Public Enemy

Public Enemy’s catalog stands as a powerful soundtrack to hip-hop’s evolution into urgent social and political commentary. Their debut, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, was hailed by NME as Album of the Year and praised by Rolling Stone and The New York Times as a groundbreaking moment for the genre. They cemented their legacy with 1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, one of the most significant albums of the century, followed by Fear of a Black Planet, which introduced the anthem “Fight the Power” alongside “911 Is a Joke” and “Welcome to the Terrordome.” Apocalypse 91…The Enemy Strikes Black went platinum with its searing call for justice in “By the Time I Get to Arizona.” Decades later, their influence remained vital: “Harder Than You Think” became a U.K. chart-topping single in 2012, and in 2020 they opened the BET Awards with a remix of “Fight the Power,” leading into their acclaimed Def Jam release What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down, featuring collaborators from across hip-hop’s pantheon.