REVIEW: STEWDIO THE NAPHIC GROVEL ARTRILOGY OF CHUCK D

The founder of Public Enemy uses hip-hop rhymes and art to express his persuasive, in-depth opinions about the turbulent years between 2020 and 2022.

Chuck D, a pioneering hip-hop artist and social crusader, has advocated for civil rights at every turn during his illustrious career. His rap group Public Enemy is renowned for having a revolutionary impact on hip-hop and using music to spread a message of racial and economic equality. The group was created during the East Coast’s rap, punk, and street art fusion in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Chuck D had just earned his BFA in graphic design at the time, and despite the rapid rise of his music career, his love of visual art persisted.

In three 5 x 8 notebooks, he began writing and drawing observations on a world that was beginning to disintegrate when he returned to the page in February 2020. The limited edition box set STEWDIO: The Naphic Grovel ARTrilogy of Chuck D recreates the format of his original paintings by combining three full-color paperback bound books into a gorgeous box set. The box set is the inaugural offering from Enemy Books, a brand-new imprint of Akashic Books chosen by Chuck D.

The ARTrilogy of Chuck D takes readers on a thought-provoking journey through three volumes of illustrated diary entries. The first volume, “There’s a Poison Goin’ On,” recaps significant events from the spring of 2020, including Chuck D’s experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and a manufactured feud with his Public Enemy cofounder, Flavor Flav. The second volume, “45 Daze of Red Octobot,” delves into fall 2020 and covers various topics such as protests, rumors, and the billionaire-driven space race. Last but not least, the third volume,”Datamber Mindpaper,” comments on the presidency of President Joe “Bye Don” is intermingled with depictions of contemporary ills and anomalies (ranging from gun violence to a woman selling her farts). The criticism of the modern “screenager” culminates in advice on social media management.

The fierce, impassioned, and emotive pictures (each drawn and hand-lettered) represent his decades-long dedication to upholding civil rights. STEWDIO: Chuck D’s Naphic Grovel ARTrilogy is a fascinating limited edition box set that showcases his personal thoughts and social issues in prose and artwork. The references underline Chuck D’s long-standing commitment to civil rights and his significant contributions to hip-hop music culture. People who like social commentary and thought-provoking art, as well as Chuck D fans, would certainly appreciate this unique collection.

No song or piece of literature has come close to capturing our COVID period like Chuck D’s STEWdio or Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” in the 1980s.

Get your copy NOW!

BY CHUCK D ; ILLUSTRATED BY CHUCK D

RELEASE DATE: JUNE 6, 2023

Publisher: ‎ Enemy Books

About the Author:

Chuck D is the leader and cofounder of the legendary rap group Public Enemy, a social activist, multimedia producer, visual artist, and digital music pioneer. He has been featured in more than one hundred documentaries on music, technology, politics, and race, and cocurated the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap. He has also been a national spokesperson for Rock the Vote, the National Urban League, Americans for the Arts, and the National Alliance of African American Athletes. As part of Public Enemy, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Author Profile

Al Mega

I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!