AUDIBLE ENLISTS CHUCK D FOR CAN YOU DIG IT?

Chuck D has been enlisted by Audible Originals for its new Can You Dig It? The five-part series, narrated by the Public Enemy frontman, explores the 1971 murder of South Bronx Ghetto Brothers gang member-turned-community activist Cornell “Black Benjie” Benjamin and how his death (at age 25) prompted a truce—known as the Hoe Avenue peace meeting—among gangs that paved the way for hip-hop.

Roughly two years after that summit, on Aug. 11, 1973, Kool Herc threw his famous back-to-school party at 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the Bronx, universally recognized as the Big Bang of hip-hop. Can You Dig It? will premiere 8/10 in honor of the genre's 50th anniversary.

As Chuck D explains at the beginning of the first episode, “Dec. 8, 1971, was a defining moment in American history, a time when the gangs of New York laid down their weapons and redirected their youthful energy towards the creative arts, arts that would eventually become the foundation of what we now know as hip-hop."

The announcement of the series' arrival coincides with tomorrow's (6/2) renaming of the intersection of East 165th Street and Rogers Place in the Bronx, where Benjamin was killed, to Cornell "Black Benjie" Benjamin Way, a tribute that recalls his role as would-be peacemaker. Members of the Can You Dig It? cast, crew and production team will be on deck to celebrate with the Benjamin family and supporters.

"No death, no peace; no peace, no Kool Herc party; no party, no hip-hop," confirms Chuck D, who, with Lorrie Boula, served as executive producer of Can You Dig It?, which was created, written and produced by Pete Chelala, Bryan Master and Julian Voloj of PB&J Productions. "The direct correlation between the peace treaty and the birth of hip-hop is clear—there’d be no Public Enemy without this story.”

The series aims to highlight a community’s resilience and the power of peace over violence and lift up unsung heroes. It also takes a closer look at America and New York's transformation in the late '60s and early '70s, including the circumstances that led to urban decay and gang activity in the Bronx. Photographers Joe Conzo and Henry Chalfant and rap pioneer Coke La Rock also appear.

For more information about Can You Dig It?, click here—if you can dig it, that is.