They would get all that.”, By the time Public Enemy first came to play in the UK, they were determined to build on the impression they’d already built up through those very interviews. It’s a solid record. This year marks the song’s 30th anniversary. “We’re coming from the cult of Trump, so it seems like this is a continuing daymare and nightmare,” he says. We wanted to spill blood on the stage.”. I’m gonna order some of that too!’ All of this was over lunch or dinner. Anybody who loved Public Enemy and ‘Bring The Noise’ in ‘87 were probably like: ‘Woah, where did this come from?’ But like Spike Lee playing ‘Fight The Power’ in ‘Do The Right Thing’ 20 times, it was the same thing with Channel 4 choosing it as a theme. “We were making ‘Fear of a Black Planet’ while they were making ‘Goo’ in the next studio,” recalls Chuck. The following year, they would release their defining anthem, ‘Fight The Power’, as part of the soundtrack for Spike Lee’s ‘Do The Right Thing’. Chuck’s charm offensive paid off –Public Enemy’s first two records were each named NME Album Of the Year: ‘Yo! At 59, the Public Enemy frontman has more than earned that title, via a string of era-defining albums, his unwavering political voice and tracks that are unimpeachable hip hop classics. One of the abilities that Public Enemy always has is knowing where we’re going before we go there.”. I mean, who does that?” marvels Chuck. That’s the only clue that this is the house where Chuck D lives. It’s not trying to get society to walk the plank, but you want them to recognise the waters, the choppy seas. That’s the world it became, and ‘Harder Than You Think’ was a galvanising force in transitioning to understanding that songs can have a life other than the norm.”, The track also proved that Chuck and Public Enemy could remain relevant to a whole new generation of fans. We did things like we did in the United States, like we’d play the concert and then be in the tube right after the concert with the people. My favourite Wu-Tang record, if I had to just pick one, would be ‘Triumph’. You hate that the paperwork gets in the way of performances, but governments really play a factor more than they used to.”, Chuck D speaking out about government interference is, of course, nothing new. Or we’d rally the people in the streets before the concert. “We were using Studio B, they were using Studio A. It’s tribal, it’s relentless. Another set of shelves is dedicated to an equally impressive DVD collection. I still have Thatcher in my left ear. Music can give them a sort of GPS to who they are. We got blessings from a different area, and now that’s exactly where people look to place their songs. On a clear day, like today, you can glimpse the  coastline and the ocean beyond. It was while recording that album at Greene Street studios in Manhattan that Chuck ended up making an unscheduled guest appearance on another track which would become an indie anthem: Sonic Youth’s ‘Kool Thing’. He’s still just as energised about coming to Britain during the “very strange times” of Brexit as he’s ever been. You know what I’m saying? Manchester Apollo, Manchester - Nov 3, 1988 Nov 03 1988 Public Enemy Manchester Apollo, Manchester - Nov 3, 1988 Nov 03 1988 Last updated: 1 Aug 2019, 21:23 Etc/UTC It has no beginning and no end. Yet five years later when it appeared as the theme tune to Channel 4’s coverage of the 2012 Summer Paralympics suddenly it was everywhere. Kevin EG Perry headed to Chuck's campaign room in California to find him plotting his European offensive. Hey, this setlist was played at a festival: Use this setlist for your event review and get all updates automatically! When NME journalists would travel to New York to meet the likes of Beastie Boys and LL Cool J, Chuck saw an opportunity to spread his message – and build the reputation of his band. We knew that we probably couldn’t get played on radio stations to make a quote-unquote ‘Jay-Z record’. It was a solid record when myself and Gary G-Wiz made it in 2007. “I would see our music in the NME charts, so when guys like Dele Fadele and Simon Reynolds came over I befriended them,” says Chuck. The Public Enemy leader appears before I even get to the front door. “I was just so amazed that Spike would put a song in a movie over 20 times. Ice is 61 and I’m gonna be 59. You have to know what is happening in a country, what has transpired. We went in there like we were going to take everything else in the world. Whether he’s here in California, in New York or London or anywhere else on the globe, Chuck D is always at home. “You had to come harder than Naughty By Nature around ’92, and I think RZA realised that he had to posse up. He points out the world map pinned to the wall opposite him, like a general planning another campaign. Look again at the house and you might notice that above the garage a string of fairy lights have been pinned up in the shape of the CND logo, the internationally recognised symbol of peace and political activism. Thirty years on it comes as no surprise to find Chuck D still on the road, still making music, still fighting the power. Then they got old, and you’d have all those kids in the ‘60s going out looking for Mississippi John Hurt, or John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Lightning Hopkins, T-Bone Walker. A general who spreads peaceful anthems rather than war. “We went to Army Navy stores and got the whole outfit. Alongside Prince and Nelson Mandela documentaries, I spot a copy of Wu-Tang Saga. ‘Come in and see what we’re doing!’ It was just a case of same place, same time, same vibe. I just told everybody: ‘Unless you die, you’re going to be heading the same way, and you ain’t gonna stop doing what you’re doing.’ Back in the day I’d just tell everybody: ‘This is 21st century blues.’ Blues started out as a young men’s game.