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.
Features conversations with leading thinkers, including Robin D. G. Kelley, H. Samy Alim, Jeff Chang, Davey D, Scot Brown, Cheryl L. Keyes, Gaye Theresa Johnson, Bryonn Bain, Maya Jupiter, Adam Bradley, Joan Morgan, and more.
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.
"Chuck D is a stone-cold genius in every sense of the word. In the Hour of Chaos is an integration of the significance of the culture by someone who was inside the music in conversation with a range of brilliant thinkers. It is a breakthrough in hip hop studies, in Black studies, in music studies, and across the humanities."—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams
"Chuck D doesn’t just talk about the importance of culture but teaches us the importance of making change. This book is a gift to future generations of artists, activists, and academics, and to all those who love hip hop."—Jeff Chang, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop
"Chuck D is the best person to lead us on this journey because it’s rare to find someone who has literally laid the foundation of the culture and grounded us through its difficult periods—massive capitalist growth, the really terrible bouts of misogyny, and regional and global shifts. We need his voice now more than ever."—Joan Morgan, author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost
"To have the kind of longevity Chuck D has is a testament to his artistry and his dedication to the craft, to always evolving, to being in context. This book gives us a rare window into his intellectual brilliance."—Adam Bradley, author of Book of Rhymes
352 pp.6 x 9Illus: 23 color illustrations
9780520427389$95.00|£80.00Hardcover
Feb 2026