Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour) started Public Enemy in 1982 while attending Adelphi University on Long Island. After he caught the attention of Def Jam cofounder Rick Rubin, he recruited his friends Hank Shocklee as producer and future Def Jam executive Bill Stepheny as marketer, Terminator X (Norman Rogers) on the turntables, Professor Griff (Richard Griff) to choreograph the S1W backup dancers, and Flavor Flav (William Dayton) as his sidekick.

Public Enemy's debut album, 1987's Yo! Bum Rush the Show, didn't catch on commercially, but their follow-up, 1988's It Takes Millions to Hold Us Back, was critically hailed and eventually went platinum. With songs like "Don't Believe the Hype" and "Bring the Noise," the album solidified PE's inventive, multi-layered sound and penchant for black-revolutionary lyrical themes.

In 1989 Chuck D kicked Professor Griff out of the group because of the controversy generated by an anti-Semitic statement he had made in an interview. Following the release of 1990's Fear of a Black Planet, Terminator X, Shocklee and Stephney left PE to pursue other projects.

Public Enemy released two more successful albums, 1991's Apocalypse 91 and 1992's Greatest Misses, before their popularity began to wane with 1994's Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age. In 1996 Chuck D founded the Slam Jamz label and released his solo debut, The Autobiography of Mista Chuck. Public Enemy returned in 1999, releasing There's a Poison Goin' On… on Internet label Atomic Pop.

Reviews

• How you Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul
• New Whirl Odor
• Revolverlution

Features

• Do You Rock? Flava Flav
• Fight the Power
• The Greatest Songs Ever! Fight the Power

Blogs related to Public Enemy

• Public Enemy Need You To Finance Their New Recording
• Cookin' with The Roots