Public Enemy are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They have a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, platinum records and sold-out concerts in nearly every country in the world.
Public Enemy's classic albums are the soundtrack to Hip-Hop's rise as a form of social and political commentary. Their debut record, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, was named Album of the Year by NME, with Rolling Stone claiming that the release “heralded Hip-Hop's great leap forward” and The New York Times calling Public Enemy “the voice of a community.” Their sophomore effort, 1988's It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, was, and still is, one of the most important records ever made. The New York Times added it to their list of 25 Most Significant Albums of the Last Century, crediting the record with setting “a newer, prouder agenda for Hip-Hop” in which Rap was at its “most politically and musically dangerous.”
Fear of a Black Planet featured Public Enemy's signature song, “Fight The Power,” used by Spike Lee in his film Do The Right Thing. Rolling Stone magazine called it “the ultimate anti-establishment rallying cry.” The album also included the powerful “911 Is a Joke” and “Welcome To The Terrordome.” Apocalypse 91…The Enemy Strikes Black carried on the group’s legacy, hitting No. 4 on the album chart and going platinum.
By 1999, Public Enemy became one of the first acts to become completely independent from the major record label system, recording for Chuck D's own Slam Jamz record label. That same year, Terminator X retired from the group and DJ Lord took over the turntables.
The group continued to tour the planet year after year, and, in 2012, Public Enemy's "Harder Than You Think" went to No. 1 on the UK urban and indie singles chart and to No. 4 on the official UK singles chart, their tenth Top 40 hit in England and their highest charting single ever.
In 2016, Chuck D co-founded the supergroup Prophets Of Rage with members of Rage Against The Machine, B-Real of Cypress Hill and DJ Lord. They relentlessly toured the world, headlining festivals and arenas until 2019. They also released an album and an EP.
In 2020, Public Enemy returned with a new song and video, "State of the Union (STFU),” produced by DJ Premier. By June, they were tapped to open the BET Awards with a remix of "Fight The Power" where they were joined by Nas, Rapsody, The Roots, YG and Jahi. They followed that up with the critically acclaimed album What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down, released on Def Jam and featuring guest performances by the Beastie Boys' Mike D and Ad-Rock, George Clinton, Cypress Hill, Ice-T, PMD, Run-DMC and more.
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