Chuck D Will Be 2014 Record Store Day Ambassador

Chuck D was announced as the Ambassador for Record Store Day 2014 which will take place on April 19th. The rapper main function is to raise awareness of the event. Record Store Day started in 2007. The purposed of Record Store Day is to gather the record store staff, customers and artists for a huge celebration for record stores worldwide and and the special role these independently owned stores play in their communities. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day plus artists come out to make special appearances and performances.

Read Chuck D's full statement:

Over 27 years and 93 countries visited, as a professional lead vocalist of the RAP group Public Enemy, I don't go 1 single day without emphasizing that the genre of hip-hop is spawned from DJ culture. The founding members of Public Enemy were, and still are, DJs. The tool and fuel for DJs has forever been recordings. And where these recordings have long connected, with pros and fans alike, have simply been The Record Store, the connection point of listener and the recording.”

“The record store made musicians listen beyond themselves. It both complemented and supplemented the radio, in fact the best radio stations in the past followed the vibe of the record stores of their regions, thus growing and nurturing each other. The fans and listener had everything to gain, and if they wanted to get into making music, the Record Store turned into their first school and sonic passport out.”

In this age where industry has threaded the music sound with virtual sight and story I am honored to be called upon to be Record Store Day Ambassador of 2014. With the masses, neck bent into their smartphones, let all of us music lovers GPS our way into a reality that is the Record Store. It's worth a great try, let's do this...”