Hip Hop History
Public Enemy

Video Transcript:

HIP HOP HISTORY
Episode #2
PUBLIC ENEMY

Public Enemy formed in 1982 but it wasn’t until 1987 that they released their debut album Yo! Bum Rush The Show on Def Jam Recordings. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Terminator X, Professor Griff, The S1W’s and The Bomb Squad comprised the team that came with a revolutionary sound and socially charged lyrics that changed the mental mind state of hip hop heads all over the globe. PE’s 1989 classic “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back” is clearly one of the most influential rap albums of all time. Songs like “Bring The Noise”, “Don’t Believe The Hype” and “Rebel without A Pause” propelled the album to platinum status and brought a political and social consciousness to hip hop culture. Chuck D shares his opinion on the state of hip hop all over the world:


In 1990, Public Enemy released “A Fear of A Black Planet” that included hip hop classics such as 911 Is A Joke, Welcome To The Terrordome and their hip hop anthem “Fight The Power” that also appeared on Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing movie soundtrack….(show clip of video).

(MUSIC VIDEO: FIGHT THE POWER – PE)

Public Enemy’s career spans over 2 decades but not without controversy. In 1989, Professor Griff stirred up a lot of drama when comments he made in an interview were taken out of context and construed as anti-Semitic. A lot of pressure came down on the group leading to the departure of Griff. They’ve since regrouped and our now touring around the world. For 20 years PE has gracefully endured the ups and downs of the music business and hip hop culture and still remain relevant today. Chuck D speaks on how to stay in the rap game:


Public Enemy was one of the first bands to sell their music via the Internet. They’ve recently released a new album titled “How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul? The project is described as 20 years of revolutionary music and available at Publicenemy.com. PE gives us insight on the future of hip hop:

PE tells us more about Publicenemy.com

Public Enemy…..Revolutionary…Pioneering….and truly one of hip hop’s greatest groups of all time! I’m The Poetess and this has been a moment in hip hop history!