Bringin’ The Noise

As mainstream airwaves are dominated by a brand of rap music that celebrates ignorance and indulgence, one might be surprised to learn that once upon a time, back before the 2000s, these same airwaves were filled with hip-hop which inspired awareness, education, and bettering oneself, even in the face of social and political opposition. Of the groups that existed in this period during the mid-to-late‘80s and early 90s, perhaps none were as radical, had the mainstream success or are still revered to the extent of Public Enemy.

Since the group’s beginnings in New York in 1986, Public Enemy has proven themselves to be one of the of the hip-hop genre’s most powerful forces of nature and tireless innovators. The band released a string of seminal, platinum-selling albums through the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, including their debut, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, and subsequent follow-ups, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Fear Of A Black Planet, and Apocalypse ’91… The Enemy Strikes Back. During this time Public Enemy would cross musical and cultural barriers, enjoying an unprecedented amount of crossover success with rock audiences, and spreading its progressive political messages which championed minorities, the working class and social and political reform, far and wide.

On the production end of things, the group and its production team The Bomb Squad would take sampling to its early ‘90s peak, putting together hundreds of borrowed cuts on a single track to create intense collages of sound for Chuck D and Flava Flav to rap over. Such sample heavy albums were possible due to gray areas in copyright law, but are nearly impossible now. In addition to all these efforts, the group pioneered the rap-metal genre by collaborating with New York thrash outfit Anthrax on a track entitled, “Bring The Noise” and played with and opened for bands as diverse as U2 and Sisters Of Mercy. Public Enemy was also one of the groups responsible for catapulting its label Def Jam Records to great fame, making it a household name in mainstream music.

Even in the midst of so much success, Public Enemy never lost sight of its goals or its message and maintained its integrity in the face of harassment by popular media outlets and politicians. The group underwent the most scrutiny from mainstream news outlets in 1991 when they released an extremely controversial music video for their song “By The Time I Get To Arizona.” The tune was written in response to the state of Arizona, voting against making Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a state holiday. In true Public Enemy form, the group took the state and its voters to battle over such a ridiculous decision. Chuck D, Public Enemy’s main MC, explained to SPIN Magazine how important this issue was to him. “I was writing a lot of songs,” he said. “My anger was focused on Arizona and New Hampshire refusing to honor the King holiday. It was so much of a smack in the face that I said, ‘well, this needs to be addressed.’”

Though the tune’s lyrics were straight forward and to the point about the injustice of the vote, the video, with its depiction of Chuck D blowing up then Arizona Governor, Evan Mecham, was what sparked the negative criticism. Though the video’s depictions obviously ran counter to the non-violence that Dr. King stood for, Chuck D further explained his position on the conflicting ideas. “Dr. King didn’t make the video. Dr. King died a violent death and I was answering that,” D explains. “Look, I’m for peace, but I can make a visual statement about how I feel about what happened. The actuality is that I shot a video in rebuttal to something that happened in real life.”

Public Enemy sill remains highly involved in political and social activism and various movements. The group consistently represents a strong force for change, not just in the hip-hop world, but the global music community as a whole. They help contribute to these causes by performing at activist rallies and festivals and continuing to deliver some of the more intense, passionate and explosive live performances of anybody in the hip-hop community. Though many might worry that after nearly thirty years, Public Enemy’s shows might be slowing down, one need only hear the excitement with which the group’s long time “Minister of Information,” Professor Griff describes his experience performing with Public Enemy these days to have those fears wiped away. “It’s very awe-inspiring, simply because now, we are witnessing the average fan, who was really into Public Enemy and became a part of our family, now bringing their sons and daughters,” Griff beams. “So we’re seeing those same guys, still on the front rows, passing on information, their spirit and dedication down to their children. It’s very exhilarating to see that and know that people have extracted some valuable lessons from Public Enemy’s work. It makes us feel really good, seriously.”

The group will be making some musical appearances in the near future at a small handful of some politically-based festivals. As one might expect, Public Enemy is very excited to be a part of events that engage and inspire people to stand up for their rights and freedoms. The group believes all political issues are important. I think that education will always be the platform of Public Enemy,” Professor Griff explains; “to have people become politically astute and educated about these issues that are being put on the table by these particular events.”

In addition to strong messages of racial equality and social justice, Public Enemy also stand staunchly against the war on drugs. In regards to recent steps to legalize both medical and recreational use of cannabis in certain states, Professor Griff comments, “Look at this way, if they didn’t do it, the mass incarceration of those with non-violent offenses is going to continue to rise, and it’s sad.” Griff further comments, “People have been using the hemp plant and marijuana for medicinal purposes for a long time, and since I’ve run into some of the elders who have schooled me to the medicinal uses of marijuana . . . I understand the uses that it’s needed for.”

Though times have changed, and many of the causes that Public Enemy were fighting for and drawing attention to at the height of its fame have had positive resolutions, one example being that Arizona eventually did vote to recognize the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, Public Enemy has refused to grow complacent or rest on their laurels. The group still continues to work hard and take up the causes of those who find themselves disenfranchised or marginalized. Until there comes a day where all human beings find themselves on equal footing across the globe, one can expect we will continue to hear the powerful messages of Public Enemy loud and clear.