Public Enemy
Biography
Public Enemy rewrote the rules of hip-hop, becoming the most influential and controversial rap group of the late '80s and, for many, the definitive rap group of all time. Building from Run-D.M.C.'s street-oriented beats and Boogie Down Productions' proto-gangsta rhyming, Public Enemy pioneered a variation of hardcore rap that was musically and politically revolutionary. With his powerful, authoritative baritone, lead rapper Chuck D rhymed about all kinds of social problems, particularly those plaguing the black community, often condoning revolutionary tactics and social activism. In the process, he directed hip-hop toward an explicitly self-aware, pro-black consciousness that became the culture's signature throughout the next decade. . Musically, Public Enemy was just as revolutionary, as their production team, the Bomb Squad, created dense soundscapes that relied on avant-garde cut-and-paste techniques, unrecognizable samples, piercing sirens, relentless beats, and deep funk. It was chaotic and invigorating music, made all the more intoxicating by Chuck D's forceful vocals and the absurdist raps of his comic foil, Flavor Flav. With his comic sunglasses and an oversized clock hanging from his neck, Flav became the group's visual focal point, but he never obscured the music. While rap and rock critics embraced the group's late-'80s and early-'90s records, Public Enemy frequently ran into controversy with their militant stance and lyrics, especially after their 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back made them into celebrities. After all the controversy settled in the early '90s, once the group entered a hiatus, it became clear that Public Enemy was the most influential and radical band of their time.
Top Albums |
![](http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Music2/v4/ee/7d/a5/ee7da5cf-91a2-45f6-f09c-6c03c7ac00f5/cover100x100.jpeg) 1. It Takes a N..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Power to the People & the Beats - Public Enemy's Greatest Hits](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 2. Power to the..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Fear of a Black Planet](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 3. Fear of a Bl..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Public Enemy](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 4. 20th Century..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul? (Audio Version)](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 5. How You Sell..
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![Apocalypse '91 - The Enemy Strikes Back](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 6. Apocalypse '..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Power to the People and the Beats - Public Enemy's Greatest Hits](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 7. Power to the..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear On No Stamp](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 8. Most of My H..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Yo! Bum Rush the Show](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 9. Yo! Bum Rush..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![He Got Game](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 10. He Got Game
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![Bring the Noise (Remix) - EP, Benny Benassi](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 11. Bring the No..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![The Evil Empire of Everything](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 12. The Evil Emp..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back (Deluxe Edition)](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 13. It Takes a N..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Greatest Misses](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 14. Greatest Mis..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Fear of a Black Planet (Deluxe Edition)](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 15. Fear of a Bl..
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![Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 16. Muse Sick-n-..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Bring the Noise 20xx](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 17. Bring the No..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Bring That Beat Back](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 18. Bring That B..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![25th Anniversary Collection](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 19. 25th Anniver..
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![New Whirl Odor](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 20. New Whirl Od..
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Top Songs |
| Name | Album | Time | Price | |
1. | Harder Than You Think | How You Sell Soul to a Soul.. | 4:09 | $0.99 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
2. | Fight the Power | Power to the People & t.. | 4:36 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
3. | He Got Game | He Got Game | 4:46 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
4. | Can't Truss It | Apocalypse '91 - The En.. | 5:21 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
5. | Bring the Noise | It Takes a Nation of Millio.. | 3:46 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
6. | Fight the Power | Fear of a Black Planet | 4:42 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
7. | Shut Em Down | Power to the People & t.. | 4:19 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
8. | Fight the Power | Def Jam Recordings - Let Th.. | 4:43 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
9. | Rebel Without a Pause | It Takes a Nation of Millio.. | 5:02 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
10. | Terminator X to the Edge of Panic | It Takes a Nation of Millio.. | 4:31 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
11. | Say It Like It Really Is | Evil Empire of Everything | 6:23 | $0.99 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
12. | He Got Game | Power to the People & t.. | 4:45 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
13. | Shut Em Down | Apocalypse '91 - The En.. | 5:04 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
14. | By the Time I Get to Arizona | Apocalypse '91 - The En.. | 4:48 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
15. | Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos | It Takes a Nation of Millio.. | 6:23 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
16. | Louder Than a Bomb | It Takes a Nation of Millio.. | 3:37 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
17. | Don't Believe the Hype | It Takes a Nation of Millio.. | 5:19 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
18. | Enemy Assault Vehicle Mixx | Fear of a Black Planet (Del.. | 9:25 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
19. | Fight the Power (Powersax) | Fear of a Black Planet (Del.. | 3:53 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
20. | Fight the Power (Do the Right Thing/.. | Fear of a Black Planet (Del.. | 5:24 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
21. | 911 Is a Joke (Instrumental) | Fear of a Black Planet (Del.. | 3:21 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
22. | Burn Hollywood Burn | Fear of a Black Planet (Del.. | 3:42 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
23. | Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man .. | Fear of a Black Planet (Del.. | 4:03 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
24. | Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man .. | Fear of a Black Planet (Del.. | 4:06 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
25. | Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man .. | Fear of a Black Planet (Del.. | 4:45 | $1.29 | ![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |
Top Music Videos |
![Public Enemy - Video Interview, Public Enemy](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 1. Public Enemy ...
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) | ![Public Enemy (Interview), Public Enemy](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/9548/frameworks/images/p.png) 2. Public Enemy ...
![](../../buyinitunes2.png) |