Chuck D, DJ Lord and Flavor Flav, better known as Public Enemy, have never been ones to shy away from challenging cultural and sociopolitical realities within their music, and their latest offering is no exception. The single, released on Flavor Flav’s own record label, has been described as “a powerful rebuke against crooked politicians and the ongoing crisis of gun violence.” 

The New York based group’s outwardly political lyricism and anti-establishment outlook has been at the focal point of their career since their formation in the mid 80s, with songs like ‘Fight The Power’, a brazenly unapologetic protest against authority within the US, being revered as some of their best work.

On this particular occasion, Public Enemy teamed up with a collective of Harvard University students (Anthony Bell, Ollie Marinaccio, Rhiannon Rae Ellis, and rapper Dee-1) to curate the lyrics for ‘March Madness’, whilst also collaborating with Berkley College alumni Sydney DeLeonardis and Ciaran de Chaud, who are producers on the record. 

In typical Public Enemy style, all proceeds from this track will be donated to the Black Music Action Coalition Human Rights Fund and Everytown, a non-profit organisation against gun violence, a fitting statement for such a lyrically pungent song.

Flavor Flav, a founding member of the group, stated, “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.”

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The band are currently in the midst of a world tour, taking them across the globe and stopping off in London next week for a sold out show at the Royal Albert Hall. Read about it here.

 

 

 

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A press release says that the show will see the legendary group “take the stage for a night of politically charged, high-energy hip-hop, celebrating their legacy”.

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In the same release, Public Enemy frontman Chuck D shared his excitement for the upcoming show: “We are honoured to have this opportunity to stand on the Royal Albert Hall stage and perform under the same renowned roof that the greats from Hendrix to Pavarotti, from the Beatles to my brothers Cypress Hill have. Thank you, London. We’ll see you soon.”

The concert will be the first UK show that Chuck D, Flava Flav and the crew have played in over a decade. Their first UK show saw them step to the stage at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in 1987 alongside LL Cool J and Eric B & Rakim. A few years back, Chuck spoke to NME about their memories of the tour: “We knew that the other Def Jam acts we were playing with would see the UK as being a drop-off for them, because in the States they were revered.

We went in there like we were going to take everything else in the world. 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. Or we’d rally the people in the streets before the concert. We wanted to spill blood on the stage.”

He also spoke to The Guardian in 2022 about Public Enemy and their impact here in Britian: “The English language had taken over the world, so we thought: why not plug hip-hop into it? The British had beaten the English language into so many cultures; bringing rap music back to the UK was our British invasion.”

Public Enemy have kept their schedule quite clear over the past few years, playing gigs here and there in the US. The group have just confirmed themselves as support for Guns ‘N’ Roses on their 2025 tour, alongside Rival Sons and Sex Pistols.

Tickets for the show will go on sale this Friday (April 4) at 9am. You can visit here to view and purchase tickets.