When Chuck D fellowshipped with guests and discussed his creative process at Legends Gallery on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, he wasn’t engaging with them as a hip hop pioneer and legend. He was an emerging artist with his first Midwest solo exhibition eager to share his creative process.
“Being here in St. Louis is a joy,” Chuck D told the intimate, invite-only crowd. They filled every seat and lined the walls of the boutique gallery in the heart of the Grand Center Arts District.
“So is being in a gallery and a part of the activity that is going on here in the community,” he said. “I’m an artivist and a raptivist and my religion and my service is the arts.”
His talk took place just a few hours before he took the stage as frontman for the iconic hip hop group Public Enemy in Forest Park. They were one of the headliners for Evolution Festival 2025. The day before he gave his undivided attention in conversations about “Roll Call: Most of My Heroes Don’t Appear on No Stamps,” which will be on display through November 12.
The title of the show is a direct rip from one of his most famous lines in his most famous songs. “Fight The Power.” And while some of the artist portraits in fact appear on stamps – including Nina Simone – each artist has contributed to fighting the power that be through their art, their activism or both.
“Artists are the gatekeepers of truth” is written across a portrait of a young Harry Belafonte. The quote belongs to Belafonte. The mixed medium image with water colors that has Belafonte song titles written in all capital letters is a Chuck D original.
“I go off of whatever hits my vibe,” Chuck D said. “Eighty percent of the time, I work from head arrangements. That means I work outside my head. I don’t work from photos.”
He appeared to receive creative nourishment as those who attended shared their impression of his art. When the conversation drifted to his music, he didn’t shy away or implement harsh boundaries.
His hip hop journey is what led him to becoming a prolific artist. Like so many other touring artists, he would be on the road for long stretches with absolutely nothing to do during the downtime.
“The show is only an hour,” Chuck D said. “You’ve got 23 other hours.”
He learned that Ron Wood of The Rolling Stones would sketch in his hotel room and whatever was happening outside of the window.
“When I heard he did that, I was like ‘ding,’” Chuck D said.
By the time he was touring as part of the band Prophets of Rage, he was turning his hotel room into an art studio.
“I would just churn out and churn out,” Chuck D said. “While everybody might get bored in the city, I’m just churning out.”
He called his process rudimentary.
“People say, ‘Oh, I use this and I use that.’ I don’t have no idea of what I’m doing,” he said. “I can use spit. These were done with white out sharpies, pencils, anything I can get my hands on,” Chuck D said. He pointed to the pieces of art behind him. Belafonte and Simone’s portraits were on that row.
Despite declaring himself an amateur as far as a maker, his connection to art and his depth of knowledge regarding the power of art was profound and insightful.
“Art can be an extension of yourself – and your saving grace,” Chuck D said. “You don’t make your art for somebody else. You make your art for you. Everybody has art in them. But it is not so easy to get it out of them.”
He told the audience that art is in the eye, ear and soul of the beholder. He used St. Louis’ own Chuck Berry as a prime example of the magic that can happen when art is created from a personal, authentic space.
“I tell people, ‘I ain’t the first Chuck,’” Chuck D said. “All Chuck Berry did was make songs he felt like doing.”
Chuck D imagined himself in the mind of Berry when he explained that Berry’s artistic goals didn’t lead with a desire to be a commercial success.
“Yeah, they think I’m a white dude making country records,” Chuck D said. “But they see me and they think, ‘Oh, damn. It’s a Black dude out of St. Louis.’”
He encouraged guests to follow where the arts lead them.
“One thing I know for sure is that your art won’t do you wrong,” Chuck D said. “Another thing I know is that the arts can tie us together better than anything. We have to teach it better. And you don’t teach it to sell it. You teach it to give it.”
Roll Call: Most of My Heroes Don’t Appear on No Stamps, is presented by The Kranzberg, XYION, and Soul Kitchen. The exhibition is on view until November 12 at Legends’ Gallery, located at 3318 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103. For more information, including gallery hours, visit kranzbergartsfoundation.org