Don't Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin': The Authorised Story Of Public Enemy

Public Enemy are one of the greatest hip-hop acts of all time. Exploding out of Long Island, New York in the early 1980s, their firebrand lyrical assault, the Bomb Squad's innovative production techniques, and their unmistakeable live performances gave them a formidable reputation. They terrified the establishment, and have continued to blaze a trail over a twenty year period up until the present day. Today, they are more autonomous and as determined as ever, still touring and finding more ingenious ways of distributing their music. Russell Myrie has had unprecedented access to the group, conducting extensive interviews with Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Terminator X, Professor Griff, the Shocklee brothers, and many others who form part of their legacy. He tells the stories behind the making of seminal albums such as their debut Yo! Bum Rush the Show, the breakthrough It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back, and multi-million selling Fear of a Black Planet. He tackles Professor Griff's alleged anti-semitic remarks which caused massive controversy in the late eighties, the complexities of the group's relationship with the Nation of Islam, their huge crossover appeal with the alternative audience in the early nineties, and the strange circumstances of Flavor Flav's re-emergence as a reality TV star since the turn of the millennium. Urgent, incisive and definitive, Don't Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin' is the ultimate guide to the group that tells it like it is, and insists that hip-hop is a lethal weapon for the social and politically conscious. Russell Myrie shows how, in a time of rampant profligacy and meaningless posturing in hip-hop, their diatribes still cut to the heart of the American dream, and they are as important and necessary as ever.

About the Author :
Russell Myrie wrote for Touch and Hip-Hop Connection before joining The Voice as Arts Editor, and regularly contributes to the Independent. He has been a fan of hip-hop music since the age of 10.

Review :
* Public Enemy's is the greatest rap'n'roll story of them all ... [Myrie's] book is studded with glittering new anecdotes [and] hitherto unkown details ... bejewel a terrific account of the band's early days. -- Angus Batey Mojo * An exceptional and brilliantly titled tome ... incisive, insightful and dead interesting. -- Maxim * It would take a nation of millions to hold this book back! -- Dizzee Rascal * An invaluable, educational insight iinto the DNA of hip-hop. A necessary read. -- DJ Semtex * This affectionate portrait should be treasured by the many b-boys whose lives were immeasurably altered and enriched by Long Island's finest. Hip-Hop Connection * A comprehensive account of [Public Enemy] ... Myrie explores the group's most controversial moments ... One for the B-boys and B-girls. Sunday Business Post