Public Enemy

PUBLIC ENEMY
 
 
Public Enemy  is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Khari Wynn, DJ Lord, and the S1W group.  Founding member DJ Terminator X left the group in 1999.  Formed on Long Island, New York, in 1986, they are known for their politically charged music and criticism of the American media, with an active interest in the frustrations and concerns of the African American community.  Their first four albums during the late 1980s and early 1990s were all certified either gold or platinum and were, according to music critic Robert Hilburn in 1998, “the most acclaimed body of work ever by a hip hop act”.  Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called them “the most influential and radical band of their time”.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
According to Wikipedia, this was the first prominent hip hop song to have social commentary; The Message led directly to the “gangsta rap” era with groups like Public Enemy and N.W.A. but was enormously influential in its own right. 
 
(September 2016)
 
Last edited: March 22, 2021