Public Enemy - Don't Believe The Hype

What this video is

Released in 1988 as the second single from It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, 'Don't Believe the Hype' arrived at a moment when hip-hop faced active suppression from mainstream radio through the practice of 'dayparting' and was being characterized in media as a cultural threat. Chuck D has cited Noam Chomsky's work on media propaganda as an influence on the song's critique of institutional…

Why it matters

This video represents a definitive artifact of Golden Age hip-hop's most politically charged period. As a single from what became the first hip-hop album to top The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll, it documents the Bomb Squad's sample-dense production philosophy translated into visual…

The director

Queens, NY-born director and co-creator of Video Music Box (1983), one of the first U.S. public television programs dedicated to hip-hop videos. A pioneering figure in urban music video production from 1987 onward, Martin directed over 100 videos for artists…