WATCH LYRIC VIDEO FEATURING CLASSIC DEF JAM-ERA FOOTAGE HERE
‘WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN THE GRID GOES DOWN?’New Album Out Now via Def Jam Recordings
“a well-timed return to the center of the industry” – Rolling Stone
“In the hour of need, Public Enemy returns to fight the power once more.” – Billboard
“this group has continued to make such politically and potent work after more than 30 years together” – NPR Music
“the group’s message remains potent decades on” – Vulture
P.E. ANNOUNCE SUPPORT OF ELECTION SUPER CENTER’S “MAKE HISTORY HERE” INITIATIVE Bringing Safe, Socially-Distanced Voting to Sports Arenas Across the Country
Public Enemy just released the latest visual from their widely acclaimed new album What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?. “Public Enemy Number Won” features Beastie Boys’ Mike D and Ad-Rock along with Run DMC, and the new lyric video features classic Def Jam-era footage of the artists and more. Watch the lyric video for “Public Enemy Number Won” here: https://youtu.be/GIa-8GxnllA.
Public Enemy also announced their support of Election Super Centers “Make History Here” initiative. The non-partisan group has been working with local election authorities and more than 70 NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL and MLS arenas and teams as well as prominent artists and athletes, to let communities know their local venues are open as polling locations, ensuring access to safe, socially-distanced voting at sports arenas across the country. For more info and voting locations here, visit: https://makehistoryhere.org.
“With less than a week to go before election day, we’re seeing record breaking early voting numbers across the country, and this effort is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encourage voters to make their voices heard at their favorite sporting venues,” notes Chuck D. “Every American deserves access to a ballot, and every vote counts.”
What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down? marked the group’s historic return to Def Jam Recordings and includes guest appearances by Nas, YG, Rapsody, DJ Premier, Black Thought, Questlove, Cypress Hill, Run-DMC, Ice-T, PMD, George Clinton, Daddy-O, Jahi, The Impossebulls, Mark Jenkins, S1Ws Pop Diesel and James Bomb and Mike D and Ad-Rock of Beastie Boys. Listen to the full album HERE.
Previous singles from the album include “Fight the Power: Remix 2020,” a powerful reimagining of their classic track featuring Nas, Rapsody, Black Thought, YG, Jahi and Questlove and riveted audiences at the2020 BET Awards; “State of the Union (STFU)” which holds nothing back as it calls out Donald Trump and his destructive reign, produced by DJ Premier; and single “Grid” featuring Cypress Hill and George Clinton–“a love letter to hip-hop’s golden era (and the classic Def Jam roster’s role in it), full of withering political analysis, blistering boom-bap and rap-rock productions (Vulture).”
Public Enemy performed “Grid” along with Cypress Hill on CBS’s special live broadcast of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, September 29th, immediately following the first presidential debate.
Watch the video HERE and the performance HERE.
Public Enemy have proven that rebellion is more than the sound of a musical genre, the culture of a social class, or the color of a skin; it is an unmovable, unmistakable state of mind and heart. PE is hellbent on creating change where it is needed most. Determined to give voice to those who have long been ignored, unafraid to question institutional injustices, and intent on challenging any and all obstacles to social justice, Public Enemy have resisted with unprecedented intensity and eloquence.
Their classic albums are the soundtrack to hip-hop’s rise as a form of social and political commentary. 1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back was, and still is, one of the most important records ever made, with Rolling Stone recently naming it the #15 Greatest Album of All Time and The New York Times added it to their list of “25 Most Significant Albums of the Last Century.”Fear of a Black Planet–also named on the Rolling Stone list–features PE anthems including the original version of “Fight The Power,” “911 Is a Joke” and “Welcome To The Terrordome.”
As America faces a fresh rebellion against racial division and social inequality, it is no surprise that the world looks to hip-hop’s original champions of change to continue the fight alongside them. What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down? is available now atwww.publicenemy.com, along with exclusive Public Enemy merchandise.