Hank Shocklee

Hank Shocklee, the "blitzkrieg producer" of Public Enemy (Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and Terminator X), the most dynamic rap group of all time, joins Charlie Ahearn to illuminate the creative process behind PE's music.



As leader of The Bomb Squad, Hank was one of the chief architects of their revolutionary sonics. Kicking it off with Public Enemy #1, Hank breaks down the evolution of the group's sound with such classics as "Bring The Noise" and "Black Steel In The Heart of Chaos." Hank recounts how by the time of Brothers Gonna Work It Out, PE had gone from pure noise assault to a kind of unifying anthem capable bringing people together. About Shocklee and the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988), Chuck D has said, "it came together in a lightning-fast six weeks--six weeks with 16 years of research and education behind them--and Shocklee's production was a critical element."

•