| Artist: | Public Enemy |
| Studio: | 15 |
| Live: | 2 |
| Compilation: | 4 |
| Soundtrack: | 1 |
| Video: | 4 |
| Singles: | 41 |
| Music Videos: | 41 |
| Option: | 2 |
| Option Name: | Remix albums |
| 1Option: | 4 |
| 1Option Name: | Promotional singles |
The discography of Public Enemy, an American hip hop group, consists of 15 studio albums, two live albums, four compilation albums, two remix albums, one soundtrack album, four video albums, 39 singles, four promotional singles and 39 music videos. The group released their debut studio album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, in February 1987; it peaked at number 125 on the United States Billboard 200. The album spawned the singles "Public Enemy No. 1" and "You're Gonna Get Yours". Public Enemy released their second studio album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, in April 1988. The album peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200. It has since sold 1.3 million copies in the US, earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Four of the album's singles charted on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart: "Bring the Noise", "Don't Believe the Hype", "Night of the Living Baseheads" and "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos". The former three, along with the single "Rebel Without a Pause", also charted in the United Kingdom.
Fear of a Black Planet, the group's third studio album, was released in April 1990. The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of one million copies.[1] Fear of a Black Planet also charted in countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The album spawned five singles; "Fight the Power" and "911 Is a Joke" both topped the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and charted in countries such as the Netherlands and the UK. "Welcome to the Terrordome", "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" and "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" all became top 25 hits on the Hot Rap Songs chart and top 40 hits in New Zealand. The group's fourth studio album, Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black, was released in October 1991. The album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200; its first single, "Can't Truss It", peaked at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and gave the band their first hit on the chart. Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age followed in August 1994, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard 200. The album's lead single "Give It Up" peaked at number 33 on the Hot 100, becoming the group's most commercially successful single in the United States. In 1998, the group recorded the soundtrack for the film He Got Game. The film's soundtrack album peaked at number 26 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the commercially successful single "He Got Game".
Following a shift of labels from Def Jam Records to Atomic Pop, the group released There's a Poison Goin' On, their sixth studio album. The album only managed to find success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 55 and its only single, "Do You Wanna Go Our Way???", peaked at number 66. Public Enemy then signed to Koch Records, releasing Revolverlution in July 2002. Revolverlution peaked at number 110 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 71,000 copies in the US.[2] The group collaborated with American rapper Paris on their ninth studio album, Rebirth of a Nation, which was released on Paris' own Guerrilla Funk label; it peaked at number 180 on the Billboard 200. How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul? followed in August 2007 and spawned three singles. "Harder Than You Think", the album's third single, peaked at number 4 in the UK; it became the group's first top ten single in the country. In 2012, the group released two studio albums: Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp in July and The Evil Empire of Everything in October. In July 2015, the group released their thirteenth album, Man Plans God Laughs. On June 29, 2017, Public Enemy surprise released their fourteenth album, Nothing Is Quick in the Desert. The album was available for free download through Bandcamp until July 4, 2017.[3]
| Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] | US R&B [5] | AUS [6] | CAN [7] | GER [8] | NLD [9] | NZ [10] | SWE [11] | SWI [12] | UK [13] | ||||||
| Yo! Bum Rush the Show |
| 125 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back |
| 42 | 1 | — | 93 | — | 40 | — | — | — | 8 |
| |||
| Fear of a Black Planet |
| 10 | 3 | 30 | 15 | 30 | 17 | 15 | 24 | 19 | 4 |
| |||
| Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black |
| 4 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 38 | 62 | 5 | 36 | 33 | 8 |
|
| ||
| Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age |
| 14 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 39 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 12 |
|
| ||
| There's a Poison Goin' On |
| — | — | — | — | 66 | — | — | — | — | 55 | ||||
| Revolverlution |
| 110 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| |||
| New Whirl Odor[25] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Rebirth of a Nation (featuring Paris) |
| 180 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?[27] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 199 | ||||
| Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp[28] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| The Evil Empire of Everything[29] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Man Plans God Laughs[30] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Nothing Is Quick in the Desert |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? |
| — | — | — | — | 81 | — | — | — | 37 | 100 | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
| Album details | ||
| It Takes a Nation: The First London Invasion Tour 1987[31] |
| |
|---|---|---|
| MKL VF KWR - Revolverlution Tour Manchester UK 2003 [32] |
| |
| ">Web site: Fight the Power: Greatest Hits Live! – Public Enemy . . . October 27, 2012 . Jeffries, David. |
| |
| Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | AUS | NLD | NZ | SWE | UK | ||||
| Greatest Misses |
| 13 | 10 | 57 | 72 | 15 | 30 | 15 |
| |
| 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Public Enemy[34] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 69 | 26 | — | — | — | — | 39 |
| ||
| Planet Earth: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Greatest Rap Hits |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
| Album details | |
| Bring That Beat Back[36] |
|
|---|---|
| Remix of a Nation[37] (featuring Paris) |
|
| Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | AUS | CAN | GER | NLD | UK | |||
| He Got Game |
| 26 | 10 | 54 | 35 | 81 | 98 | 50 | |
| Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|
| US Video [39] | Top Music Video – Issue Date: 1989-09-30 . . . October 27, 2012 .
|
| Fight the Power... Live! |
External links |
| Year | Director(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| "Bring the Noise" | 1987 | Dominic Savage[63] |
| "Rebel Without a Pause" | rowspan="2" [64] [65] | |
| "Don't Believe the Hype" | 1988 | |
| "Night of the Living Baseheads" | Lionel C. Martin[66] | |
| "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" | 1989 | Adam Bernstein[67] |
| "Fight the Power" | Spike Lee[68] | |
| "Fight the Power" (film clip version) | ||
| "Welcome to the Terrordome" | 1990 | [69] |
| "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" | Lionel C. Martin[70] | |
| "911 Is a Joke" | rowspan="2" [71] [72] [73] | |
| "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" | ||
| "Burn Hollywood Burn" (featuring Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube) | Lionel C. Martin | |
| "Can't Truss It" | 1991 | Eric Meza[74] |
| "Shut 'Em Down" | 1992 | [75] |
| "Nighttrain" | Christopher B. Stokes[76] | |
| "Hazy Shade of Criminal" | Eric Meza[77] [78] | |
| "By the Time I Get to Arizona" | ||
| "Louder Than a Bomb" | Brett Ratner[79] | |
| "I Stand Accused" | 1994 | Steve Carr[80] |
| "Give It Up" | Chris Gilligan[81] | |
| "What Kind of Power We Got?" | Eric Meza[82] | |
| "So Whatcha Gonna Do Now?" | 1995 | Joseph Kahn[83] |
| "He Got Game" (featuring Stephen Stills) | 1998 | Spike Lee |
| "Do You Wanna Go Our Way???" | 1999 | Jonathon Woods, Christopher Adams[84] |
| "Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need" | 2002 | rowspan="2" [85] [86] |
| "Revolverlution" | ||
| "Son of a Bush" | 2004 | Memo Salazar[87] |
| "Make Love Fuck War" (with Moby) | Giles Bury[88] | |
| "Bring That Beat Back" | 2005 | rowspan="2" [89] [90] |
| "Revolution" | 2006 | |
| "Superman's Black in the Building" | David C. Snyder[91] [92] [93] [94] | |
| "Black Is Back" | 2007 | |
| "Long and Whining Road" | ||
| "Harder Than You Think" (original version) | ||
| "I Woke Up in a Place I Forgot" | 2008 | rowspan="5" [95] [96] [97] [98] |
| "Prophets of Rage" | ||
| "Rebirth" | ||
| "Say It Like It Really Is" | 2010 | |
| "Welcome to the Terrordome (Fear 2011)" | ||
| "Face of Freedom" (featuring Tijana Bass) | 2011 | David Burk |
| "I Shall Not Be Moved" | 2012 | David C. Snyder[99] [100] |
| 5|-! scope="row" | Tour of a Black Planet|
| 8|-! scope="row" | The Enemy Strikes Live|
| 25|-! scope="row" | It Takes a Nation: The First London Invasion Tour 1987|
| —|-| colspan="3" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.|}
| Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [42] | US Dance [43] | US R&B [44] | US Rap [45] | AUS [46] | FRA [47] | NLD | NZ | SWI | UK [48] | |||||
| "Public Enemy No. 1" | 1987 | — | — | — | — | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | Yo | Bum Rush the Show | |
| "You're Gonna Get Yours" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 88 | ||||
| "Rebel Without a Pause" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37 | Less than Zero (soundtrack) / It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back | |||
| "Bring the Noise" | 1988 | — | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back | ||
| "Don't Believe the Hype" | — | 21 | 18 | — | — | — | — | 46 | — | 18 | ||||
| "Night of the Living Baseheads" | — | — | 62 | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | 63 | ||||
| "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" | 1989 | — | — | 86 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Fight the Power" | — | — | 20 | 1 | — | — | 24 | — | — | 29 | Do the Right Thing (soundtrack) / Fear of a Black Planet | |||
| "Welcome to the Terrordome" (featuring Big Daddy Kane & Ice Cube) | 1990 | — | 49 | 15 | 3 | 81 | — | 21 | 12 | — | 18 | Fear of a Black Planet | ||
| "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" | — | 31 | 20 | 22 | 95 | — | — | 30 | — | 46 | ||||
| "911 Is a Joke" | — | — | 15 | 1 | 64 | — | 71 | 22 | 25 | 41 | ||||
| "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" | — | — | — | 11 | 59 | — | — | 15 | — | 53 | House Party (soundtrack) / Fear of a Black Planet | |||
| "Can't Truss It" | 1991 | 50 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 55 | — | — | 24 | — | 22 |
| Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black | |
| "Shut 'Em Down" | — | 16 | 26 | 1 | — | — | — | 30 | — | 21 | ||||
| "Nighttrain" | 1992 | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | 42 | — | 55 | |||
| "Hazy Shade of Criminal" | — | — | 58 | 12 | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | Greatest Misses | |||
| "Louder Than a Bomb (JMJ Tapmaster Groove Remix)"[49] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "I Stand Accused" | 1993 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 77 | Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age | ||
| "Give It Up" | 1994 | 33 | — | 30 | 5 | 16 | 36 | 36 | 14 | 37 | 18 | |||
| "What Kind of Power We Got?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 77 | ||||
| "So Whatcha Gonna Do Now?" | 1995 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | |||
| "He Got Game" (featuring Stephen Stills) | 1998 | — | — | 78 | — | 25 | 82 | 54 | 7 | — | 16 | He Got Game (soundtrack) | ||
| "Resurrection"[50] (featuring Masta Killa) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Shake Your Booty"[51] | — | — | — | — | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Do You Wanna Go Our Way???" | 1999 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 66 | There's a Poison Goin' On | ||
| "Give the Peeps What They Need"[52] | 2002 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Revolverlution | ||
| "Son of a Bush"[53] | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| "Anti-Nigger Machine"[54] | 1990 | Fear of a Black Planet |
| "By the Time I Get to Arizona"[55] | 1991 | Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black |
| "Get Off My Back"[56] | 1992 | Mo' Money (soundtrack) |
| "Livin' in a Zoo"[57] | 1993 | CB4 (soundtrack) |
| Year | Other artist(s) | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Get Off My Back" | 1992 | Mo' Money (soundtrack) | |
| "Gotta Do What I Gotta Do"[58] [102] | |||
| "RLTK" (featuring D.M.C.) | |||
| "Harder Than You Think" (UK Paralympics version) | |||
| "Harder Than You Think" (Dehasse Radio Edit) | |||
| "Everything" | 2013 | ||
| "Get Up Stand Up" (featuring Brother Ali) | |||
| "Hoover Music" | rowspan="6" | ||
| "Man Plans God Laughs" | 2015 | ||
| "No Sympathy From the Devil" | |||
| "Earthizen" (Lyric Video) | |||
| "Mine Again" | |||
| "Lost in Space Music" | |||
| "Me to We" | Lionel C. Martin | ||
| "Honky Talk Rules" | 2016 | ||
| "State of the Union (STFU)" | 2020 | David C. Snyder |