Chuck D, who was named an official ambassador of Record Store Day 2014 in February, recently spoke about the importance of record stores.

“Deejay culture always made us aware that the best records were going to come from the small shops,” Chuck D says in an interview with Rolling Stone. “I don’t think music was handled with care from the big companies. They looked at it the same way as they looked at hubcaps.”

The Public Enemy emcee also says record stores have an educational purpose.

“A record store is sort of like a college course for musician and fan alike,” Chuck D says. “Record store personnel are also like curators. That’s important too.”

Record Store Day is an annual event that is set to take place April 19.

“This is a day for the people who make up the world of the record store—the staff, the customers, and the artists—to come together and celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role these independently owned stores play in their communities,” Record Store Day’s website says. “Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.”

In February, when Chuck D was named Record Store Day 2014 ambassador, the Public Enemy rapper spoke about the day.

“The record store made musicians listen beyond themselves,” Chuck D said at the time. “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.”

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