Videos by According2HipHop
Public Enemy will return to Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday, September 29, for their first appearance on the program in nearly ten years. The performance comes less than a week after host Jimmy Kimmel’s temporary suspension by ABC, following a controversial monologue addressing the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Longtime Public Enemy bassist Brian Hardgroove emphasized the significance of the moment in a statement posted to Facebook. “Kimmel’s return to the airwaves will undoubtedly be an historic marker in the timeline of American entertainment vs. the government,” he wrote. “It will also be the most consequential performance of all of Public Enemy’s TV performances (IMO).”
Kimmel’s brief removal from the airwaves reignited debates over free expression and cancel culture, themes central to Public Enemy’s decades-long career. From their groundbreaking 1989 single “Fight the Power” to their most recent project, Black Sky Over The Projects: Apartment 2025, the group has consistently positioned itself as a voice of resistance.
Released this past June as a pay-what-you-want offering on Bandcamp, Black Sky Over The Projects features 12 tracks produced by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The album includes “March Madness,” a politically charged anthem condemning gun violence and systemic injustice.
Reflecting on the group’s mission, Flavor Flav said of the track: “It’s horrible what’s going on right now around the world and especially here. I hate it. But I got a voice and a platform and we are still fighting the power and for positive change all these years later.”
Public Enemy’s upcoming performance is poised to underscore their ongoing role as both cultural commentators and musical pioneers at a moment when conversations around free speech remain deeply polarized.
