Fight the Power

A Modern Rallying Cry Against Systemic Racism

Yassin Alsalman, Beats, Rhymes and Life

Concordia University
November 23rd, 2020
 During the late 80s and early 90s, there were few influential hip hop groups quite like

Public Enemy. Formed in 1982, in suburban Long Island at Adelphi University, by a group of

African American students, Public Enemy’s main focus was to bring radical Black political

ideology to music. It is interesting to note that the members of this group all came from the

suburbs and formed their group while in university. This is interesting because clearly the

aesthetic Public Enemy is portraying does not match the reality of their early lives. It is very

possible that they did not experience the same levels of racism and bigotry when compared to

New York’s inner-city neighbourhoods. However, their formation and album releases signify

an afro-centric stance against systemic racism, regardless of upbringing. In this way, the

group stands above not only the divide of white and black but also divides in wealth and

education. At the time, their messages were controversial but extremely influential. Their

firm stance on racism is evidenced in their third album, Fear of a Black Planet (1990), which

featured the hit single “Fight the Power”. The influential song is a strong call to black

nationalism during a time of heavy racial and cultural tension in decaying inner city

neighbourhoods.

At first glance, the lyrics in “Fight the Power” come off as aggressive in nature.

However, one should not associate this aggressive tone with a violent type of civil

disobedience. The lyrics in this song do not necessarily incite violence and instead promote a

firm and more involved stance against racism and bigotry. Verse 1 features the lyrics, “our

freedom of speech is freedom of death”, which is Public Enemy’s way of stating that it is

time to speak out against racism and for the rights of all Blacks. By doing this, they are

saving themselves from “death”, which can be interpreted as being further marginalized

within a white-dominated society. Another important lyric to note is “we got [sic] to fight the

powers that be”. These lyrics are clearly a fight to action; the “power” in this case being

white-dominated society and governments, while the “we” is a rallying of sorts for all
marginalized people to unite under a system that is keeping them oppressed. When they sing

“got to give us what we want, gotta [sic] give us what we need”, it is clear that the one of the

main goals of their song is to provide Black listeners with the motivation and justification to

fight rather than simply protest.

This goal is further cemented by listening to the tone of Chuck D, lead singer of

Public Enemy. The tone he sets is one of rage. This can be seen in verse 3 of the song, when

Chuck D sings “don’t worry, be happy, was a number one jam, damn if I say it you can slap

me right here”. Here, he directly references the 1988 song by Bobby McFerrin. Clearly, he is

unimpressed with the overall theme of the song, as it blatantly disregards the struggles faced

by the Black community during its release and instead generalizes a “feel-good” message to

all. This request for society to remain content is in direct opposition to Public Enemy’s

message in “Fight the Power”.

Moreover, the tone of rage can be seen again when Chuck D denounces historical

music superstar Elvis Presley: “Elvis was a hero to most [...] straight up racist that sucker

was”. These lyrics denote the contributions of this star to the realms of music and

entertainment due to them being stained with racism. According to Public Enemy, Presley’s

fame can be associated with what can be described as “a long-standing tragic and racist

relationship between black and white people in the Western Hemisphere” (Bertrand 64-65).

Although an American icon, Chuck D is trying to spread the message that Elvis does not (and

should not) represent the Black community. However, this opinion is based on a collective

memory, and how people remember correlates directly with how they view themselves in

relation to society (65). For those historically marginalized, popular memory frequently

provides an “alternate version of history that satisfactorily explains their own

marginalization” (65). Therefore, Public Enemy denounces Elvis as racist because this is how
many African Americans remember him. However, in reality Elvis was an advocate for racial

equality and helped to bridge the gap between both races.

What Chuck D goes on to reference in the song are figures that he feels are important

for the Black community. The “cause [sic] I'm Black and I'm proud” lyric is a direct reference

to James Brown’s hit 1968 song. Furthermore, “most of my heroes don’t appear on no [sic]

stamps” and “we got to [sic] fight the powers that be” are extremely important references.

Here, Chuck D is referencing Malcom X’s famous speech, where he states, "I don't even call

it violence when it's self-defense, I call it intelligence” (Lee). This speech argues for the

justification of violence if it is in response to extremely negative stimuli; it being the

authoritarian racist regime (power) that is firmly cemented in society.

This song’s versatility as well as its bluntness are important factors. It is a standalone

song from Public Enemy’s 1990 album, however, it was also the anthem for the 1989 hit

movie Do The Right Thing, by Spike Lee. The film takes place in a culturally diverse

community in New York where, over the course of an extremely hot day, racial tensions

simmer and eventually come to a boil at the film’s climactic riot scene. “Fight the Power” is

played on Radio Raheem’s boombox and is heard constantly for a majority of the film as he

walks around the neighbourhood, interacting with other members of his community. The

boombox is a symbol of civil disobedience and brotherhood. During the climactic scene,

Raheem is murdered by the police for resisting arrest after his boombox is destroyed, perhaps

as a signal that the worst is always inevitable without a strong enough connection to the

Black community disobeying “the man”.

In addition, the album name “Fear of a Black Planet” was probably chosen to once

again drive home the message Public Enemy is trying to portray. There is not much room for

interpretation; the group had a powerful and singular message to convey to the masses and

they ensured it was impossible for a listener to misunderstand (i.e. repeating lyrics “fight the
power” several times as part of the chorus). With the song’s use as an anthem against racial

and cultural divide in the film Do The Right Thing and its self-promotion through the album

wording, it allows the song to essentially transcend the realm of hearing to the realms of sight

and thought. What might be considered by some as a leitmotif was carefully chosen by Lee to

continually drive a message that Public Enemy was already doing so well on tape. Making

reference to it is important to take the song’s message as more than simply an auditory call to

action against systemic racism in America.

Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” is a call to arms for a racially marginalized Black

community. The song and the album's primary objective was to bring to light the Black

political ideologies that were historically oppressed for so long, and still were during the

1980’s and 90’s. Through the lyrics, one can see just how important Public Enemy’s message

was. Their constant references to historical Black figures, as well as calling out beloved

American icons as racist sends clear messages that they (the racially marginalized) are here

and will “fight the powers that be”. The song’s feature in the movie Do the Right Thing is

also important, as both the mediums of song and film serve as excellent and complimentary

delivery methods for such a strong message. Overall, “Fight the Power” is a catchy song with

a well-delivered message against racism that is further solidified with the group’s mantra,

album name, connection to Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, and the hit Spike Lee joint.
 Works Cited

Bertrand, Michael T. “Elvis Presley and the Politics of Popular Memory.” Southern Cultures,

vol. 13, no. 3, 2007, pp. 62–86., doi:10.1353/scu.2007.0025.

Lee, Spike, director. Do the Right Thing. Universal, 1989.

Tate, Greg. “Public Enemy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25

Sept. 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/Public-Enemy.