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Public Enemy
3,278,427 plays (235,266 listeners)
hip-hop, rap, hip hop, political, old school… see all
Public Enemy, also known as P.E., is a seminal Golden Age era Hip-Hop group known for their densely layered production and politically charged lyrics demonstrating their interest in the concerns of the African American community.
PE formed in Long Island, New York, in 1982 around a WBAU radio show as Spectrum City. After one less-than-successful single, they regrouped and signed to the still developing Def Jam record label after Rick Rubin heard Chuck D freestyling on a demo. Their debut, ‘Yo! Bum Rush The Show’, was released in 1987 to mild critical acclaim, although the Hip-Hop climate changed dramatically due to sampling during the time of release. As a response, they went on to release the revolutionary ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ in 1988, which performed better in the charts than their previous release, and included the hit single ‘Don’t Believe the Hype’.
Slightly less militant than their previous releases Public Enemy’s, ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ was officially recognised as being the most successful and influential of the Public Enemy recordings when, in 2004, it became one of 50 recordings, chosen that year by the Library of Congress, to be added to the National Recording Registry. Sales-wise it was the most successful of any of their albums to date. It included the powerful and controversial singles ‘911 is a Joke’ (which criticized emergency response units for taking longer to arrive at emergencies in the black community than those in the white community), and ‘Fight the Power’, which is considered by many to be the group’s premier self-describing anthem.
PE formed in Long Island, New York, in 1982 around a WBAU radio show as Spectrum City. After one less-than-successful single, they regrouped and signed to the still developing Def Jam record label after Rick Rubin heard Chuck D freestyling on a demo. Their debut, ‘Yo! Bum Rush The Show’, was released in 1987 to mild critical acclaim, although the Hip-Hop climate changed dramatically due to sampling during the time of release. As a response, they went on to release the revolutionary ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ in 1988, which performed better in the charts than their previous release, and included the hit single ‘Don’t Believe the Hype’.
Slightly less militant than their previous releases Public Enemy’s, ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ was officially recognised as being the most successful and influential of the Public Enemy recordings when, in 2004, it became one of 50 recordings, chosen that year by the Library of Congress, to be added to the National Recording Registry. Sales-wise it was the most successful of any of their albums to date. It included the powerful and controversial singles ‘911 is a Joke’ (which criticized emergency response units for taking longer to arrive at emergencies in the black community than those in the white community), and ‘Fight the Power’, which is considered by many to be the group’s premier self-describing anthem.
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Top Tracks
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Fight The Power
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Don't Believe the Hype
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Rebel Without a Pause
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Welcome to the Terrordome
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Night of the Living Baseheads
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Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos
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Top Albums
Shoutbox
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XguiltparadeX wrote:
don't believe the hype.
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Timbo93 wrote:
http://www.last.fm/music/Weekend+Revolutionaries/Trouble+in+Paradise
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MikkoHimanka wrote:
It's not how much you talk about politics, it's what you're talking about.
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Sitbon wrote:
I just got done listening to "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back", this is the first album by this group that I listened to. What do I think? Well. Consider me a fan. DAMN this sounds good!!
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Music0 wrote:
YEAAAA BOOOIII
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Blue56 wrote:
FootToFace, RATM doesn't talk politics as much as PE. Say what?? They are both awesome, but to say something like that is kind of ridiculous.
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elhector_ wrote:
this is the only hip-hop group/solo artist i can stand
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seanwiththewind wrote:
does anyone enter a song better than chuck d?
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kavron wrote:
He Got Game!
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froschmann_org wrote:
Für mich ist P.E. einer der besten Gruppen diese Genere. Mein Fav. ist "Harder Than You Think"
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ZaneLoweFan wrote:
Both gr8 artists, but did RATM ever shake the political world? Not as far as im aware. It takes a nation... is simply a masterpiece, one of the best albums ever.
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[deleted-user]
wrote:
People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within.
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Golden_sparks wrote:
Public Enemy kill RATM
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SeanMcMeekin wrote:
YEEEEEEAAAHH BOIIIIII!!!!
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FootToFace wrote:
Ratm doesn't talk about politics nearly as much as Chuck D. they're both good artists, tho
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hiphopoldschool wrote:
salve
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InfinityLfm wrote:
Iconic among other hip-hop bands. Old-school and worthy of praise.
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Idiots-Rule wrote:
PB is the best hip-hop group ever! After them it's N.W.A and then Ice Cube as solo and so on... I LOVE the old school stuff.
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invocation88 wrote:
Please join the Fuck McCain group here: http://www.last.fm/group/Fuck+McCain
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[deleted-user]
wrote:
sultrybbwangels
Listeners
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Leopold
Listening now
to Welcome to the Terrordome -
vgots
Listening now
to Dark Side of the Wall… -
jonathan_is_god
Listening now
to Don't Believe the Hype -
Fake-Problems
Top Listener
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El-Coco-Loco
Top Listener
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subsector
Top Listener
Recent Activity
- sps137, CriticalHit and djsimonpang added Public Enemy to their libraries. 1 hour ago
- elpollofarsante tagged Public Enemy with ‘hip hop’ and ‘political’. 4 hours ago
- benwiese, Trentguy, mrhighway9 and 3 other people added Public Enemy to their libraries. 5 hours ago
- Gensgens69 tagged Public Enemy with ‘rap’. yesterday morning
- progers3 added Public Enemy to progers3’s library. yesterday morning
- ikbins75 tagged Public Enemy with ‘hip-hop’ and ‘rap’. yesterday morning
- ikbins75 and luis05NS added Public Enemy to their libraries. yesterday morning
- Cutthroat_Kiss tagged Public Enemy with ‘hip-hop’. yesterday morning
- justynaa44, JustinLL, worldrevolver89 and 10 other people added Public Enemy to their libraries. yesterday morning
- gr1bo tagged Public Enemy with ‘rap’. Saturday evening
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Groups (228)
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Eric B. & Rakim
165 members
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Old School Hip-Hop
410 members
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Old School HipHop
753 members
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ANTI I Hate Hip Hop group
463 members
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It's all about the LYRICS
8,354 members
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