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“Fight!the!Power”!
A!semiotic!examination!of!politically!conscious!hip:hop!
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Christopher!L.!Diaz!
The!University!of!California!at!Riverside!
Fall!2013!
! When!I!was!first!exposed!to!hip2hop!at!a!young!age!in!the!early!1980s,!it!was!

not!the!genre!that!it!would!soon!become!within!my!protective!“bubble”.!!While!

earlier!pieces!had!a!tendency!to!placate!to!a!party!or!to!a!group!of!people!who!were!

simply!looking!to!have!a!good!time,!the!political!side!of!hip!hop!began!to!infiltrate!

my!world!with!evocative!groups!such!as!NWA!(Niggaz!With!Attitudes)!and!Public!

Enemy.!I!can!still!remember!being!at!my!cousins!house!digging!through!a!box!of!

cassettes!trying!to!figure!out!what!the!tiny!print!said!in!a!small!white!box!in!small!

white!letters!on!the!artwork.!!The!standard!black!and!white!“parental!advisory”!logo!

that!we!have!all!come!to!know!did!not!exist!at!this!time.!!In!fact,!these!were!the!very!

groups!that!were!the!cause!for!pundits!and!politicians!to!rally!around!while!trying!

to!impose!their!form!of!acceptable!censorship!on!the!music!industry!in!the!form!of!

that!very!label.!To!be!completely!honest,!the!names!and!lyrics!of!these!groups!were!

the!first!time!that!I!had!ever!heard!the!“n2word”!used!in!a!way!that!appeared!to!be!

positive!and!embracing.!!I!grew!up!in!a!Catholic!Southern!Texas!home!that!did!not!

allow!for!that!word!to!be!used!for!ANY!reason.!!My!mother!grew!up!in!Old!South!

Louisiana!in!the!1960s!and!70s,!and!she!was!very!emphatic!about!the!problems!that!

word!created!in!her!post2segregation!world.!!As!Mexican2Americans,!my!parents!

made!me!feel!that!we!were!much!closer!to!the!black!mans!place!in!American!society!

than!that!of!the!white!man!and!that!our!family!would!have!no!part!in!the!

continuation!of!the!degradation!of!black!culture!and!identity.!!Ironically,!the!“n2

word”!was!completely!off!limits,!while!the!other!language!expressed!by!these!

groups!was!not!uncommonly!heard!in!the!back!seat!of!our!family!sedan!while!my!

mom!or!dad!was!stuck!in!traffic.!!In!retrospect,!I!am!not!sure!if!it!was!that!specific!
word,!all!of!the!others,!or!a!combination!of!the!both!that!was!cause!for!their!

unyielding!disdain.!!However,!these!two!controversial!creative!elements!were!not!

the!most!important!or!noticeable!message!that!I!was!receiving.!!The!1980s!were!a!

very!different!time!for!an!American!individual!depending!on!who!and!where!they!

were.!!For!myself,!I!was!a!part!of!a!lower2middle!class!family!living!in!an!aging!

suburb!that!was!by!no!means!luxurious!or!wealthy,!but!was!also!a!far!cry!from!the!

“barrios”!that!we!would!hesitantly!visit!on!holidays!to!see!our!relatives!and!friends!

who!lived!on!just!the!other!side!of!the!man2made!Mountain!Creek!Lake.!!My!black!

friends!lived!on!the!same!block!as!I!did,!or!one!neighborhood!over,!and!their!lives!

seemed!rather!comparable!to!mine!with!regard!to!socio2economic!status.!!Some!did!

have!less!and!some!did!have!more,!but!none!of!us!believed!that!we!were!poor!

and/or!the!victims!of!inner2city!dispositional!violence.!!This!was!the!decade!before!

Rodney!King.!!This!was!the!decade!when!Ronald!Reagan!political!ads!featured!black!

and!white!faces!speaking!on!his!behalf,!and!a!swath!of!red!states!across!our!nation!

seemed!to!prove!that!we!were!ALL!in!agreement!about!what!was!going!on.!!This!was!

the!decade!where!the!bulk!of!my!exposure!to!racial!disagreement!was!based!on!

whether!one!cheered!for!the!Lakers!or!the!Celtics.!!This!was!also!the!decade!that!

Public!Enemy!would!emphatically!close!with!their!anthem,!“Fight!the!Power”,!that!

would!bring!political!and!socially!conscious!rap!to!the!masses.!!Soon,!all!of!those!

metaphorical!bubbles!of!!those!who!only!received!their!music!through!mainstream!

media!outlets!such!as!television!and!radio!would!be!“popped”!and!the!direction!of!

hip2hop!(and!America)!would!never!be!the!same!(Warrell!2002).!

! !
! A!quick!search!on!Google!will!find!this!specific!song!at!or!near!the!top!of!any!

kind!of!attempt!to!create!a!comprehensive!list!of!the!greatest!hip!hop!songs!of!all!

time.!!This!is!true!regardless!as!to!if!the!list!is!produced!by!a!mainstream!television!

or!print!media!outlet!(Vh1,!Rolling!Stone,!etc.)!or!if!it!is!found!on!the!blogs!and!

message!boards!of!die!hard!hip!hop!fans.!!However,!I!believe!that!the!power!of!this!

song!reaches!much!further!than!within!its!own!genre,!which!is!still!in!many!ways!

struggling!to!find!acceptance!and!appropriate!recognition!within!the!musical!

discussion!(Walser!1995,!1942198).!!While!the!“musicianship”!and!ability!of!hip!hop!

artists!is!constantly!questioned!in!the!face!of!their!productive!output,!attending!a!

Public!Enemy!concert!would!reveal!that!the!ability!to!play!musical!instruments!is!

not!beyond!the!capabilities!of!the!members!of!this!specific!group!(Felder!2007).!!

Nonetheless,!“Fight!the!Power”!managed!to!accomplish!many!levels!of!artistic!

success!that!was!never!matched!before,!and!has!never!been!seen!since.!!This!is!the!

only!piece!of!music!I!know!of!that!was!commercially!successful,!critically!acclaimed,!

musically!inventive,!technologically!and!sonically!advanced!all!while!being!socially!

and!culturally!relevant!to!the!point!that!it!was!archived!in!the!United!States!Library!

of!Congress!(McLeod!2011).!!This!kind!of!artistic!success!was!not!only!unique!to!this!

group!and!this!song,!but!it!all!occurred!within!the!current!popular!culture!of!the!

time!and!during!the!peak!of!their!creative!careers.!

I!contend!that!hip2hop!music!must!first!be!analyzed!through!its!lyrical!

content.!!No!other!aspect!of!a!genre!provides!as!much!personal!insight!into!the!

meaning!of!a!song!as!the!words!(and!their!multiple!interpretations)!that!lie!at!the!

center!of!hip!hop!music.!!While!this!is!beneficial!when!approaching!this!music!from!
a!semiotic!perspective,!it!in!no!way!demeans!the!compositional!value!of!the!backing!

track!or!organized!sounds!on!which!the!rapper!lays!these!words.!!In!fact,!some!

scholars!believe!that!the!musical!side!of!hip2hop!music!is!just!as!important!as!the!

lyrical!due!to!its!position!as!the!foundation!upon!which!the!central!concept!is!built!

(Walser!1995,!1932194).!!That!being!said,!I!believe!the!second!place!to!look!for!

semiotic!value!is!within!the!sonic!and!musical!characteristics!of!this!very!

foundation.!!A!harmonic!and!rhythmic!analysis!of!this!song!has!already!been!created!

in!the!style!of!western!notation!(Walser!1995,!2042207),!but!I!believe!the!deeper!

meaning!lies!somewhere!in!between!this!decreasingly!relevant!form!and!the!words!

and!ideas!spoken!from!the!artists!that!outline!their!creative!processes!as!well!as!the!

goals!they!wished!to!achieve,!both!musically!and!sonically.!!Finally,!I!believe!

consideration!must!be!given!to!place!and!time.!!The!fact!that!these!artists!came!from!

New!York!City!during!the!1980s!provides!insight!into!the!sounds!and!social!and/or!

political!events!that!were!shaping!the!minds!behind!the!creation.!!Time!is!not!only!

indicative!of!historical!associations,!but!it!also!allows!us!to!interpret!(and!

appreciate)!the!level!of!skill!and!creativity!required!through!the!lens!of!the!

maximum!technological!capabilities!available.!!It!is!also!important!to!remember!that!

the!song!was!designed!to!be!the!anthem!that!accompanied!the!racially!charged!

Spike!Lee!film,!“Do!the!Right!Thing”!set!to!premiere!in!the!summer!of!‘89.!!The!group!

shook!off!all!of!the!producers’!suggestions!regarding!the!song!(Spike!originally!

envisioned!a!jazz!fusion!concept)!and!set!out!to!make!something!that!could!be!as!

emotionally!charging!as!the!ideas!being!confronted!within!the!film!(Alter!2006).!
 “1989!”!are!the!first!words!you!hear!from!the!groups!lead!MC!and!lyricist,!

Chuck!D,!when!he!introduces!his!deep!and!resounding!baritone2esque!voice!to!the!

song!under!examination!in!this!essay!(a!complete!lyric!sheet!is!attached!for!

reference).!!It!is!as!if!the!momentous!track!needs!to!be!dated!so!that!the!ensuing!

ideas!are!not!lost!in!history!amongst!the!decades!gone!by!of!racial!injustice,!and!

misappropriated!to!the!decades!that!immediately!followed!the!civil!rights!

movement!where!racial!discrimination!was!formally!illegal,!but!not!even!close!to!

being!eradicated!from!American!opinion,!practice!and!culture.!!Current!trends!in!

history!revisionism!tends!to!associate!blatant!racism!to!the!“Old!South”!region!of!the!

country!and!also!desperately!tries!to!limit!its!occurrence!to!the!years!before!the!

passing!of!The!Civil!Rights!Act!of!1964.!!However,!New!York!City!(often!deemed!to!

be!a!liberal!ideology!stronghold!of!the!northeast)!was!dealing!with!an!environment!

of!extreme!racial!tension!being!fueled!by!racially!motivated!acts!of!violence!that!

were!consistently!occurring!within!the!five!boroughs!throughout!the!1980s!

(Blumenthal!1989).!!The!African!American!community!adeptly!interpreted!these!

events!as!nothing!more!than!modern!day!lynchings!(Roberts!2011).!!With!regard!to!

this!specific!analysis,!it!is!as!if!Public!Enemy!has!shattered!the!hierarchy!of!my!

model!by!forcing!the!listener!to!grasp!the!sound,!and!idea!of!the!song!all!within!a!

few!seconds!and!all!within!the!framework!of!what!is!going!on!“right!here;!right!

how”.!!Chuck!D!goes!on!in!his!first!verse!to!acknowledge!the!anthemic!sound!of!the!

beat!but!asks!the!listener!to!go!beyond!this!fascinating!aspect!and!to!allow!the!

knowledge!that!he!is!offering!to!be!absorbed.!!The!verse!ends!by!reminding!the!

listener!how!important!their!1st!amendment!right!to!freedom!of!speech!is!with!
regard!to!overcoming!institutionalized!repression.!!The!second!verse,!like!the!first,!

reminds!the!listener!not!to!be!captivated!by!the!sonically!illustrative!beat,!as!the!

astonishment!may!dilute!the!importance!of!the!message.!!This!is!followed!by!a!

reference!to!the!black!pride!movement!and!a!call!to!the!audience!to!re2embrace!the!

ideals!that!were!momentous!behind!the!civil!rights!movement.!!Chuck!D!then!goes!

on!to!proclaim!that!the!politically!correct!“we!are!all!the!same”!approach!to!modern!

American!multiculturalism!only!acts!to!mask!the!very!real!and!very!serious!

problems!that!are!still!plaguing!the!black!community.!!The!serious!tone!is!continued!

with!a!call!to!action!intended!to!incite!awareness!in!an!audience!that!has!become!

complacent!due!to!false!imagery.!!The!final!verse!is!perhaps!the!most!important!

verse!within!the!song!because!of!one!simple!and!politically!motivated!statement:!!

Elvis&was&a&hero&to&most&but&he&never&meant&shit&to&me,&

Straight&up&racist&that&sucker&was&simple&and&plan,&

Motherfuck&him&and&John&Wayne!&(*Rapped&by&Flava&Flav)&

! Some!authors!have!suggested!that!Chuck!D!is!an!avid!student!of!music!

history,!and!in!several!interviews,!he!has!stated!that!this!statement!was!in!no!way!a!

personal!attack!on!the!music,!talent!or!musicianship!of!Elvis!Presley!(Derogatis!

2008).!!Instead,!Chuck!D!has!said!that!this!statement!is!an!attack!on!Elvis’s!place!as!

an!American!hero!and!that!it!was!meant!to!facilitate!debate!on!his!place!in!history!

and!folklore.!!He!does!not!necessarily!blame!Elvis!for!his!use!of!black!music!for!

capital!interests!(and!the!ensuing!exploitation),!he!simply!doesn’t!think!that!most!
non2black!Americans!understand!that!their!African!American!neighbors!may!not!

subscribe!to!the!same!heroes,!ideals,!or!even!the!ideology!behind!what!constitutes!

heroism!that!they!do!(Caplan!2012,!1192120).!!Here!we!see!the!first!significant!

lyrical!contribution!made!by!the!group!hype!man,!Flava!Flav.!!His!negative!remarks!

about!American!icon!John!Wayne!are!a!continuation!of!the!sentiment!introduced!by!

chuck!D!that!is!in!turn!restated!and!stamped!(pun!apologetically!intended)!by!the!

return!of!Chuck!D:!

Most&of&my&heroes&don't&appear&on&no&stamps&

I!believe!this!is!the!final!straw!within!the!song!where!the!lyricist!is!drawing!a!line!in!

the!sand!and!forcing!the!listener!to!decide!whether!he/she!can!challenge!so!many!of!

the!things!that!society!has!just!come!to!accept!as!“the!way!things!are”.!!It!is!as!if!he!is!

throwing!one!last!lifeline!to!anyone!who!is!drowning!in!the!sea!of!untruth.!!Basically,!

this!is!the!last!verse:!this!is!your!last!chance.!

The!hook!that!ties!the!sum!of!the!lyrics!together!is!simple:!

Fight&the&Power!&Fight&the&Power!&

Fight&the&Power!&We&gotta’&fight&the&powers&that&be!&

This!basic!call!to!action!is!repeated!in!between!verses!and!acts!as!a!

polyrhythmic!device!that!features!emphasis!on!different!words!within!just!one!

repeat!of!the!hook!(Walser!1995,!204).!!It!almost!becomes!more!musical!than!lyrical!
over!multiple!listenings!and!it!feels!as!though!it!is!closer!to!the!bed!of!music!that!

supports!Chuck!Ds!message.!!Unlike!much!of!modern!hip2hop,!this!instrumental!

track!is!a!monumental!piece!of!musical!achievement!within!itself!and!is!worthy!of!

serious!interpretation.!

The!second!element!of!this!semiotic!analysis!could!have!just!as!easily!been!

the!first.!!A!masterpiece!of!sampling,!layering!and!sound!collage,!the!composition!

and!compositional!process!behind!the!song!are!best!understood!through!a!

combination!of!conventional!notation!as!well!as!an!intimate!understanding!of!the!

people!and!technology!behind!the!sound.!!The!Bomb!Squad,!a!production!team!

comprised!of!Hank!Shocklee,!Keith!Shocklee!and!Eric!Salder,!provided!the!

characteristic!sound!behind!Public!Enemy.!The!team!focused!on!layering!and!

distorting!multiple!samples!around!the!E2mu!SP21200!sampler!(Neal!2010,!78).!!All!

of!the!music!created!by!this!team!was!comprised!exclusively!of!samples!of!other!

records.!!The!act!of!locating!these!samples,!often!referred!to!as!“diggin’!through!

crates”,!would!often!require!countless!hours!of!listening!to!thousands!of!recordings!

only!to!find!a!handful!of!pieces!of!usable!material!(McLeod!2011).!!While!no!one!

could!argue!that!the!process!behind!creating!this!kind!of!music!was!difficult,!

challenging,!and!extremely!precise,!the!initial!response!to!this!form!of!output!was!

that!these!artists!were!nothing!more!than!thieves!with!no!musical!talent.!!

Conversely,!some!African!American!scholars!believe!that!this!very!act!(sampling)!

was!pivotal!in!creating!a!link!between!two!different!generations!and!is!conducive!to!

the!maintenance!and!passing!of!relevant!culture!within!the!black!community.!!

(Henderson!1996,!312).!!Regardless!of!ones!personal!perspective!regarding!this!
facet!of!artistic!creativity,!the!bottom!line!is!that!the!SP21200!was!the!centerpiece!

around!which!the!PE!sound!was!created.!!Much!in!the!way!that!a!photographer!

interacts!with!his!camera,!in!that!he!need!not!know!how!to!build!or!create!a!camera!

in!order!to!produce!photographs,!this!machine!acted!as!the!“black!box”!to!hip2hop!

creation!during!the!late!1980s!and!the!early!1990s.!!These!artists!were!not!

professionally!trained!audio!or!electrical!engineers,!nor!did!they!follow!the!“rules”!

that!governed!the!original!intention!behind!the!machine.!!Although!one!could!argue!

that!they!were!limited!by!this!technology!(as!well!as!their!place!in!society!and!their!

subsequent!limited!access!to!traditional!music!education),!they!also!used!it!to!create!

a!new!form!that!was!completely!inventive!and!explorative!with!regard!to!new!sonic!

potentials.!!By!pushing!the!“black!box”!into!new!territory!they!not!only!created!a!

new!form,!but!influenced!how!the!technology!would!progress!with!regards!to!

functionality.!!This!new!form!emerged!with!the!technology!and!engaged!a!new!

generation!of!artists!that!would!embrace!and!“normalize”!that!which!was!originally!

seen!as!foreign!or!exotic!(Flusser!2000,!21232).!!Trying!to!analyze!this!sound!with!

traditional!notation!is!not!practical.!!In!fact,!Chuck!D!has!stated!in!interviews!that!

much!of!what!this!record!and!this!group!was!promoting!was!the!irrelevancy!of!the!

aristocratic!European!perspective!(Stubbs!2010).!!After!reading!a!statement!like!

that,!I!knew!that!the!score!that!I!discovered!was!not!going!to!be!the!central!focus!of!

my!research!and!semiotic!evaluation.!

! Having!emerged!from!what!historians!refer!to!as!“the!golden!age!of!hip!hop”!

this!song!features!an!array!of!samples!and!sounds!that!have!been!altered!and!

arranged!(almost!beyond!recognition)!to!create!a!completely!new!idea!as!a!
presentation!of!organized!sound.!!The!most!exhaustive!attempt!that!I!could!locate!

defined!13!different!pieces!of!music!that!were!used!in!this!piece!and!are!listed!as!an!

attachment!to!this!essay!(Nottingham!2008).!!A!fan!of!The!Beatles!and!Edgar!Varese,!

Chuck!D!has!stated!that!the!sound!was!meant!to!be!an!aural!soundscape!similar!to!

the!wall!of!sound!created!by!Phil!Spector,!but!closer!to!a!“wall!of!noise”.!!He!even!

went!as!far!as!to!say!that!he!approached!the!production!of!“Fear!of!a!Black!Planet”!

(the!album!on!which!this!single!is!featured)!with!the!intention!of!creating!a!hip2hop!

version!of!“Sgt.!Peppers!Lonely!Hearts!Club!Band”.!!He!has!consistently!compared!

the!process!to!that!of!painting!where!a!painter!is!trying!to!blend!blues!and!yellows!

in!order!to!create!a!brand!new!green!(McLeod!2011).!!I!found!this!specific!

description!very!similar!to!the!way!that!David!Lynch!describes!his!approach!to!

filmmaking!as!“painting!with!film”!and!the!subsequent!success!he!has!experienced!

within!the!medium!of!cinema!(Lynch!2006,!9210).!!It!seems!as!though!the!modern!

artists!who!use!modern!technology!still!rely!on!fundamental!elements!when!

approaching!different!paradigms.!!I!believe!that!this!wall!of!organized!sound!has!a!

narrative!property!that!is!compatible!with!artists!hailing!from!New!York!City.!!As!a!

former!resident!of!The!Big!Apple!I!would!like!to!propose!a!thought!experiment.!!If!I!

tried!to!explain!to!you!the!“sound”!of!New!York!City!on!a!sound2by2sound!basis,!it!

would!be!virtually!impossible.!!Sure,!I!could!describe!the!horns!honking!and!

jackhammers!drilling,!but!I!could!not!cover!EVERY!sound!that!occurs!on!a!typical!

block,!and!I!absolutely!couldn’t!make!you!understand!how!they!all!sound!together.!!

Now,!if!I!simply!walked!you!to!the!block!and!let!you!stand!there!for!a!few!seconds,!

you!would!completely!understand!what!I!meant.!!In!this!case,!I!believe!the!noise!
presented!here!is!representative!of!the!noise!that!accompanies!a!life!in!an!urban!

environment.!!The!squeals!of!the!horns,!the!distortion!created!by!the!122bit!

sampling!of!old!vinyl!records,!and!the!tape!hiss!that!most!engineers!tried!to!avoid!

was!embraced!to!create!a!narrative!representation!of!the!madness!surrounding!

urban!life.!!The!struggle!between!the!music!and!narrativity!is!overcome!in!this!

situation!by!ignoring!almost!all!previously!established!norms!and!by!focusing!on!the!

transmission!of!the!idea!more!than!making!the!idea!fit!into!the!accepted!framework!

(Tarasti!1994,!16220).!!Just!as!Gershwin!used!instruments!to!recreate!the!sound!and!

feeling!of!the!streets!of!Paris,!here,!The!Bomb!Squad!is!using!the!SP21200!to!recreate!

the!deafening!environment!of!inner2city!ghetto!life.!!In!this!sense,!the!music!is!acting!

as!a!sign!that!is!completely!objective!from!the!music!(Tarasti!2002,!13218).!!There!is!

no!need!to!understand!the!Dm2Bb7!chord!change!that!runs!constantly!throughout!

the!piece!when!the!listener!allows!his!or!herself!to!be!completely!engulfed!by!this!

new!sonic!creation.!!This!is!not!music!meant!to!be!heard!by!any!form!of!a!previously!

accepted!standard,!instead,!this!is!music!meant!to!incite!questions!and!to!find!

reason!about!all!of!the!madness!surrounding!this!group!and!their!perspective!on!

reality.!!Here,!the!lyrics!must!be!given!credence,!as!without!the!lyrics,!the!listener!

may!not!be!able!to!deconstruct!all!of!the!order!amidst!the!chaos.!!However!the!

characteristic!sound!here!is!defined!within!itself!and!is!apparent!to!the!listener!as!

very!“marked”!(Hatten!1994,!34238)!in!that!it!can!be!described!as!atypical!and!

exotic.!!The!very!reason!that!it!stands!out!is!purposeful!in!that!the!ideas!behind!the!

song!are!also!being!presented!as!systematically!oppressed.!!By!creating!music!that!is!

much!more!distinguishable!by!what!it!isn’t!than!what!it!is,!within!the!modern!
lexicon,!PE!is!creating!a!context!for!awareness!and!attention!that!may!otherwise!be!

unattainable!via!traditional!forms!of!expression.!!In!this!case,!the!music!could!also!

be!interpreted!as!acting!as!code!with!respect!to!the!chaotic!nature!of!its!

organization!and!the!chaotic!emotions!represented!by!Chuck!Ds!lyrics!(Monelle!

2000,!19220).!!Something!as!new!and!different!as!this!sound!is!ideal!for!ushering!

new!and!different!perspectives!on!black!pride!and!black!equality!in!the!United!

States!of!America.!!To!put!it!simply,!the!attraction!and!curiosity!of!the!exotic!other!

by!the!status!quo!is!being!exploited!by!that!very!“other”!since!PE!is!using!it!as!an!

attractant!that!allows!the!delivery!and!acceptance!of!a!message!that!had!been!

purposely!ignored!by!the!hegemonic!culture!of!this!country!for!centuries.!!

! At!this!point!I!feel!that!it!would!be!pertinent!to!address!the!time!and!place!in!

which!all!of!this!was!happening.!!While!PE!was!pushing!the!limits!of!the!technology!

of!the!time!and!taking!advantage!of!the!absence!of!sampling!laws!that!would!soon!

limit!the!range!of!their!creativity!(McLeod!2011),!they!were!also!growing!up!during!

a!period!of!New!York!City!history!that!seemed!to!regularly!witness!an!outrageous!

racially!motivated!attack!against!its!very!own!African!American!community!every!

few!years!beginning!in!the!earlier!part!of!the!1980s!(Basler!1982).!!Concurrently,!

the!mainstream!media!was!being!extremely!critical!of!rap!music!as!art!and!critical!of!

hip2hop!fans!in!manners!that!perpetuated!the!stereotype!of!the!dangerous!black!

man.!!Regular!attendees!of!PE!concerts!had!to!endure!invasive!security!measures!

(frisking,!metal!detectors,!purse/bag!check)!that!fans!of!other!music!did!not.!!Venues!

and!Insurers!refused!to!book!and!cover!hip!hop!acts!like!PE!because!they!felt!as!

though!the!crowds!that!they!would!attract!were!likely!to!commit!crimes!against!
each!other!and!their!property!(Rose!1991,!2772284).!!I!even!was!subject!to!some!of!

this!negativity,!albeit!to!a!much!lesser!degree,!when!several!people!asked!me!at!a!

young!age!why!I!was!listening!to!“nigger!music”.!!It!almost!feels!as!though!this!song!

and!the!movie!that!it!would!accompany!were!nothing!more!than!the!culmination!of!

years!of!pressure!that!had!built!up!to!a!point!that!its!release!had!no!option!than!to!

be!loud,!provocative!and!bold.!

! As!I!mentioned!earlier,!Spike!Lee!commissioned!the!song.!!He!approached!PE!

with!the!task!of!creating!a!powerful!piece!to!accompany!what!he!believed!to!be!a!

powerful!movie,!his!magnum!opus,!“Do!the!Right!Thing”.!While!the!song!has!its!own!

implicit!and!explicit!meanings!within!its!language!and!sonic!nuances!examined!in!

the!previous!paragraphs,!Spike!chose!to!use!it!as!the!theme!music!to!a!central!

character!in!the!film,!Radio!Raheem.!!A!quiet,!tall!and!reserved!man,!Radio!Raheems’!

most!intimate!moment!with!the!audience!is!when!he!breaks!the!fourth!wall!to!

explain!that!he!embodies!the!personification!of!the!struggle!between!love!and!hate.!!

In!the!end,!it!is!this!very!struggle!that!leads!to!his!death!by!the!hands!of!a!racist!

police!officer!through!a!series!of!events!that!would!otherwise!seem!unrelated!(Lee!

1989).!!Knowing!how!relevant!this!movie!is!to!this!song,!I!decided!to!watch!it!a!few!

times!before!typing!a!single!word.!!Like!it!has!every!other!time!watch!it,!this!film!

always!leaves!me!unsettled!and!possessing!more!questions!than!answers.!!Of!course,!

the!film!did!not!inspire!the!song!nor!did!the!song!inspire!the!film,!so!it!is!with!some!

reservation!that!I!submit!the!suggestion!that!two!are!compatible!with!regard!to!

meaning.!!It!is!my!opinion!that!the!very!purpose!of!these!two!works!of!art!is!to!force!

people!to!ask!uncomfortable!questions!within!themselves.!!By!presenting!the!song!
in!a!form!that!was!mildly!recognizable,!but!for!the!most!part!a!completely!new!

invention,!PE!allows!us!to!dissect!our!belief!systems,!no!matter!how!strong!we!hold!

on!to!them,!and!to!examine!the!pieces!that!we!have!assumed!to!be!self2evident!

truths.!!When!we!are!unsure!of!how!we!can!define!music!(a!definition!that!is!almost!

never!questioned!by!the!average!person),!then!perhaps!we!can!accept!our!naivety!to!

other!more!important!matters.!!By!placing!the!listener!in!a!state!of!noise!and!

confusion,!PE!is!trying!to!pop!all!of!those!“bubbles”!and!place!anyone!in!the!middle!

of!the!chaos!that!defines!their!substandard!American!existence.!!The!fact!that!it!was!

so!successful!on!commercial,!political,!critical,!aural,!sonic!and!cultural!planes!only!

contributes!to!the!idea!that!Public!Enemy!is!not!only!important!to!the!history!of!rap!

music,!but!to!the!history!of!all!music!and!the!humanities!in!general.!
 BIBLIOGRAPHY+
+
Alter,+Gaby.++“Classic+Tracks:+Public+Enemy’s+‘Fight+the+Power’.”++MIX:%Professional%%
Audio%and%Music%Production,+November+1,+2006.+
+
Basler,+Barbara.++“Black+Man+Is+Killed+By+Mob+In+Brooklyn:+Attack+Called+Racial.”++The%%
New%York%Times,+June+23,+1982.+
+
Blumenthal,+Ralph.++“Black+Youth+Is+Killed+by+Whites;+Brooklyn+Attack+Is+Called++
Racial.”++The%New%York%Times,+August+25,+1989.+
+
Caplan,+David.++“The+Art+of+the+Rhymed+Insult.”+The%Virginia%Quarterly%Review+88++
(2012):+119^133.+
+
Derogatis,+Jim.++“Public+Enemy's+shot+heard+'round+the+'Planet'.”+August+25,+2008.+
+ http://www.jimdero.com/News2002/GreatAug25PE.htm++
+
Felder,+Nova+Mwaafrika.+“Hip+hop+is+alive!!!”+The%New%York%Amsterdam%News,+March++
15^21,+2007.+[FLAV+PLAYS+LIVE+INSTRUMENTS]+
+
Flusser,+Vilém.++Towards%a%Philosophy%of%Photography.++London:+Reaktion++
Books+Ltd.,+2000.++
+
Hatten,+Robert+S.++Musical%Meaning%in%Beethoven:%Markedness,%Correlation,%and%%
Interpretation.++Indianapolis:+Indiana+University+Press,+1994.+
+
Henderson,+Errol+A.++“Black+Nationalism+and+Rap+Music.”++Journal%of%Black%Studies+26++
(1996):+308^339.++
+
Lee,+Spike.++Do%the%Right%Thing.++Motion+Picture.++Directed+by+Spike+Lee.++Universal++
City:+Universal+Pictures,+1989.+
+
Lynch,+David.++Catching%the%Big%Fish:%Meditation,%Consciousness,%and%Creativity.++New++
York:+Penguin,+2006.+
+
McLeod,+Kembrew+and+Peter+DiCola.++Creative%License:%The%Law%and%Culture%of%Digital%%
Sampling.++Contributions+by+Jenny+Toomey+and+Kristin+Thomson.++Durham:++
Duke+University+Press,+2011.++Excerpt+taken+from:+
http://www.popmatters.com/feature/139512^excerpt^from^creative^
license^the^law^and^culture^of^digital^samplin/+
+
Monelle,+Raymond.++The%Sense%of%Music:%Semiotic%Essays.++Princeton:+Princeton++
University+Press,+2000.+
+
Neal,+Chris.++“Behind+The+Classics:+‘Fight+the+power’+–+Public+Enemy.”++Music%&%%
Musicians,+July/August+2010,+78.+
+
+
Nottingham,+Kevin.++“Diggin’+In+Da+Crates:+Fear+of+A+Black+Planet:+Original+Samples.”+++
Last+modified+September+24,+2008.++
http://www.kevinnottingham.com/2008/09/24/fear^of^a^black^planet^
original^samples.+
+
Roberts,+Sam.++“A+Racial+Attack+That,+Years+Later,+Is+Still+Being+Felt.”++The%New%York%%
Times,+December+18,+2011.+
+
Rose,+Tricia.++“’Fear+of+a+Black+Planet’:+Rap+Music+and+Black+Cultural+Politics+in+the++
1990s.”++The%Journal%of%Negro%Education+60+(1991):+276^290.+
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Stubbs,+David.++“20+Years+On:+Remembering+Public+Enemy’s+Fear+of+a+Black+Planet.”+++
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Tarasti,+Eero.++A%Theory%of%Musical%Semiotics.++Indianapolis:+Indiana+University+Press,++
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Ethnomusicology+39+(1995):+193^217.+
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Warrell,+Laura+K.++“Fight+the+Power.”+Salon,+June+3,+2002.+
+
 Lyrics'
'
1989'the'number'another'summer'(get'down)'
Sound'of'the'funky'drummer'
Music'hittin''your'heart'cause'I'know'you'got'sould'
(Brothers'and'sisters'hey)'
Listen'if'you're'missin''y'all'
Swingin''while'I'm'singin''
Givin''whatcha'gettin''
Knowin''what'I'know'
While'the'Black'bands'sweatin''
And'the'rhythm'rhymes'rollin''
Got'to'give'us'what'we'want'
Gotta'give'us'what'we'need'
Our'freedom'of'speech'is'freedom'or'death'
We'got'to'fight'the'powers'that'be'
Lemme'hear'you'say'
Fight'the'power!'
'
Fight'the'Power!'Fight'the'Power!'
We'gotta’'fight'the'powers'that'be!'
'
As'the'rhythm'designed'to'bounce'
What'counts'is'that'the'rhymes'
Designed'to'fill'your'mind'
Now'that'you've'realized'the'prides'arrived'
We'got'to'pump'the'stuff'to'make'us'tough'
from'the'heart'
It's'a'start,'a'work'of'art'
To'revolutionize'make'a'change'nothin's'strange'
People,'people'we'are'the'same'
No'we're'not'the'same'
Cause'we'don't'know'the'game'
What'we'need'is'awareness,'we'can't'get'careless'
You'say'what'is'this?'
My'beloved'lets'get'down'to'business'
Mental'self'defensive'fitness'
(Yo)'bum'rush'the'show'
You'gotta'go'for'what'you'know'
Make'everybody'see,'in'order'to'fight'the'powers'that'be'
Lemme'hear'you'say...'
Fight'the'Power!'
'
Fight'the'Power!'Fight'the'Power!'
We'gotta’'fight'the'powers'that'be!'
'
Elvis'was'a'hero'to'most'
But'he'never'meant'VVVV'to'me'you'see'
Straight'up'racist'that'sucker'was'
Simple'and'plain'
MotherVVVV'him'and'John'Wayne!'
Cause'I'm'Black'and'I'm'proud'
I'm'ready'and'hyped'plus'I'm'amped'
Most'of'my'heroes'don't'appear'on'no'stamps'
Sample'a'look'back'you'look'and'find'
Nothing'but'rednecks'for'400'years'if'you'check'
Don't'worry'be'happy'
Was'a'number'one'jam'
Damn'if'I'say'it'you'can'slap'me'right'here'
(Get'it)'lets'get'this'party'started'right'
Right'on,'c'mon'
What'we'got'to'say'
Power'to'the'people'no'delay'
To'make'everybody'see'
In'order'to'fight'the'powers'that'be!'
'
 Samples(Featured(on(“Fight(the(Power”(by(Public(Enemy(
(
“Sing(a(Simple(Song”(by(Sly(&(the(Family(Stone(
From(the(album(Stand((1969)(
Sampled(in(“Brothers(Gonna(Work(It(Out”(and(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“Different(Strokes”(by(Syl(Johnson(
From(the(single(Different(Strokes((1967)(
Sampled(in(“Pollywanacraka”,(“Fear(of(a(Black(Planet”(and(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“Bird(of(Prey”(by(Uriah(Heep(
From(the(album(Salisbury((1967)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“Hot(Pants(Road”(by(The(JB’s(
From(the(album(Food(for(Thought((1972)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“Pump(Me(Up”(by(Trouble(Funk(
From(the(album(Drop(the(Bomb((1982)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“I(Shot(the(Sherriff”(by(Eric(Clapton(
From(the(album(461(Ocean(Boulevard((1974)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“Funky(President”(by(James(Brown(
From(the(album(Reality((1975)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“Funky(Drummer”(by(James(Brown(
From(the(album(In(the(Jungle(Groove((1986)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“Teddy’s(Jam”(by(Guy(
From(the(album(Guy((1988)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
(
“Planet(Rock”(by(Afrika(Bambaataa(
From(the(single((1982)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“I(Know(You(Got(Soul”(by(Bobby(Byrd(
From(the(album(I(Need(Help((1970)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“Let’s(Dance((Make(Your(Body(Move)”(by(West(St.(Mob(
From(single(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
“What(You(See(Is(What(You(Get”(by(The(Dramatics(
From(the(album(Whatcha(See(is(Whatcha(Get((1971)(
Sampled(in(“Fight(the(Power”(
Produced(by(The(Bomb(Squad(
(
List(provided(by:(
(
http://www.kevinnottingham.com/2008/09/24/fearbofbabblackbplanetboriginalb
samples/(
(
(
(
(
(
(