Public Enemy
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 were
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 were the most influential and radical band of their time.
Chuck D (born Carlton Ridenhour, August 1, 1960) formed Public
Enemy in 1982, as he was studying graphic design at Adelphi University
on Long Island. He had been DJing at the student radio station WBAU,
where he met Hank Shocklee and Bill Stephney. All three shared a
love of hip-hop and politics, which made them close friends. Shocklee
had been assembling hip-hop demo tapes, and Ridenhour rapped over
one song, "Public Enemy No. 1," around the same time he
began appearing on Stephney's radio show under the Chuckie D pseudonym.
Def Jam co-founder and producer Rick Rubin heard a tape of "Public
Enemy No. 1" and immediately courted Ridenhour in hopes of
signing him to his fledgling label. Chuck D initially was reluctant,
but he eventually developed a concept for a literally revolutionary
hip-hop group — one that would be driven by sonically extreme
productions and socially revolutionary politics. Enlisting Shocklee
as his chief producer and Stephney as a publicist, Chuck D formed
a crew with DJ Terminator X (born Norman Lee Rogers, August 25,
1966) and fellow Nation of Islam member Professor Griff (born Richard
Griffin) as the choreographer of the group's backup dancers, the
Security of the First World, whom performed homages to old Stax
and Motown dancers with their martial moves and fake Uzis. He also
asked his old friend William Drayton (born March 16, 1959) to join
as a fellow rapper. Drayton developed an alter-ego called Flavor
Flav, who functioned as a court jester to Chuck D's booming voice
and somber rhymes in Public Enemy.
Public Enemy's debut album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, was released
on Def Jam Records in 1987. Its spare beats and powerful rhetoric
were acclaimed by hip-hop critics and aficionados, but the record
was ignored by the rock and R&B mainstream. However, their second
album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, was impossible
to ignore. Under Shocklee's direction, PE's production team, the
Bomb Squad, developed a dense, chaotic mix that relied as much on
found sounds and avant-garde noise as it did on old-school funk.
Similarly, Chuck D's rhetoric gained focus and Flavor Flav's raps
were wilder and funnier. A Nation of Millions was hailed as revolutionary
by both rap and rock critics, and it was — hip-hop had suddenly
became a force for social change. As Public Enemy's profile was
raised, they opened themselves up to controversy. In a notorious
statement, Chuck D claimed that rap was "the black CNN,"
relating what was happening in the inner city in a way that mainstream
media could not project. Public Enemy's lyrics were naturally dissected
in the wake of such a statement, and many critics were uncomfortable
with the positive endorsement of black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan
on "Bring the Noise." "Fight the Power," Public
Enemy's theme for Spike Lee's controversial 1989 film Do the Right
Thing, also caused an uproar for its attacks on Elvis Presley and
John Wayne, but that was considerably overshadowed by an interview
Professor Griff gave The Washington Post that summer. Griff had
previously said anti-Semitic remarks on-stage, but his quotation
that Jews were responsible for "the majority of the wickedness
that goes on across the globe" was greeted with shock and outrage,
especially by white critics who previously embraced the group. Faced
with a major crisis, Chuck D faltered. First he fired Griff, then
brought him back, then broke up the group entirely. Griff gave one
more interview where he attacked Chuck D and PE, which led to his
permanent departure from the group.
Public Enemy spent the remainder of 1989 preparing their third
album, releasing "Welcome to the Terrordome" as its first
single in early 1990. Again, the hit single caused controversy as
its lyrics "still they got me like Jesus" were labeled
anti-Semitic by some quarters. Despite all the controversy, Fear
of a Black Planet was released to enthusiastic reviews in the spring
of 1990, and it shot into the pop Top Ten as the singles "911
Is a Joke," "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," and "Can't
Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" became Top 40 R&B hits. For their
next album, 1991's Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black, the
group re-recorded "Bring the Noise" with thrash metal
band Anthrax, the first sign that the group were trying to consolidate
their white audience. Apocalypse 91 was greeted with overwhelmingly
positive reviews upon its fall release, and it debuted at number
four on the pop charts, but the band began to lose momentum in 1992
as they toured with the second leg of U2's Zoo TV tour and Flavor
Flav was repeatedly in trouble with the law. In the fall of 1992,
they released the remix collection Greatest Misses as an attempt
to keep their name viable, but it was greeted to nasty reviews.
Public Enemy was on hiatus during 1993, as Flav attempted to wean
himself off drugs, returning in the summer of 1994 with Muse Sick-n-Hour
Mess Age. Prior to its release, it was subjected to exceedingly
negative reviews in Rolling Stone and The Source, which affected
the perception of the album considerably. Muse Sick debuted at number
14, but it quickly fell off the charts as it failed to generate
any singles. Chuck D retired Public Enemy from touring in 1995 as
he severed ties with Def Jam, developed his own record label and
publishing company, and attempted to re-think Public Enemy. In 1996,
he released his first debut album, The Autobiography of Mistachuck.
As it was released in the fall, he announced that he planned to
record a new Public Enemy album the following year.
Before that record was made, Chuck D published an autobiography
in the fall of 1997. During 1997, Chuck D reassembled the original
Bomb Squad and began work on three albums. In the spring of 1998,
Public Enemy kicked off their major comeback with their soundtrack
to Spike Lee's He Got Game, which was played more like a proper
album than a soundtrack. Upon its April 1998 release, the record
received the strongest reviews of any Public Enemy album since Apocalypse
'91: The Enemy Strikes Black. After Def Jam refused to help Chuck
D's attempts to bring PE's music straight to the masses via the
Internet, he signed the group to the web-savvy independent Atomic
Pop. Before the retail release of Public Enemy's seventh LP, There's
a Poison Goin' On..., the label made MP3 files of the album available
on the Internet. It finally appeared in stores in July 1999. After
a three-year break from recording and a switch to the In the Paint
label, Public Enemy released Revolverlution, a mix of new tracks,
remixes, and live cuts. The CD/DVD combo It Takes a Nation appeared
in 2005. The multimedia package contained an hour-long video of
the band live in London in 1987 and a CD with rare remixes. The
new album New Whirl Odor also appeared in 2005.
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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