Don't Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin' : The Authorised Story of Public Enemy

Public Enemy is one of the greatest hip-hop acts of all time. Don’t Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin’ is the only fully authorised biography of the group, who have sold millions of albums worldwide and are known as founding fathers of hip-hop.

Exploding out of Long Island, New York in the early 1980s, Public Enemy’s 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! But Rush the Show’, the breakthrough ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back’, and multi-million selling ‘Fear of a Black Planet’.

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.

Praise for Don't Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin':

Public Enemy made hip-hop that was more than entertainment. They inspired a lot of people who believed that you can effect change through music.'

Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys

'One of the seminal hip-hop groups.'

New York Times

'An invaluable, educational insight into the DNA of Hip-Hop. A neccesary read.'

DJ Semtex, BBC 1Xtra

'It would take a nation of millions to hold this book back!'

Dizzee Rascal