Public Enemy | |
|---|---|
 Public Enemy performing in 2000. Left to right:Flavor Flav andChuck D. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Hempstead, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Public Enemy discography |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Chuck D Flavor Flav DJ Johnny Juice Brian Hardgroove Jahi S1W Pop Diesel S1W James Bomb |
| Past members | Professor Griff Terminator X DJ Lord Sister Souljah |
| Website | publicenemy |
Public Enemy is an Americanhip-hop group formed inRoosevelt, New York, in 1985 byChuck D andFlavor Flav.[1][2] The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such asAmerican racism and theAmerican media. Their debut album,Yo! Bum Rush the Show, was released in 1987 to critical acclaim, and their second album,It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988), was the first hip hop album to topThe Village Voice'sPazz & Jop critics' poll.[3] Their next three albums,Fear of a Black Planet (1990),Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black (1991), andMuse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age (1994), were also well received. The group has since released eleven more studio albums, includingthe soundtrack to the 1998 sports-drama filmHe Got Game and a collaborative album withParis,Rebirth of a Nation (2006). Their most recent album,Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025, was released in 2025.
Public Enemy has gone through many lineup changes over the years, with Chuck D and Flavor Flav remaining the only constant members. Co-founderProfessor Griff left in 1989 but rejoined in 1998, before parting ways again some years later[when?].DJ Lord also joined Public Enemy in 1998 as the replacement of the group's original DJTerminator X. In 2020, it was announced that Flavor Flav had been fired from the group.[2] His firing was later revealed to be a publicity stunt that was called anApril Fools' Day prank.[4][5] Public Enemy, without Flavor Flav, would also tour and record music under the name of Enemy Radio which consists of the lineup of Chuck D, Jahi, DJ Lord and the S1Ws.[6]
Public Enemy's first four albums during the late 1980s and early 1990s were all certified eithergold or platinum and were, according to music criticRobert Hilburn in 1998, "the most acclaimed body of work ever by a hip hop act".[7] CriticStephen Thomas Erlewine called them "the most influential and radical band of their time".[8] They were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.[9] They were honored with theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the62nd Grammy Awards.
Public Enemy was formed in 1985 by Carlton Ridenhour (Chuck D) and William Drayton (Flavor Flav), who met atAdelphi University onLong Island in the mid-1980s.[citation needed] Developing his talents as anMC with Flav while delivering furniture for his father's business, Chuck D and Spectrum City, as the group was called, released the record "Check Out the Radio", backed by "Lies", a social commentary—both of which would influence RUSH Productions'Run–D.M.C. andBeastie Boys.[10] Chuck D put out a tape to promoteWBAU (the radio station where he was working at the time) and to fend off a local MC who wanted tobattle him. He called the tapePublic Enemy #1 because he felt like he was being persecuted by people in the localscene.[citation needed] This was the first reference to the notion of apublic enemy in any of Chuck D's songs. The single was created by Chuck D with a contribution by Flavor Flav, though this was before the groupPublic Enemy was officially assembled.[citation needed] Around 1986, Bill Stephney, the former Program Director at WBAU, was approached by Sam Mulderrig, who offered Stephney a position with the label.[citation needed] Stephney accepted, and his first assignment was to help fledgling producerRick Rubin sign Chuck D, whose song "Public Enemy Number One" Rubin had heard fromAndre "Doctor Dré" Brown.[11]
According toThe History of Rap Music byCookie Lommel, "Stephney thought it was time to mesh the hard-hitting style of Run DMC with politics that addressed black youth. Chuck recruited Spectrum City, which included Hank Shocklee, his brother Keith Shocklee, and Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, collectively known asthe Bomb Squad, to be his production team and added another Spectrum City partner,Professor Griff, to become the group's Minister of Information. With the addition of Flavor Flav and another local mobile DJ namedTerminator X, the group Public Enemy was born".[citation needed] According to Chuck, The S1W, which stands for Security of the First World, "represents that the black man can be just as intelligent as he is strong. It stands for the fact that we're not third-world people, we're first-world people; we're theoriginal people".[12] Hank Shocklee came up with the name Public Enemy based on "underdog love and their developing politics" and the idea from Def Jam staffer Bill Stephney following theHoward Beach racial incident,Bernhard Goetz, and thedeath of Michael Stewart: "The Black man is definitely the public enemy."[13]
Public Enemy started out as opening act for the Beastie Boys during the latter'sLicensed to Ill popularity.[citation needed]
The group's debut album,Yo! Bum Rush the Show, was released in March 1987.[14][15] In October 1987, music criticSimon Reynolds dubbed Public Enemy "a superlativerock band".[16] They released their second album,It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, in 1988, which performed better in the charts than their previous release, and included the hit single "Don't Believe the Hype" in addition to "Bring the Noise".[17] It was the first hip hop album to be voted album of the year inThe Village Voice's influentialPazz & Jop critics' poll.[3]
In 1989, the group returned to the studio to record their third album,Fear of a Black Planet, which continued their politically charged themes. The album was supposed to be released in late 1989,[18] but was pushed back to April 1990.[citation needed] It was the most successful of any of their albums and, in 2005, was selected for preservation in theNational Recording Registry.[19] It included the singles "Welcome to the Terrordome", written after the band was criticized by Jews for Professor Griff's anti-semitic comments, "911 Is a Joke", which criticized emergency response units for taking longer to arrive at emergencies in the black community than those in the white community, and "Fight the Power".[20] "Fight the Power" is regarded as one of the most popular and influential songs in hip hop history.[21] It was the theme song ofSpike Lee'sDo the Right Thing.
The group's fourth album,Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black, continued this trend, with songs like "Can't Truss It", which addressed the history of slavery and how the black community can fight back against oppression; "I Don't Wanna be Called Yo Nigga", a track that takes issue with the use of the wordnigga outside of its original derogatory context.[citation needed] The album also included the controversial song and video "By the Time I Get to Arizona", which chronicled the black community's frustration that some US states did not recognizeMartin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday. The video featured members of Public Enemy taking out their frustrations on politicians in the states not recognizing the holiday.[22]
In 1992, the group was one of the first rap acts to perform at theReading Festival in the UK, headlining the second day of the three-day festival.[23]
After a 1994 motorcycle accident shattered his left leg and kept him in the hospital for a full month,[citation needed] Terminator X relocated to his 15-acre farm inVance County, North Carolina.[citation needed] By 1998, he was ready to retire from the group and focus full-time on raising African black ostriches on his farm.[24] In late 1998, the group started looking for Terminator X's permanent replacement. Following several months of searching for a DJ, Professor Griff sawDJ Lord at aVestax Battle and approached him about becoming the DJ for Public Enemy.[25] DJ Lord joined as the group's full-time DJ just in time for Public Enemy's 40th World Tour.[26] Since 1999, he has been the official DJ for Public Enemy on albums and world tours while winning numerous turntablist competitions, including multipleDMC finals.[27]
In 1999, the group released an new album calledThere's a Poison Goin' On under the label and it was the first album to be released only in downloadable format, without any physical media.[28]It was then published on CD under the labelKoch records.
In 2007, the group released an album entitledHow You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?.[29] Public Enemy's single from the album was "Harder Than You Think".[citation needed] Four years afterHow You Sell Soul ..., in January 2011, Public Enemy released the albumBeats and Places, a compilation of remixes and "lost" tracks.[citation needed] On July 13, 2012,Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp was released and was exclusively available on iTunes.[citation needed] In July 2012, on UK television an advert for the London2012 Summer Paralympics featured a short remix of the song "Harder Than You Think". The advert caused the song to reach No. 4[30] in theUK Singles Chart on September 2, 2012.[31] On July 30, 2012, Public Enemy performed a free concert withSalt-N-Pepa andKid 'n Play atWingate Park inBrooklyn, New York City, as part of theMartin Luther King Jr. Concert Series.[citation needed] On August 26, 2012, Public Enemy performed at South West Four music festival inClapham Common in London.[citation needed] On October 1, 2012The Evil Empire of Everything was released.[32] On June 29, 2013, they performed atGlastonbury Festival 2013.[33] On September 14, 2013, they performed atRiot Fest & Carnival 2013 in Chicago, Illinois.[citation needed] On September 20, 2013, they performed at Riot Fest & Side Show in Byers, Colorado.[citation needed]
In 2014, Chuck D launchedPE 2.0 with Oakland rapper Jahi as a spiritual successor and "next generation"[34] of Public Enemy.[35] Jahi met Chuck D backstage during a soundcheck at the 1999 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and later appeared as a support act on Public Enemy's 20th Anniversary Tour in 2007.[citation needed] PE 2.0's task is twofold, Jahi says, to "take select songs from the PE catalog and cover or revisit them" as well as new material with members of the original Public Enemy including DJ Lord, Davy DMX, Professor Griff and Chuck D.[36] PE 2.0's first albumPeople Get Ready was released on October 7, 2014.InsPirEd PE 2.0's second album and part two of a proposed trilogy was released a year later on October 11, 2015.[35]Man Plans God Laughs, Public Enemy's thirteenth album, was released in July 2015.[37] On June 29, 2017, Public Enemy released their fourteenth album,Nothing Is Quick in the Desert.[38] The album was available for free download throughBandcamp until July 4, 2017.[39]
In late February 2020, it was announced that Public Enemy (billed as Public Enemy Radio) would perform at a campaign rally in Los Angeles on March 1, 2020, forBernie Sanders, who was campaigning to be the nominee of theDemocratic Party in the2020 presidential election.[40] Days following the announcement, Flavor Flav's lawyer Matthew Friedman issued a cease-and desist letter asking the campaign to not use the group's name or logo, stating: "While Chuck is certainly free to express his political views as he sees fit — his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy".[41] Chuck D responded to the statement by saying: "Flavor chooses to dance for his money and not do benevolent work like this. He has a year to get his act together and get himself straight or he's out".[41] A lawyer for Chuck D added: "Chuck could perform as Public Enemy if he ever wanted to; he is the sole owner of the Public Enemy trademark. He originally drew the logo himself in the mid-80s, is also the creative visionary and the group's primary songwriter, having written Flavor's most memorable lines".[41][42]
On March 1, 2020, before the group's performance at the Sanders rally, Chuck D, DJ Lord, Jahi, James Bomb and Pop Diesel issued a joint statement announcing that Flavor Flav had been fired from the group, stating: "Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav. We thank him for his years of service and wish him well".[43] The statement also claimed: "Flavor Flav has been on suspension since 2016 when he was MIA from the Harry Belafonte benefit in Atlanta, Georgia. That was the last straw for the group. He had previously missed numerous live gigs from Glastonbury to Canada, album recording sessions and photo shoots. He always chose to party over work".[44] On March 2, 2020, it was announced that Enemy Radio (dropping the Public from their name) would be releasing the albumLoud Is Not Enough, which was due for release in April 2020. The album was to feature the lineup of Chuck D, DJ Lord, Jahi and the S1Ws and according to a statement from the group it will be "taking it back to hip hop's original DJ-and-turntablist foundation".[45]
On April 1, 2020, it was revealed Flavor Flav's firing was a publicity stunt to gain attention and provide a commentary on disinformation, and Reuters claimed that Chuck D and Flavor Flav "concocted a fake split to grab attention and highlight media bias towards reporting bad news about hip hop".[4] In an interview with rapperTalib Kweli, Chuck D stated that the stunt was inspired byOrson Welles' 1938 radio drama "The War of the Worlds".[46] In response, Flavor Flav tweeted: "I am not a part of your hoax" and: "There are more serious things in the world right now than April Fool's jokes and dropping records. The world needs better than this...you say we are leaders so act like one".[47]
On June 19, 2020, Public Enemy (with Flavor Flav), released the single and music video for their anti-Donald Trump song "State of the Union (STFU)".[48] Chuck D stated, "Our collective voices keep getting louder. The rest of the planet is on our side. But it's not enough to talk about change. You have to show up and demand change. Folks gotta vote like their lives depend on it, cause it does".[49] In 2020, the group returned toDef Jam and released their studio albumWhat You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? on September 25, 2020.[50]
On November 25, 2023, the authors of ''Jesahel'' (Ivano Fossati andOscar Prudente) together withUniversal Music Group sued Public Enemy for plagiarism, since Fossati and Prudente are not recognized as co-authors of "Harder Than You Think"[51][52]
On June 19, 2025, Public Enemy released their first new music since 2020 with a new song titled "March Madness" to celebrate theJuneteenth holiday. The song was a collaboration with students from three universities according to Flavor Flav. "It was an honor to work with the students fromHarvard,Berklee, andHoward Universities to create a protest anthem about important issues we are facing as human beings right now. MARCH ON,!!"[53]
On June 27, 2025, Public Enemy with no prior announcement made, released their sixteenth studio albumBlack Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025 which is available only onBandcamp for its release. For the first 72 hours following the release, fans are allowed to set their own price to purchase the album. The album will be released on CD on July 25 and vinyl on October 10.[54]
During their performance at the RiverBeat Music Festival inMemphis on May 3, 2025, they called for a "free Palestine" between songs like 'Get Up Stand Up' and 'Don't Believe The Hype'.[55][56] To close their set,Flavor Flav addressed the crowd saying: "No matter what part of the world we come from, no matter what language we speak, no matter what color we are, we are all one person. With peace and togetherness, we would have so much power".[55]
Public Enemy made contributions to the hip-hop world with sonic experimentation as well as political and cultural consciousness, which infused itself into skilled and poeticrhymes. CriticStephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "PE brought in elements offree jazz, hardfunk, evenmusique concrète, via [its] producing team the Bomb Squad, creating a dense, ferocious sound unlike anything that came before."[57][58] Public Enemy held a strong, pro-black, political stance. Before PE, politically motivated hip-hop was defined by a few tracks byIce-T,Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,Kurtis Blow andBoogie Down Productions. Other politically motivated opinions were shared by prototypical artistsGil Scott-Heron andthe Last Poets. PE was a revolutionary hip-hop act whose entire image rested on a specified political stance. With the successes of Public Enemy, many hip-hop artists began to celebrateAfrocentric themes, such asKool Moe Dee,Gang Starr,X Clan,Eric B. & Rakim,Queen Latifah,the Jungle Brothers, andA Tribe Called Quest.
Public Enemy was one of the first hip-hop groups to do well internationally. PE changed the Internet's music distribution capability by being one of the first groups to releaseMP3-only albums,[59] a format virtually unknown at the time.
Poet andhip-hop artistSaul Williams uses a sample from Public Enemy's "Welcome to the Terrordome" in his song "Tr[n]igger" on theNiggy Tardust album. He also used a line from the song in his poem,amethyst rocks.
Public Enemy helped to create and define "rap metal" by collaborating withLiving Colour in 1988 ("Funny Vibe"), withSonic Youth on the 1990 song "Kool Thing", and with New Yorkthrash metal outfitAnthrax in 1991. The single "Bring the Noise" was a mix of semi-militantblack power lyrics, grinding guitars, and sporadic humor. The two bands, cemented by a mutual respect and the personal friendship between Chuck D and Anthrax'sScott Ian, introduced a hitherto alien genre to rock fans, and the two seemingly disparate groups toured together. Flavor Flav's pronouncement on stage that "They said this tour would never happen" (as heard on Anthrax'sLive: The Island Years CD) has become a legendary comment in both rock and hip-hop circles. Metal guitaristVernon Reid (ofLiving Colour) contributed to Public Enemy's recordings, and PE sampledSlayer's "Angel of Death" half-time riff on "She Watch Channel Zero?!"
TheManic Street Preachers track "Repeat (Stars And Stripes)" is a remix of the band's own anti-monarchy tirade by the Bomb Squad of whomJames Dean Bradfield andRichey Edwards were big fans. The song samples "Countdown to Armageddon" fromIt Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. The band had previously sampled Public Enemy on their 1991 single "Motown Junk." Other rock bands that have cited Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad as influences includeMy Bloody Valentine,[60][61]...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead,[62] andQuicksand.[63]
The revolutionary influence of the band is seen throughout hip-hop and is recognized in society and politics. The band "rewrote the rules of hip-hop", changing the image, sound and message forever.[64][65] Pro-black lyrics brought political and social themes to hardcore hip hop, with stirring ideas of racial equality, and retribution against police brutality, aimed at disenfranchised blacks, but appealing to all the poor and underrepresented.[66][67] Before Public Enemy, hip hop music was seen as "throwaway entertainment", with trite sexist and homophobic lyrics.[68] Public Enemy brought social relevance and strength to hip hop. They also brought black activistLouis Farrakhan to greater popularity, and they gave impetus to theMillion Man March in 1995.[69]
Members of the Bomb Squad produced or remixed works for other acts, likeBell Biv DeVoe,Ice Cube,Vanessa Williams,Sinéad O'Connor,Blue Magic,Peter Gabriel,LL Cool J,Paula Abdul,Jasmine Guy,Jody Watley,Eric B & Rakim,3rd Bass,Big Daddy Kane,EPMD, andChaka Khan. According to Chuck D, "We had tight dealings withMCA Records and were talking about taking three guys that were left over fromNew Edition and coming up with an album for them. The three happened to be Ricky Bell,Michael Bivins, andRonnie DeVoe, later to becomeBell Biv DeVoe.Ralph Tresvant had been slated to do a solo album for years,Bobby Brown had left New Edition and experienced some solo success beginning in 1988, andJohnny Gill had just been recruited to come in, but [he] had come off a solo career and could always go back to that. At MCA, Hiram Hicks, who was their manager, and Louil Silas, who was running the show, were like, 'Yo, these kids were left out in the cold. Can y'all come up with something for them?' It was a task that Hank, Keith, Eric, and I took on to try to put some kind of hip-hop-flavored R&B shit down for them. Subsequently, what happened in the four weeks of December [1989] was that the Bomb Squad knocked out a large piece of the production and arrangement onBell Biv DeVoe's three-million selling albumPoison. In January [1990], they knocked outFear of a Black Planet in four weeks, and PE knocked outIce Cube's albumAmeriKKKa's Most Wanted in four to five weeks in February."[70] They have also produced local talent such asSon of Bazerk,Young Black Teenagers,Leaders of the New School, Kings of Pressure, and True Mathematics—and gave producerKip Collins his start in the business.
The influence of the band goes also beyond hip-hop in a unique[citation needed] way, indeed the group was cited as an influence by artists as diverse asAutechre (selected in theAll Tomorrow's Parties in 2003),Nirvana (It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back being cited byKurt Cobain among his favorite albums), Moby (also selectedIt Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back as one of his favorite albums),[71]Nine Inch Nails (mentioned the band inPretty Hate Machine credits),Björk (includedRebel Without a Pause in herThe Breezeblock Mix in July 2007),Tricky (did a cover ofBlack Steel in the Hour of Chaos and appears in Do You Wanna Go Our Way ??? video), The Prodigy (included Public Enemy No. 1 inThe Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One),Ben Harper,Underground Resistance (cited by bothMad Mike andJeff Mills), Orlando Voorn,M.I.A.,Amon Tobin, Mathew Jonson,Aphex Twin (Welcome To The Terrordome being the first track played after the introduction at theCoachella Festival in April 2008),Rage Against the Machine (sampling the track in their song "Renegades of Funk"), andPorcupine Tree'sFear of a Blank Planet.
In a 1989 interview withThe Washington Times, the interviewing journalist,David Mills, lifted some quotations from a UK magazine in which the band were asked their opinion on theArab–Israeli conflict. Professor Griff commented that "Jews are responsible for the majority of the wickedness in the world" (p. 177), a quote fromThe International Jew. Shortly after, Chuck D expressed an apology on his behalf.[72] At a June 21, 1989, press conference, Chuck D announced Griff's dismissal from the group,[72] and a June 28 statement byRussell Simmons, president ofDef Jam Recordings and Rush Artists Management, stated that Chuck D. had disbanded Public Enemy "for an indefinite period of time".[73] By August 10, however, Chuck D denied that he had disbanded the group, and stated that Griff had been re-hired as "Supreme Allied Chief of Community Relations" (in contrast to his previous position with the group as Minister of Information).[72] Griff later denied holding anti-Semitic views and apologized for the remarks.[74] Several people who had worked with Public Enemy expressed concern about Chuck D's leadership abilities and role as a social spokesman.[75]
In his 2009 book, entitledAnalytixz, Griff criticized his 1989 statement: "to say the Jews are responsible for the majority of wickedness that went on around the globe I would have to know about the majority of wickedness that went on around the globe, which is impossible ... I'm not the best knower. Then, not only knowing that, I would have to know who is at the crux of all of the problems in the world and then blame Jewish people, which is not correct." Griff also said that not only were his words taken out of context, but that the recording has never been released to the public for an unbiased listen.[76]
The controversy and apologies on behalf of Griff spurred Chuck D to reference the negative press they were receiving. In 1990, Public Enemy issued the single "Welcome to the Terrordome", which contains the lyrics: "Crucifixion ain't no fiction / So-called chosen frozen / Apologies made to whoever pleases / Still they got me like Jesus". These lyrics have been described by rock critic Robert Christgau as anti-Semitic, making supposed references tothe concept of the "chosen people" with the lyric "so-called chosen" andJewish deicide with the last line.[77]
The rapperIce-T addressed the controversy in his track "This One's For Me" on the albumThe Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!. He lamented that none of the rappers who had previously allied themselves with Public Enemy during their success was defending Professor Griff during the controversy, claiming that he had been the only one to speak out in Griff's defense.
In 1999 the group released an album entitledThere's a Poison Goin' On. The title of the last song on the album is called "Swindler's Lust". The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) claimed that the title of the song was a word play on the title of the Steven Spielberg movieSchindler's List about the genocide of Jews in World War II.[78] Similarly in 2000 a Public Enemy spin off group under the nameConfrontation Camp, a name that the ADL saw as a pun on the termconcentration camp, released an album.[79] The group consisted of Kyle Jason, Chuck D (under the name Mistachuck) and Professor Griff.
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Fight the Power" | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Nominated |
| 1991 | Fear of a Black Planet | Nominated | |
| 1992 | Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black | Nominated | |
| 1993 | Greatest Misses | Nominated | |
| 1995 | "Bring the Noise" (withAnthrax) | Best Metal Performance | Nominated |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album | Nominated |
| 1991 | Fear of a Black Planet | Nominated | |
| 1992 | Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black | Nominated |
Public Enemy was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.[81]
Well I'm very pleased to be beside Public Enemy, they were a very big influence on us.
We were always influenced by our heroes, whether it'sKate Bush or Public Enemy orSonic Youth.
Also, I think you hear the hip-hop influence on Quicksand here, I haven't mentioned that, but we were influenced by Public Enemy as much as we wereLed Zeppelin orJane's Addiction orFugazi. I like that that influence is still there."
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
