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Public Enemy

“The few control the human family and exploit it in many ways, and Public Enemy speaks against that.”

Hip-hop is one of the genres in music that allows for the greatest amount of politically charged content. Few musical acts, however, have used that allowance to the same extent as Public Enemy. From the get-go, the group has been addressing issues on the political and community level, both big and small. The message hasn't gained them a lot of friends but it's been very effective at winning them fans.Long Island's Adelphi University was the official birthplace of the group. Back then, Chuck D was known only as Carlton Douglas Ridenhour and worked with the student radio station WBAU. It was there that he met Bill Stephney and Hank Shocklee, who would go on to be part of Def Jam and Bomb Squad, respectively.

Ridenhour had no intention of being a career musician at the time. His first recording was a rap over one of Shocklee's tracks, which they then entitled Public Enemy #1. It was then released to help promote Ridenhour's station, as well as to fend off the threat of an MC in the area who wanted to do battle. After this incident, Ridenhour became a regular on Stephney's radio show, which caught the attention of Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin.

Although Ridenhour was initially hesitant, he eventually signed on to the then-fledgling Def Jam label with the persuasion of Stephney. Ridenhour called on Shocklee and his brother Keith and friend Eric “Vietnam” Sadler to form his production team. With the addition of Richard Griffin, William Drayton, Jr. and local DJ Norman Rogers – Professor Griff, Flavor Flav and Terminator X, respectively – Public Enemy was born.Yo! Bum Rush The Show was the group's 1987 debut, which was received well by critics. Commercial success, however, would not arrive until their 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. It was the first album to reach a million units in sales as well as rankings in several major charts of the time.

Fear of a Black Planet in 1990 followed the steps of the first two albums in both success and controversy. The album did very well despite attacking American institutions like the 911 emergency system and Elvis Presley. The follow-up, Apocalypse '91... The Enemy Strikes Black, was just as politically charged as all of its predecessors.

Ever since that 1991 album the group has not made many critically notable releases. The group, however, remains active in the live performance scene, and has since put out eight more albums from 1992's Greatest Misses to 2007's How You Sell Your Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?. Many critics also maintain that, despite a lack of hyped up releases, Public Enemy is as relevant today as they were two decades ago.

Did you know that...

• ...an album by the group is being preserved by the US Government? 1990's Fear of a Black Planet currently has a copy stored in the Library of Congress.
• ...the D in Chuck D's name stands for Dangerous? The contraction was revealed in Louder Than a Bomb from Nation of Millions.