Public Enemy: Explosive return with a surprise album

After a marked absence, Public Enemy, a legendary hip-hop group, makes a thunderous comeback in 2025 with Black Sky Over The Projects: Apartment 2025. This album, released on June 27, marks a significant evolution in the group’s dynamics and revives the protest flame that made their fame.

Founded in 1985 in Roosevelt, New York, Public Enemy has established itself as the flagship group of committed hip-hop. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and DJ Lord make up today the heart of the collective, but the formation has undergone many changes over the years. Their first album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987), marked the band’s sensational entry into the musical universe, with a sample-heavy production and accusatory lyrics.

DJ Lord joined Public Enemy much later, in replacement of Terminator X, who was the main DJ of the group during nearly 40 tours. This change brought a new live energy, while respecting the sound heritage of the group. Public Enemy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, hailing their major influence on hip-hop culture and society.

Before Black Sky Over The Projects: Apartment 2025, Public Enemy had released What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? in 2020. This fifteenth studio album was expected as a strong message in a context of American social and political crisis. The album already addressed current themes: systemic racism, the rise of extremism, and the resilience of Black communities, while bringing together several collaborations from artists of the new generation.

Five years after their last album, Public Enemy surprises his audience again with an unexpected release. Black Sky Over The Projects: Apartment 2025 is launched without a massive promotional campaign, on the occasion of a sold-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The album, composed of twelve tracks, is offered in 'pay-what-you-want' for 72 hours on Bandcamp, as a gift to fans.

The pieces, of which March Madness, address burning themes like systemic injustice, political disillusionment and gun violence. The profits of certain titles are donated to associations fighting against armed violence.

On this new opus, Flavor Flav takes a more important place than usual, without becoming the central voice of the group. He delivers several verses and actively participates in the narration of the pieces, bringing a new energy to Public Enemy. However, Chuck D remains the undisputed leader: his presence is felt at every moment of the album, and he remains one of the most important voices in the music industry, not only for the hip-hop scene, but also for the music of the 80s.

At 64 years old, a subject he openly addresses in pieces like Sexagenarian and Ageism, Chuck D proves that it is still as relevant and fiery. His commitment, maturity and depth give a particular dimension to this new album.

Professor Griff (Richard Griffin) , who formerly held the position of Minister of Information of the group, has left Public Enemy several times during his career, before being reinstated at different times. Despite these distances, he has always remained close to what constitutes, in his eyes, his second family.

To conclude, the return of Public Enemy with Black Sky Over The Projects: Apartment 2025 proves that the group has lost none of its strength or relevance. All that remains is to remain on the lookout: with Public Enemy, the story is never really over, and each new release may well turn the hip-hop scene upside down again.

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