“FIGHT THE POWER”

To revolutionize make a change, nothin's strange
People, people, we are all 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
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.

The group Public Enemy was one of the first hip hop groups to build their entire image on their political views. The song “Fight the Power” is regarded by many as PE’s anthem, and is one of their most popular hits. According to Rolling Stone, Public Enemy is "Arguably the most important and politically controversial group of its time, Public Enemy introduced a hard, intense, hip-hop sound and vocal delivery that changed the course of rap and influenced a generation of artists." In this particular interview, Chuck D of Public Enemy discusses the "poisons that are seeping into society.... like carbon monoxide", how hip hop artists today are fighting to be the same, and the effect of hip hop on society today.