Public Enemy

Excerpt from original article by Mark Taylor, Bristol Evening Post, April 2000

"Controversial American rap group Public Enemy will play a rare British gig in Bristol next month.

The legendary group, fronted by outspoken rappers Chuck D and Flavor Flav, are appearing at the Trinity Community Centre on May 26.

Public Enemy are widely regarded as the most influential group on the genre, pioneering a hardcore rap sound which has been copied by numerous acts over the past 15 years.
Their Bristol gig is the first date of a short European tour and will be a warm-up for Winchester's Homelands festival.

Promoter Malcolm Haynes of Good Groove Promotions said tickets for Public Enemy's appearance in Bristol are expected to sell out quickly.

He said: This is a real scoop for us and it was simply a case of us being in the right place at the right time.

“They are only doing one gig in England apart from the Homelands festival, so we expect it to generate a lot of interest.

Public Enemy were formed in 1982 by Chuck D and their début album, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, was released by Def Jam Records in 1987.

The follow up, It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold us Back, pushed the cult group into the mainstream and coincided with Chuck D's notorious statement that rap was “The black CNN”.

Public Enemy went on to record classic rap albums like Welcome To The Terrordome and Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black, recorded with thrash metal band Anthrax, and work with film director Spike Lee.

They continued to court controversy with lyrics which have been labelled anti-Semitic."