2. From Hammersmith to Armageddon

Available for 67 days

How would you feel if you got a call from Public Enemy personally inviting you down to their show? In the early days of hip-hop, the UK scene was small but exciting. It was hard to discover the music and those who did formed a strong community of breakers, rappers and dancers. When Public Enemy came to the UK for their first show, they were determined to reach out and make sure the scene was invited. Everybody showed up for their legendary Def Jam show at the Hammersmith Odeon, even if they couldn’t get tickets. That show was inspirational for hip-hop across the world. But what nobody who was there that night could have known is that the show would be written into history. In this episode, we hear from Chuck D, hip-hop journalist Elliott Wilson (Rap Radar), rapper Cookie Pryce and Nick Raphael. Archive in this episode: Chuck D & Dave Pearce: BBC 6 Music Presenter: Ashley Walters Producer: Emily Dicks Written by Emily Dicks Technical production: Ant Danbury Additional production: Dari Samuels, Tommy Dixon and Zayna Shaikh Editor for BBC Audio: Andy Worrell Commissioning producer: Jonathan O’Sullivan Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin A BBC Audio production.