Fight
the Power sound clip
Public Enemy rewrote the rules of hip-hop. They were one of the most influential rap groups of the pre-gangsta late 1980s. They built upon Run-D.M.C.'s street-oriented beats and rhyming. Powered by the leads of Chuck D (b. Carlton Ridenhour), the court-jester counterpoints of Flavor Flav (b. William Drayton), and the revolutionary production techniques of the Squad (Hank Shocklee and Keith Shockleee, Bill Stephney, Eric Sadler, et al.), the Long Island, New York-based Public Enemy debuted in 1987 with Yo! Bum Rush the Show.
Chuck D used his authoritative baritone to rhyme about all kinds of social problems, particularly those plaguing the black community. In the process, he directed rap and hip-hop toward a more self-aware, pro-black arena that essentially became the signature of the culture of the time. Musically, Public Enemy was just as revolutionary, as their production team created sounds that relied on cut-and-paste techniques, unrecognizable samples, piercing sirens, and relentless beats.
While Chuck powered the group with his intense vocals, Flavor Flav became the group's focal point with his huge sunglasses, oversized clock hanging from his neck, and comic flare.
The 1989 anthem "Fight the Power," featured in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," gave the group a huge hit, but in May of the same year Public Enemy made less enviable headlines. Founding member Professor Griff (b. Richard Griffin, circa 1960), leader of the S1W bodyguards, made anti-Semitic remarks in an interview; as a result, Griff eventually left the group, later recording solo for Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew.
With other lyrics on the album being viewed as anti-semetic as well, namely "still they got me like Jesus," the band quickly found itself in the middle of controversy, and that would not be the first. The group's militant stance and lyrics ensured there would be some group out there that would attack Public Enemy.
But after all the negative press and controversy, most critics acknowledged that Public Enemy was the most influential and radical band of its time.