Legendary hip-hop artist and social activist Chuck D has used every opportunity in his groundbreaking career to stand up for civil rights. 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. 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.

I was really impressed [because he] really understood what Akashic Books is about and how we operate: We’re the host of the imprint,” Temple said. As the first artist to create hip-hop entrenched with political sensibilities, his works have continued to speak out in unexpected and necessary ways, commencing with the group’s debut album, Yo! The co-founder and front man of legendary hip hop group Public Enemy unleashes his commentary on contemporary events with the activist instinct that made the hip hop pioneers a social message phenomenon. In the last six years, I’ve reverted back into the arts, combining all of these elements in my work, still trying to change the world. It is undoubtedly a must-have for serious fans of Chuck D and Public Enemy, and it can also be strongly recommended for anyone who wants to see interesting artwork from this period and through some fresh and unique eyes.

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). The rapper later posted to make clear that he “is not [an] R Kelly fan”, adding that “his actions were criminal”. I was raised with an artist’s mentality; my first 25 years were spent as somebody who wanted to live among graphics and artwork and illustration, and then for the next 30 years it was all music.

Though they often feel like diary entries, each installment has an overarching storyline and theme . 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.He has also been a national spokesperson for Rock the Vote, the National Urban League, Americans for the Arts, and the National Alliance of African American Athletes. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you.

The nonconformism and innovation heard in his music have endured throughout his art, which he has produced since he was a teenager.Recently, Ive reverted into the arts, combining all these elements in my work, still trying to change the world. Read more about the condition New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. Guns and hip-hop, guns and God, they are complicated, divisive subjects in America, he suggests, but that’s also the reason he’s tackling them in the new book. Everything from oil paintings of 1950s baseball fields to pencil sketches of music icons have been curated exclusively for Genesis Publications to create a striking kaleidoscope of his work.