Amidst this hypnotizing groove, they sent a message from Generation X, that we would get some of our heroes on that wall of fame or we’d burn the place down. In a song brimming with rage, the scathing third verse is probably the most famous, taking aim at icons like Elvis and John Wayne in an act of generational defiance. Incidents like the arrest and incarceration of the former Central Park Five fueled his biting critique of the justice system and the institutionalized racism that buoyed it. But even thousands of miles away from the inspiration, he channeled the tension and rebelliousness of his native New York in every word. “As the rhythm designed to bounce/ What counts/ is that the rhymes designed to fill your mind…” Chuck wrote the lyrics on a flight over Italy flanked by members of Run DMC. Not only was it a signpost of the times, “Fight the Power” was a blueprint for serving music with a message to the 80s babies held hostage by R&B-Reagan and Bush. Musical DNA from James Brown, Sly and The Family Stone, and even Guy’s Aaron Hall were stitched together in the Bomb Squad’s signature style, forming a sonic collage designed to motivate and inspire. “Fight The Power” opens with an incendiary quote from Chicago lawyer and activist Thomas ‘TNT’ Todd about Vietnam deserters who would rather “switch than fight.” It’s an apt way to launch what is essentially a sonic protest rally attended by some of the biggest names in Black music past and present. (At 26 years old when the group started, Chuck and Flav were also literal elders.) Public Enemy elevated the social discourse in rap with Chuck’s radio announcer-trained baritone, Flavor Flav’s colorful, pithy ad-libs, and The Bomb Squad’s layered and unconventional production, which brought a sonic urgency to match the heft of their message. Thanks to the heavy-hitting content of their 1987 debut, Yo! Bum Rush The Show and its follow up, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Public Enemy had already established themselves as elder statesmen during rap’s most defiant and radical era.
Listen to the best of Public Enemy on Apple Music and Spotify. With atrocities like the 1986 murder of Michael Griffith still hanging in the arid air of the NYC pressure cooker, Chuck felt it was way past time for a song to address “all the bullshit goin’ down.” Their protest-era song “Fight The Power” was the first time he’d heard a curse word in music. Instead, Chuck D, lead MC of the revolutionary rap group from Long Island, drew upon his days as a youth listening to the Isley Brothers in the 1970s. The anthem that anchored Spike Lee’s seminal Do The Right Thing, a film dedicated to racial animus on the hottest day in a Brooklyn summer, was originally supposed to be a Public Enemy-led jazz revamp of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Lee had composer Terrence Blanchard on deck, but Bomb Squad producer Hank Shocklee pushed back, insisting that it wouldn’t resonate with fans of songs like “Bring The Noise” and “Night Of The Living Baseheads.” © 1996-2023, Dusty Groove, Inc.Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” may be the greatest second draft in the history of music. Public Enemy at the height of their power – all the best cuts from their early years on Def Jam Records – from a time when they were really helping expand the scope and political power of hip hop! The group were essential in taking the music from the parties in the streets to the issues that really mattered to the people who were listening – and even after all these years, it's impossible to deny the impact and power of these cuts – many of which deal with issues that still haven't been resolved all these many decades later! Every track is a gem – and titles include "You're Gonna Get Yours", "Public Enemy #1", "Rebel Without A Pause", "Bring The Noise", "Don't Believe The Hype", "Prophets Of Rage", "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos", "Fight The Power", "Welcome To The Terrordome", "911 Is A Joke", "Brothers Gonna Work It Out", "Can't Truss It", "Can't Do Nuttin For Ya Man", "Hazy Shade Of Criminal", "Shut 'Em Down", "By The Time I Get To Arizona", and "He Got Game".
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