Chuck D Joins Universal Hip Hop Museum as Chairman of the Celebrity Board

By Nate Nickolai

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Public Enemy cofounder Chuck D has joined the Universal Hip Hop Museum’s celebrity board as chairman, director Rocky Bucano and chairman of the board Kurtis Blow announced Thursday.

“ is one of the most intelligent and well-respected MCs in the culture of hip-hop,” Blow said. “The credibility he brings to our team is mammoth. He also understands the importance of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, and vows to let the world know via a star-studded celebrity board in the near future. Flame on!”

For more than 30 years, Chuck D has been one of hip-hop’s most influential and iconic rappers. He made his debut with ’s 1987 debut album “Yo! Bum Rush the Show,” but truly broke into the mainstream’s awareness with the group’s galvanizing sophomore album, “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” which featured the singles “Bring the Noise,” “Don’t Believe the Hype” and “Rebel Without a Pause.” Later singles included “Fight the Power,” “Welcome to the Terrordome” and “Burn Hollywood Burn.” The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

“My life has been dedicated to the hip hop genre, both serving it as an artist and curating it to share with others, and I want to carry that work over to the Universal Hip Hop Museum,” Chuck D said. “The museum is what we need to organize as a collective and present its history while having a hand in its future.”

Recently the museum secured $20 million in initial funding and is set to break ground at Bronx Point in December 2019. Doors are scheduled to open in 2022.