The discography of
Public Enemy
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
, an American
hip hop group, consists of 15
studio albums, two
live albums, four
compilation albums, two
remix album
A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (''Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 20 ...
s, one
soundtrack album, four
video album
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
s, 39
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
s, four
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
s and 39
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
s. The group released their debut studio album, ''
Yo! Bum Rush the Show
''Yo! Bum Rush the Show'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on February 10, 1987. It was recorded at Spectrum City Studios in Hempstead, New York, and became one of the fastest-selling hip hop records, but ...
'', in February 1987; it peaked at number 125 on the United States
''Billboard'' 200.
The album spawned the singles "Public Enemy No. 1" and "
You're Gonna Get Yours
"You're Gonna Get Yours" (sometimes subtitled "My 98 Oldsmobile") is a 1987 single by hip hop group Public Enemy from their debut album '' Yo! Bum Rush the Show'' (1987). Chuck D references the Oldsmobile 98 automobile in the song's lyrics. It pe ...
". Public Enemy released their second studio album, ''
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back'' is the second studio album by American Hip hop music, hip hop group Public Enemy, released on June 28, 1988, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. It was recorded from 1987 to 1988 in session ...
'', in April 1988. The album peaked at number 42 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
It has since sold 1.3 million copies in the US, earning a platinum certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA).
Four of the album's singles charted on the US ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart: "
Bring the Noise", "
Don't Believe the Hype
"Don't Believe the Hype" is a song by hip hop group Public Enemy and the second single to be released from their second album, '' It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back''. The song's lyrics are mostly about the political issues that were c ...
", "
Night of the Living Baseheads
"Night of the Living Baseheads" is the third single released by hip hop group Public Enemy, from their critically acclaimed album '' It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back''. The lyrics deal with the effects of crack cocaine on African-A ...
" and "
Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
"Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" is a song on the American hip hop group Public Enemy's 1988 album, '' It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back''. It was released as a single in 1989. The song tells the story of a conscientious objector w ...
".
The former three, along with the single "
Rebel Without a Pause
"Rebel Without a Pause" is a song by hip hop group Public Enemy and the first single from their 1988 album, ''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back''. The title is a reference to the 1955 film ''Rebel Without a Cause''.
History
"Rebel Wi ...
", also charted in the United Kingdom.
''
Fear of a Black Planet
''Fear of a Black Planet'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was released on April 10, 1990, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records, and produced by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expan ...
'', the group's third studio album, was released in April 1990. The album peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with first-week sales of one million copies. ''Fear of a Black Planet'' also charted in countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
The album spawned five singles; "
Fight the Power Fight the Power may refer to:
* "Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2)", a 1975 song by the Isley Brothers
* "Fight the Power" (Public Enemy song) (1989)
* '' Fight the Power... Live!'', a 1989 music video compilation by Public Enemy
* '' Fight the Power: G ...
" and "
911 Is a Joke
"911 Is a Joke" is a 1990 song by American hip hop group Public Enemy, from their third album, ''Fear of a Black Planet''. The song is solely performed by Flavor Flav. It was released as a single and became a hit in April 1990, reaching number ...
" both topped the US ''Billboard''
Hot Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
chart and charted in countries such as the Netherlands and the UK.
"Welcome to the Terrordome", "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" and "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" all became top 25 hits on the Hot Rap Songs chart and top 40 hits in New Zealand.
The group's fourth studio album, ''
Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black'', was released in October 1991. The album peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200; its first single, "Can't Truss It", peaked at number 50 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and gave the band their first hit on the chart.
''
Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age
''Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on August 23, 1994, by Def Jam Recordings. The title is a reverse mondegreen of the phrase "music in our message" (emphasizing that their me ...
'' followed in August 1994, peaking at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
The album's lead single "Give It Up" peaked at number 33 on the Hot 100, becoming the group's most commercially successful single in the United States.
In 1998, the group recorded the soundtrack for the film ''
He Got Game
''He Got Game'' is a 1998 American sports drama film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington and Ray Allen. The film revolves around Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington), father of the top-ranked basketball pro ...
''.
The film's soundtrack album peaked at number 26 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and spawned the commercially successful single "He Got Game".
Following a shift of labels from
Def Jam Records
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
The ...
to Atomic Pop, the group released ''
There's a Poison Goin' On
''There's a Poison Goin' On'' is the seventh studio album by American hip hop music, hip hop group Public Enemy, released July 20, 1999 on Atomic Pop Records in the United States. Its title is adapted from the title of Sly & the Family Stone's alb ...
'', their sixth studio album. The album only managed to find success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 55 and its only single, "Do You Wanna Go Our Way???", peaked at number 66.
Public Enemy then signed to
Koch Records
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...
, releasing ''
Revolverlution
''Revolverlution'' is the seventh studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released July 23, 2002 on Koch Records in the United States. The album debuted at number 110 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Upon its release, it receiv ...
'' in July 2002. ''Revolverlution'' peaked at number 110 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and has sold 71,000 copies in the US.
The group collaborated with American rapper
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
on their ninth studio album, ''
Rebirth of a Nation
''Rebirth of a Nation'' is a collaborative studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy and rapper/producer Paris. Its title is a reference to the 1915 white supremacist film ''The Birth of a Nation'' as well as one of the group's prior al ...
'', which was released on Paris' own Guerrilla Funk label; it peaked at number 180 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
''
How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?
''How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul???'' is the tenth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released August 7, 2007 on Slam Jamz Recordings in the United States. Its release coincided with the 20th anniv ...
'' followed in August 2007 and spawned three singles. "
Harder Than You Think
"Harder Than You Think" is the first single from Public Enemy's 20th anniversary album '' How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?'' released in 2007. It was produced by Gary G-Wiz.
The song attained popularity during late su ...
", the album's third single, peaked at number 1 in the UK; it became the group's first top ten single in the country.
In 2012, the group released two studio albums: ''
Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp'' in July and ''
The Evil Empire of Everything
''The Evil Empire of Everything'' is the twelfth studio album by hip hop group Public Enemy, released on October 1, 2012. The album was released on Enemy Records, distributed by Spit Digital, and originally was exclusively available on iTunes. ...
'' in October. In July 2015, the group released their thirteenth album, ''
Man Plans God Laughs
''Man Plans God Laughs'' is the thirteenth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. The album was released on Spotify on July 16, 2015.
Background
The title of the album, "Man Plans God Laughs", is a well known English translation ...
''. On June 29, 2017, Public Enemy surprise released their fourteenth album, ''
Nothing Is Quick in the Desert
''Nothing Is Quick in the Desert'' is the fourteenth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. The album was released on June 30, 2017, on Bandcamp.
Background
“‘Nothing Is Quick In The Desert‘ is a saying I use when the avera ...
''. The album was available for free download through
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
until July 4, 2017.
Albums
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
Remix albums
Soundtrack albums
Video albums
Singles
Promotional singles
Other appearances
Music videos
Notes
*A "I Stand Accused" and "What Kind of Power We Got?" charted as a
double A-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
single in the United Kingdom.
*B "911 Is a Joke" did not enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but peaked at number one on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
chart, which lists the top 25 singles that have yet to reach the Hot 100.
*C "He Got Game" did not enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but peaked at number five on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which lists the top 25 singles that have yet to reach the Hot 100.
References
External links
Official websitePublic Enemyat
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Enemy discography
Hip hop discographies
Discographies of American artists
discography
Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...