard Fairey’s Subliminal Projects Gallery and Adelphi University. Recently, I’ve reverted into the arts, combining all these elements in my work, still trying to change the world.

Featuring over 250 of his paintings, sketches and drawings, Livin' Loud includes a commentary of over 13,000 words in which Chuck D traces his musical and artistic trajectory offering unprecedented insight into his life and work. View image in fullscreen Chuck D with fellow Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav, who he met while studying at university. Featuring over 250 of his paintings, sketches and drawings, Livin’ Loud includes a commentary of over 13,000 words in which Chuck D traces his musical and artistic trajectory offering unprecedented insight into his life and work. Recently, Ive reverted into the arts, combining all these elements in my work, still trying to change the world. From Chuck D bearing his heart and soul in a new trilogy to Jason Derulo revealing his 15 rules to succeeding in life, there are so many good books by Black authors to discover this June.

No song may be more reflective of 1980s America than Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power;” no document may come to capture our COVID era like Chuck D’s StewDio . Chuck D’s style can be described as neo-expressionistic, with images and text often intertwined (not entirely unlike famed graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, for example). Chuck D's fine art book, LIVIN’ LOUD–ARTitation, which features over 250 of the Hip-Hop legend's paintings, sketches and drawings, is available now. Chuck D, born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, is an American rapper, activist and founding member of the iconic hip-hop group, Public Enemy. No song may be more reflective of 1980s America than Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power;” no document may come to capture our COVID era like Chuck D’s STEWdio.