Long Island's Public Enemy was music with a message, and that message was never clearer or more well received than Fear of a Black Planet, an album that became so influential and famous it even inspired the title of the blaxploitation spoof Fear of a Black Hat. Chuck D and the boys laid down hard grooves, but unlike some current rappers, it wasn't shouting without purpose (did someone say "Lil Wayne"? Yeeeaaahhh!!). Of course, the main reason this album is on this list is for the last track, the powerful protest anthem "Fight the Power," which featured prominently in Spike Lee's seminal 'joint' Do the Right Thing. And you can't forget the best hype man in the business: Flavor Flaaaav! Over a decade before he was a reality show mainstay, Flavor Flav and the ginormous clock around his neck always let you know you were in for a good time. The band has since been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, only the fourth hip-hop act allowed entrance so far.
Michael Perone has written for The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore City Paper, The Island Ear (now titled Long Island Press), and The Long Island Voice, a short-lived spinoff of The Village Voice. He currently works as an Editor in Manhattan. And he still thinks Michael Keaton was the best Batman.
