Public Enemy Trivia

1. "Fight the Power" kicks off with a vocal sample from what civil rights attorney and activist, saying, "Yet our best trained, best educated, best equipped, best prepared troops refuse to fight"?

From Quiz Song by Song: "Fight the Power"

Answer: Thomas "TNT" Todd

Thomas N. Todd was known as "TNT" not only as his initials, but for his explosive oratorical skills. An activist attorney from Alabama, Todd was born on September 24, 1938. He attended Southern University at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he earned a B.A. in political science and later a law degree. As a lawyer for the United States Attorney's Office in Chicago, in 1968, he developed the first criminal case against a Chicago policeman for the deprivation of an individual's civil rights. He also organized and established the first Civil Rights Office in a local U.S. States Attorney's Office. The beginning sample is sixteen seconds and continues, "Matter of fact, it's safe to say that they would rather switch than fight."

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" and "Revolverlution"

It was track number seven on "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" and track eighteen on "Revolverlution". Interesting Note: "Revolverlution" was the first album to feature DJ Lord, who replaced Terminator X in 1999.

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: The mindless

"Caught, Can We Get A Witness?" This was Chuck D's rant on the blandness of Black radio. It speaks of the irrelevance of "love" as a topic of most of the songs on radio and demands an expansion of the subject matter to reflect the urgency of the issues of the inner city.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Fight the Power"

Answer: 1989

"1989 the number, another summer (get down)..." The B-Side of the single included "Fight the Power (Favor Flav Meets Spike Lee)." The song is said to belong to the political hip hop genre, a subgenre of hip hop developed in the 1980s to create a call for political or social activism.

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" and "Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black"

It was track two on "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" and track 14 on "Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black". Interesting Note: In the week of September 24 1988, "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" became number one on the R&B Albums chart in the USA.

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: I got a right to be hostile man my people being persecuted

These are the lines that begin one of all-time favorite songs, "The Prophets of Rage". PE's rallying cry to all of those brave enough to speak the truth, it also demonstrates PE's leaning towards the Black Muslim faith.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Fight the Power"

Answer: The Bomb Squad

The Bomb Squad is known for an innovative production style that makes use of scores of samples and that integrates harsh sounds. Chuck D, a member of Public Enemy, is also a member of the Bomb Squad. Other members have included Hank and Keith Shocklee, Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, Gary G-Wiz, and Bill Stephney. In addition to songs by Public Enemy, the Bomb Squad has produced songs by True Mathematics, Ziggy Marley, Ice Cube, and others.

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age

It was track three on "Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age." Interesting Note: The title of this album reads as "Music in our Message". Public Enemy are well known for rapping about political issues and other things.

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: Positive

"Don't Believe The Hype" is Chuck D's rant against media lies. It rails against the lies that were told about PE before the full album was released, when the group decided to take a very political shift to the left during their live performances, performances where the Security in the First World (S1W's), armed and uniformed guards, were a part of the act, and with the mortality rate of black leaders being as it is, thank god they were there.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Fight the Power"

Answer: Do the Right Thing

"Do the Right Thing" was a 1989 comedy-drama starring Spike Lee and Danny Aiello, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The movie was about racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood and about confronting white supremacy. In a 1990 interview with Time magazine ("Music: Yo Rap Gets on the Map!" by Janice C. Simpson), Spike Lee said he wanted the film to be "defiant," "angry," and "very rhythmic," so he "thought right away of Public Enemy."

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: Greatest Misses

It is track four on "Greatest Misses". Interesting Note: It also featured in the 1992 movie "Trespass" starring another rapper (and "CSI" star), Ice-T.

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: Zero

"She Watch Channel Zero?!" This song was PE's rant against the power of television to immobilize the public and erase memories of a time when we strived for greatness.

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?

It is track thirteen on "How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?". For those who got confused, a track with a similar name "Cold Lampin' with Flavor" was on "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back". Interesting Note: The release of this album coincided with their 20th year anniversary.

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: Wisdom

"Show'em What You Got" This is one of my favorite songs. It tells the world about some of the greatest black heroes of our time, and tries to mobilize the people to be as powerful as they were. "The same god that gave wisdom to Adam Clayton Powell. The same god that gave wisdom to Stephen Biko..." These lines and others like them gave prominence to nearly forgotten men and women who gave all, and brought the question of justice to the lips of the listener.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Fight the Power"

Answer: death

"Got to give us what we want (uh) Gotta give us what we need (hey) Our freedom of speech is freedom of death We got to fight the powers that be." "Fight the Power" peaked at number three on the U.S. Hot Dance Music Single Sales Billboard and at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart. The record was certified gold in the U.S. by RIAA.

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: New World Odor

This great song is track fifteen on "New World Odor". Interesting Note: There were three years between the release of "Revolverlution" in 2002 and "New Whirl Odor" in 2005, but only one further year before we saw "Rebirth of a Nation" (2006).

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: Louder than a bomb

"Louder Than A Bomb" is Chuck D's declaration that the truth is mightier than bombs. It was also a precursor to the backlash PE faced when they became popular in the late 80's, the backlash that forced the withdrawal from the group of their Minister of Information, Professor Griff.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Fight the Power"

Answer: careless

"From the heart It's a start, a work of art To revolutionize make a change nothing'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." American metalcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan covered "Fight the Power" with Chuck D. on a promo for the "Homefront" video game in 2011. A cover of the song by Barenaked Ladies also appeared in the soundtrack of the 1993 SNL-inspired comedy film "Coneheads."

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: New World Odor

It is track ten on "New World Odor". Interesting Note: Track five, "MKLVFKWR" features Moby (who is also an album producer). Track eleven, "Check What You're Listening To" features samples from another great rap artist, Run DMC.

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: Barkley

"Rebel Without A Pause" is PE's declaration of war against ordinary rap, as PE began to witness the power of their live show; they saw the potential of political rap and told all of the rap community about its power in this song in hopes of re-awakening the sleeping beast that is Black America.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Fight the Power"

Answer: Elvis Presley

"Elvis was a hero to most but he Elvis was a hero to most (yeah) ... Straight out racist that sucker was Simple and plain." In an August 12, 2002 AP article ("Chuck D Speaks on Elvis's Legacy"), Chuck D noted that there was always a lot of respect for Elvis among musicians such as himself, but his opposition to Elvis had to do with "the one-sidedness [. . .] Elvis' icon status in America made it like nobody else counted." Chuck D's heroes, however, came before Elvis. "My heroes were probably his heroes. As far as Elvis being 'The King,' I couldn't buy that.″ In the same article, Chuck D called Eminem the "new Elvis because, number one, he had the respect for black music that Elvis had. I think he's courteous and sympathetic to black music, and, unfortunately, he's more sympathetic to black music than many black artists themselves.″

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: There's a Poison Goin' On

It is track eleven on "There's a Poison Goin' On". Interesting Note: This is the last album that featured Terminator X. Strangely, Terminator X retired in 2003 to run an ostrich farm! I wonder if he does some turntable scratching for them.

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: Bruised, battered and scarred

"Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos", PE's song about a prison revolt is a warning to the militants in the crowd, but also a rallying cry, ending with a prison riot and the release of all the militants imprisoned for their political beliefs. Judging by their connection to the Black Panther Party, this is an homage to George Jackson, a 1960's prison reformer dear to the hearts of the Party who died making a hopeless charge at the walls of Soledad prison. If he had some S1W's who knows where the world would be today.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Fight the Power"

Answer: stamps

"Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps. Sample a look, bet you look and find Nothing but rednecks for four hundred years if you check." A slightly shorter version of "Fight the Power" appeared on Public Enemy's third studio album, "Fear of a Black Planet," which was released in 1990. The album reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200 year-end charts. "Fight the Power" became a hit even in the Netherlands, reaching number 30 on the Dutch Top 40.

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: 911

"911 is a joke"...not really, but that is the track name. :) Interesting Note: "911 is a joke" was released on vinyl. It is one of the few tracks that Flavor Flav is the lead rapper on. In 1990, it reached number one on the Hot Rap Singles in the USA.

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: Newton, Cleaver and Seale

"Party For Your Right To Fight". This is PE's call for revolution, warning the listener of all who have fallen and who made them fall. It blames the FBI for the deaths of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. It also accuses J. Edgar Hoover for the destruction of the Black Panther Party, but carefully uses the names of the three popular creators of the party (all whom were alive at the time of the release of the song) so the line "time to get'em back" would bring an added relevance and make the song a rallying cry.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Fight the Power"

Answer: The BET Awards

BET stands for Black Entertainment Television. The 20th BET Awards were held on June 28, 2020 and celebrated achievements in music, television, sports and movies. In a 2010 interview with Gail Mitchell, Chuck D called this song "the most important record that Public Enemy have done." In 2021, "Fight the Power" took the number two spot on Rolling Stone magazine's updated list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

From Quiz Public Enemy Albums

Answer: Head Wide Shut

"Head Wide Shut" is the correct title. Interesting Note: The words are not actually mentioned in the song. It is a short track only running for 1:31 and is a track made up of samples with no actual rap verses.

From Quiz Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions...

Answer: Dogs on a leash

"Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic". Terminator X, PE's DJ steps to the forefront in this sample dominated song, that pleads for positive change in the rap community, using the voice of Louis Farrakhan, the public voice of the Black Muslims.

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