Public Enemy’s 1989 anthem “Fight the Power” has been ranked No. 2 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, placing the landmark hip-hop track among the most celebrated songs in music history.
Written by Carlton Ridenhour, Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee and Keith Shocklee, “Fight the Power” was created for Spike Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing. The song became a major part of the movie and later appeared in an extended version on Public Enemy’s 1990 album Fear of a Black Planet.
The track was more than a hit song. It became a powerful statement about race, culture, freedom and the abuse of power. With Chuck D delivering sharp lyrics, Flavor Flav adding his distinct voice, and the Bomb Squad building a dense mix of beats, horns and samples, “Fight the Power” created a sound that matched its message.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Rolling Stone described the song as a major work of racial revolution and Black pride. It noted that Spike Lee asked Public Enemy to write an anthem for Do the Right Thing, a film that dealt with white supremacy and racial tension.
The result was exactly what the film needed.
Whenever the character Radio Raheem appeared with his boombox, “Fight the Power” played throughout the movie. The repeated use of the song helped connect Public Enemy’s message directly to the story on screen and introduced the anthem to a much wider audience.
According to uDiscover Music, much of the song’s lyrics came to Chuck D while he was flying over Italy during a European tour with Run-D.M.C.
He later recalled writing a large part of the song on the plane, drawing from the world around him and the social tensions taking place in New York.
The finished track was filled with references to African-American culture, civil rights, Black pride, music and history. Its lyrics challenged listeners to think about who society chooses to honor.
One of the song’s best-known lines is: “Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps.”
“Fight the Power” was released as a single in 1989 and reached No. 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. It also reached No. 20 on the Hot R&B Singles chart and was named the best single of 1989 by The Village Voice in its Pazz & Jop critics’ poll.
The song later earned a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 32nd GRAMMY Awards. In 2018, it was added to the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.
Its legacy also continued through major rankings. In 2001, “Fight the Power” was placed at No. 288 on the “Songs of the Century” list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Fight the Power” also continued to reach new audiences years after its original release. An updated version was performed at the 2020 BET Awards by Chuck D and Flavor Flav alongside Nas, Rapsody and Black Thought.
More than three decades after it was released, Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” remains the group’s best-known song and one of hip-hop’s most recognized anthems.
Related: 1982 Survivor Song, Once No. 1 for Six Weeks, Became a Motivational Hit
