Chuck D Set to Narrate Upcoming Audio-Doc About the Early 1970s Origins of Hip-Hop

On August 10, a five-part audio documentary series titled Can You Dig It? A Hip Hop Origin Story will release on Audible. The series will be narrated by Chuck D, the world-famous frontman of the 1980s hip-hop group Public Enemy.

Can You Dig It? focuses mostly on the murder of a man named Cornell “Black Benjie” Benjamin in The Bronx, New York in 1971. At the time, Benjamin was a member of the Ghetto Brothers, a gang in the area. He always strived for peace in his neighborhood and in the city, so after his tragic death, many of the local gangs came together for a truce which is now referred to as the Hoe Avenue peace treaty.

Moving on from violence and instead focusing their energy on creative avenues such as DJ parties, this event motivated men and women in the Bronx to kickstart the genre of hip-hop. Two years later in 1973, DJ Kool Herc hosted his “Back To School Jam” on August 11 in the South Bronx, which is now commonly known as the official anniversary of hip-hop.

On Friday (June 2), Benjamin will be remembered for his unintended launching of the hip-hop movement in New York, as members of the Can You Dig It? cast and crew will be in attendance when they re-name the Bronx intersection of E 165th Street and Rogers Place to Cornell “Black Benjie” Benjamin Way.

When speaking about Benjamin and the documentary in a recent statement, Chuck D emphasized how important this time period was for the development of hip-hop. “No death, no peace; no peace, no Kool Herc party; no party, no hip-hop,” he said. “Black Benjie is an unsung hero… the direct correlation between the peace treaty and the birth of hip-hop is clear. There’d be no Public Enemy without this story.”

Along Chuck D’s narration, Can You Dig It? A Hip Hop Origin Story is created, written, and produced by Pete Chelala, Bryan Master, and Julian Voloj. The series executive producers are Lorrie Boula and Chuck D.

Photo by Timothy Norris/Getty Images for The Recording Academy