Public Enemy
Public Enemy Roll Back the Years With Beastie Boys, Run-DMC in ‘Public Enemy Number Won’ Video
Public Enemy recently released their first album with Def Jam in a number of years with What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down? They also recently teamed up with George Clinton and Cypress Hill to release the animated video for “Grid,” and now they’ve done the same thing for “Public Enemy Number Won.” Featuring the surviving members of both the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC, the video features archival performance footage along with posters from those early days. “The song is an homage to ‘Public Enemy No. 1′ and that moment in time,” Chuck D said in a statement. “The Beastie Boys and Run-DMC were playing it all the time and Rick Rubin kept coming at us to sign with Def Jam. So it’s my way of bringing it all back together again.” We recently spoke with Chuck D as part of our SPIN 35 cel...
Public Enemy Join Forces With Beastie Boys’ Ad Rock, Mike D and Run-DMC for ‘Public Enemy Number Won’ Video
Public Enemy’s first album with Def Jam in an eternity (OK fine, 20–plus years) is out now. Chuck D, Flavor Flav and company enlisted legends of the past and the stars of today for the recording. The group also leaned on their longtime pals for the release of their video for “Public Enemy Number Won.” Enlisting Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock and Mike D and Run DMC, the video features vintage footage of the guys from Def Jam’s halcyon days. Check it out below. [embedded content] As usual, it wouldn’t be a Public Enemy clip without some political bent. “With less than a week to go before election day, we’re seeing record breaking early voting numbers across the country, and this effort is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encourage voters to make their voices heard at their favorite sport...
Public Enemy Share Animated Video for ‘Grid’ Featuring George Clinton and Cypress Hill
Public Enemy dropped an animated video for “Grid,” the latest from PE’s recent album, What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?, the group’s first album in over 20 years for their first label Def Jam. The video was directed by Ice the Endless, with background by ThatOneDudeZach and visual effects by RMELL and ARTJCON. Public Enemy group performed the song along with Cypress Hill and George Clinton on CBS’s special live broadcast of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert immediately following the first presidential debate in September. The song and vid is an excoriation of our screen-addicted society, with lyrics including “Communication breakdown it’s a take down / are you awake now or consumed by a fake clown? / World Wide Web keep the spiders fed / Looking at my feed, trolls everywhere...
Public Enemy Recruits Mike D, Ad-Rock, Run-DMC, George Clinton and More for New LP
Days after announcing their new album, What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?, Public Enemy just revealed who they collaborated with on the new record. They definitely enlisted some heavy hitters. George Clinton will be featured on both “When the Grid Goes Down” and “Grid,” which also brings in Cypress Hill. Mike D and Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC will be on “Public Enemy Number Won,” while Ice-T and PMD lent their voices to “Smash the Crowd.” Public Enemy previously released their collab with DJ Premier, “State of the Union (STFU),” and “Fight the Power: Remix 2020,” where they share the mic with Nas, Rapsody, Black Thought, Jahi and YG, while Questlove takes on the turntables. The updated version of “Fight the Power” premiered on this year’s BET Awards. Chuck D will a...
Public Enemy Return to Def Jam With What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down
A few months after surprise releasing their “State of the Union (STFU)” single that was produced by DJ Premier, Public Enemy has finally announced their new album, What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down, their first album for Def Jam in more than 20 years. “Cultural Institutions are important. Being an integral part of one is an honor bestowed and to uphold,” Chuck D said in a statement. “Public Enemy songs are forever sonic prints in the sands of time. And it’s time – it’s necessary – to bring the noise again from a place called home. Def Jam. Fight The Power 2020.” Flavor Flav added, “Def Jam is like the house we grew up in. It’s cool to be home.” Sharing the album art on Twitter, Chuck D also said, “Time is intensifying and folks are Tight. In this moment a Album ...
Public Enemy, Nas, the Roots, YG, and More Open BET Awards With ‘Fight the Power’
Public Enemy was joined by an all-star group of musicians to open up the BET Awards with their 1989 classic “Fight the Power.” Nas, Rapsody, Black Thought, YG, ?uestlove, JAHI, DJ Lord, Professor Griff and S1Ws all performed on the PE classic, which was recorded (of course) remotely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Some contributed new verses to the 2020 version of the song. The performance comes a week after Public Enemy released their new single, “State of the Union (STFU),” which was produced by DJ Premier. We spoke with Chuck D. following the release of the single, where he told us about its origins in more detail. “This was an idea that was always floating in my head,” he said. “Every time I used to see the State of the Union with a hashmark in front of it over the last four y...
Public Enemy, Nas, the Roots, YG, and More Open BET Awards With ‘Fight the Power’
Public Enemy was joined by an all-star group of musicians to open up the BET Awards with their 1989 classic “Fight the Power.” Nas, Rapsody, Black Thought, YG, ?uestlove, JAHI, DJ Lord, Professor Griff and S1Ws all performed on the PE classic, which was recorded (of course) remotely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Some contributed new verses to the 2020 version of the song. The performance comes a week after Public Enemy released their new single, “State of the Union (STFU),” which was produced by DJ Premier. We spoke with Chuck D. following the release of the single, where he told us about its origins in more detail. “This was an idea that was always floating in my head,” he said. “Every time I used to see the State of the Union with a hashmark in front of it over the last four y...
Chuck D Talks Public Enemy Reunion, DJ Premier Collab, and His Least Favorite President
In a world where little makes sense anymore, Public Enemy suddenly reemerging to release a fiery new song on Juneteenth actually makes a lot of sense. Early on Friday morning, the legendary hip-hop pioneers released their latest song, “State of the Union (STFU),” with a video to go along with it. It marked the first time that Flavor Flav returned to the equation after a very public dispute over Public Enemy Radio’s appearance at a Bernie Sanders rally earlier this year. But as Chuck D sees it, it’s Flav returning to what the pair does best: An unflinching condemnation of what the scumbag administration of the day has done now. It’s something Chuck has been outspoken about ever since forming Prophets of Rage with Cypress Hill’s B-Real, and three-fourths of Rage Against the Machine (To...
Public Enemy Make Fiery Return With ‘State of the Union (STFU)’
When Public Enemy have something to say, they’ll say it. And they have done just that with their new single, “State of the Union (STFU).” Produced by DJ Premier, Chuck D and Flavor Flav return to the mic to give “Donald Trump and his fascist regime,” a rude awakening and empower those who have been currently fighting societal and racial injustice. “An unflinching statement about the destruction the current administration has unleashed on the country and its people, “State of the Union (STFU)” speaks truth to power while urging people to fight against racism, injustice and oppression with their vote,” the group said in a statement. Chuck D reiterated the message by saying, “Our collective voices keep getting louder. The rest of the planet is on our side. But it’s not enough to talk about ch...
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