Editing Public Enemy (section)

===''Fear of a Black Planet'' (1990)===

Released in April 1990, ''Fear of a Black Planet'' consolidated and deepened the group's artistic achievement. Recorded amid considerable internal and external turbulence — including a national controversy over antisemitic remarks made by Professor Griff in a 1989 interview, which led to his temporary dismissal — the album addressed racial politics with renewed urgency and sophistication. It featured the anthems "Fight the Power," recorded for Spike Lee's ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989), "911 Is a Joke," and "Welcome to the Terrordome."

"Fight the Power" in particular became one of the defining political songs of its generation, its dense layering of samples and Chuck D's impassioned delivery capturing a moment of racial tension and cultural assertion that resonated far beyond hip-hop. The album reached number ten on the Billboard 200 and was a major international success, cementing Public Enemy's standing as the most politically significant rap act of their era.

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! colspan="4" style="background-color: #1a1a1a; color: #ffffff; padding: 8px; text-align: left; font-size: 1.05em;" | Studio Discography (Selected)
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! style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px; background-color: #2e2e2e; color: #fff;" | Year
! style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px; background-color: #2e2e2e; color: #fff;" | Album
! style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px; background-color: #2e2e2e; color: #fff;" | Label
! style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px; background-color: #2e2e2e; color: #fff;" | Notes
|-
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | 1987
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | ''Yo! Bum Rush the Show''
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Def Jam
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Debut album; established the group's political and sonic identity
|-
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | 1988
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | ''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back''
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Def Jam
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Landmark; widely considered one of the greatest albums ever made
|-
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | 1990
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | ''Fear of a Black Planet''
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Def Jam
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Includes "Fight the Power"; top ten Billboard 200
|-
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | 1991
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | ''Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black''
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Def Jam
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Number four US; featured collaboration with Anthrax on "Bring the Noise"
|-
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | 1994
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | ''Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age''
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Def Jam
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Marked a transitional period as hip-hop shifted commercially
|-
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | 1999
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | ''There's a Poison Goin On...''
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Atomic Pop
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | First major album released digitally online before physical release
|-
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | 2012
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | ''Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp''
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Enemy Records / Slam Jamz
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Critically well-received late-career statement
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| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | 2020
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | ''What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?''
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Def Jam
| style="border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 6px;" | Return to Def Jam; featured Ice Cube, PMD, and George Clinton
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