Garden City, NY

Pioneering a variation of hardcore rap that was musically and politically revolutionary, Public Enemy became the most influential and controversial rap group of the late '80s. Lead rapper Chuck D rhymed about all kinds of social problems, particularly those plaguing the black community. He directed hip-hop toward an explicitly self-aware, pro-black consciousness. Musically, their production team, the Bomb Squad, created dense soundscapes that were chaotic and invigorating, made all the more intoxicating by Chuck D's forceful vocals and the absurdist raps of his comic foil, Flavor Flav. While their Def Jam albums earned them a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they continued to release relevant material up to and beyond their 2013 induction. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine