If there’s anyone who always needs respect placed on his name it’s of course the legendary Chuck D. Everyone’s favorite Public Enemy leader has come through with streaming giant Audible for its Words + Music franchise. Chuck’s Songs That Shook the Planet is a groundbreaking new addition to the platform written, produced and even performed by D.

Chuck D’s Top 3 game-changing tunes launch

The Audible Original was co-created, produced and written with industry grinder Lorrie Boula, with additional writing from Arthur Turnbull and Gia'na M. Garel. Songs That Shook the Planet is executive produced in association with Grammy Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett.

“Songs That Shook The Planet” reintroduces listeners to indelible songs from artists who literally put their lives on the line to speak truth to power and provides a soundtrack of civil uprising that is perhaps even more powerful and relevant today.

The Audible Original  takes listeners on an extraordinary journey through politically and socially conscious music. Part history lesson and part memoir, Songs That Shook the Planet spans genres and decades to call out the brave artists who continue to inspire necessary change in the world.

You’ll hear the stories behind legendary tracks as well as the songs themselves, performed by Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Too Short, and more. Listening is both empowering and haunting; too often the artists paid a shocking price for their ability to articulate injustice so forcefully. Chuck D makes the experience even more revelatory by adding his own reminiscences about how the songs—many heard on the record player at home that his mother kept spinning with a stunning range of music—influenced his early life and his own career as an agent of change. 

And the Top 3 are….

Chuck’s top three are some certified classics. From Curtis Mayfield and Billie Holiday’s unforgettable tunes to the life-changing Marvin Gaye, D has some indisputable selected tunes.

Words + Music is a pretty big deal

While it’s all about Chuck D, Audible’s Words + Music is a pretty serious feature. The section puts a major focus on some of the most iconic entertainers of the past century.

Audible’s Words + Music series provides a unique outlet for musical icons to defy traditional formats and go beyond simple artist biography, resulting in a profoundly intimate performance through-line that is truly unique to the Audible experience. Songs That Shook the Planet is in good company with Audible’s expansive Words + Music catalogue, including previously released originals from Tom Morello, Smokey Robinson, Tariq Trotter, Rhiannon Giddens, Elvis Costello, Gary Clark Jr., James Taylor, Common, T Bone Burnett,  Laura Jane Grace, Yo-Yo Ma, Eddie Vedder, and more (full catalogue can be found HERE).