Public Enemy’s Chuck D leads a cast of hip-hop icons and leading African-American and Latino cultural commentators as they chart the factors that led to the birth of the revolutionary art form of hip-hop in 1970s New York, as well as the creation of the seminal hit The Message.

Chuck D and fellow rap stars chart the devastating impact of the crack epidemic, which becomes the spark that leads to the formation of acts like Public Enemy and NWA.

In the years after the Los Angeles riots of 1992, hip hop was accused of promoting violence and misogyny, all while reaching new commercial success and seeing the rise of a wave of confident female emcees

Chuck D, fellow hip hop stars and cultural commentators tell the story of how the rap industry hits extraordinary heights going into the new millennium, using its power and influence to effect change in ways that were unthinkable when the culture was first born - culminating in the global protests for George Floyd.