Twenty years ago, Chuck D unapologetically announced that he was the “poetic, political, lyrical son” in the rap song “Public Enemy No. 1.” The front man for the rap group Public Enemy has sent shockwaves ever since, through his lyrics on nearly 20 hip hop albums, as a composer, actor, author, political activist and producer, and as a radio personality on the progressive talk-radio network Air America.

With Public Enemy’s 20th anniversary tour in full swing, his “hit it and quit it” style of rapid-fire news commentary in regular rotation on Air America’s “On the Real,” and a recent appearance as a panelist at Tavis Smiley’s 2007 State of the Black Union conference, I took a minute to check in with Chuck D about his work in 2007. This interview, which was published on motherjones.com in March of 2007, can be found HERE.