Public Enemy

Band

Photo: MikaV · CC BY-SA 3.0
Active 1985-present
Origin Roosevelt, New York
Albums 16
Tracks 244
Most frequent collaborator Gary G-Wiz · 91 tracks
Genres Political Hip HopHardcore Hip HopEast Coast Hip Hop
Collaborator
54%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 131 of 244 tracks

Does Chuck D write Public Enemy's songs?

He is credited on 123 of the 244 album tracks, more than anyone else in the group by a wide margin. Flavor Flav has 42. The producers write too: Eric Sadler is on 40, Hank Shocklee 31 and Gary G-Wiz 28.

By the Numbers

16
Studio Albums
244
Tracks Credited
54%
Self-Written
41
Years Active
151
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 131 / 244 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 244 tracks: how many Public Enemy wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Public Enemy has a writing credit54%
9%
45%
46%
Sole author21tracks9%
Co-written110tracks45%
Outside writers113tracks46%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Public Enemy's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 244 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)54%
Composer (music)53%
Producer44%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 244 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Chuck D 1985-present
51%
50%
0%
0%
Flavor Flav 1985-present
17%
17%
23%
0%
Professor Griff 1985-1989, 1998-present
1%
1%
10%
0%
DJ Lord 1999-present
2%
2%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Public Enemy's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 54%
100%
100%
95%
100%
100%
0%
82%
0%
0%
0%
0%
100%
100%
0%
92%
0%
1987Yo! Bum Rush the Show
1988It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
1990Fear of a Black Planet
1991Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black
1994Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age
1999There's a Poison Goin' On
2002Revolverlution
2005New Whirl Odor
2006Rebirth of a Nation
2007How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul???
2012Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp
2012The Evil Empire of Everything
2015Man Plans God Laughs
2017Nothing Is Quick in the Desert
2020What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?
2025Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025
Early · 99% written
Mid · 55% written
Late · 96% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1980s
Yo! Bum Rush the Show, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
98%
1990s
Fear of a Black Planet, Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black +2 more
40%
2000s
Revolverlution, New Whirl Odor +2 more
100%
2010s
Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp, The Evil Empire of Everything +2 more
92%
2020s
What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?, Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Public Enemy sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Public Enemy
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Whitney Houston5%
Selena13%
Ricky Martin25%
Garth Brooks41%
Boyz II Men51%
Rick Astley73%
Wu-Tang Clan100%
54%Public Enemy
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Can't Truss It
Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black
Written by Chuck D, Stuart Robertz, Gary G-Wiz, Cerwin "C-Dawg" Depper, Carlton Douglas Ridenhour
Co-wrote
Give It Up
Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age
Written by Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, William Jonathan Drayton Jr.
Wrote it

Discography 16 albums

The studio albums released under the Public Enemy name. Loud Is Not Enough came out as Enemy Radio, and the live records, remix sets and compilations sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Public Enemy244 tracks
GG91Gary G-Wiz, 91 tracks TB88The Bomb Squad, 88 tracks KS45Keith Shocklee, 45 tracks ES40Eric Sadler, 40 tracks AK39Amani K. Smith, 39 tracks HS32Hank Shocklee, 32 tracks C23C-Doc, 23 tracks EM22Easy Mo Bee, 22 tracks K"21Kerwin "Sleek" Young, 21 tracks L"21Larry "Panic" Walford, 21 tracks TB16the Bomb Squad, 16 tracks OJ16Oscar Jackson Jr., 16 tracks P16Paris, 16 tracks EP14executive producer, 14 tracks TI14The Imperial Grand Ministers of Funk, 14 tracks TE14Tom E. Hawk, 14 tracks BS12Bill Stephney, 12 tracks SR12Stuart Robertz, 12 tracks C"9Cerwin "C-Dawg" Depper, 9 tracks KS8Kavon Shah, 8 tracks DC8David C. Snyder, 8 tracks WJ5William Jonathan Drayton, 5 tracks DP5DJ Pain 1, 5 tracks JJ4Johnny Juice Rosado, 4 tracks SB4Sheila Brody, 4 tracks TX3Terminator X, 3 tracks KW3Khari Wynn, 3 tracks J3Jahi, 3 tracks TJ3Torman Jahi, 3 tracks MA3Marcus Ankeney, 3 tracks N"2Norman "Terminator X" Rogers, 2 tracks BD2Big Daddy Kane, 2 tracks NR2Norman Rogers, 2 tracks SS2Sister Souljah, 2 tracks TM2True Mathematics, 2 tracks PM2Paul Mooney, 2 tracks GR2Gary Rinaldo, 2 tracks 7O27th Octave, 2 tracks MR2MC Ren, 2 tracks DP2Dead Prez, 2 tracks DS2Divided Souls Entertainment, 2 tracks DJ2DJ Johnny 'Juice' Rosada, 2 tracks KG2K.A. Griffin, 2 tracks KJ2Kyle J. Smith, 2 tracks JA2James Allen, 2 tracks DI2DJ Infinite, 2 tracks RX2Racer X, 2 tracks D2Daddy-O, 2 tracks I2Ice-T, 2 tracks P2PMD, 2 tracks T2Threepeeoh, 2 tracks GC2George Clinton, 2 tracks TL2The LBX, 2 tracks IC1Ice Cube, 1 track OJ1O'Shea Jackson, 1 track on Ice Cube's page TJ1The JBL, 1 track M1Mandrill, 1 track NS1Neftali Santiago, 1 track KH1Kenny Houston, 1 track JB1Joey Belladonna, 1 track on Anthrax's page SI1Scott Ian, 1 track on Anthrax's page FB1Frank Bello, 1 track on Anthrax's page CB1Charlie Benante, 1 track on Anthrax's page DS1Dan Spitz, 1 track on Anthrax's page RG1Randy Glaude, 1 track JS1Jeff Snyder, 1 track K1Kam, 1 track TC1The Conscious Daughters, 1 track IT1Immortal Technique, 1 track K1KRS-One, 1 track FE1feat. E.Infinite, 1 track BA1Brother Ali, 1 track Z1Z-Trip, 1 track BK1Bumpy Knuckles, 1 track LP1Large Professor, 1 track J"1Johnny "Juice" Rosado, 1 track DM1Darryl McDaniels, 1 track SS1Sam Sever, 1 track R1R.A.S., 1 track CS1Clinton Sands, 1 track BD1Brent Dixon, 1 track CM1Chris Moss, 1 track AB1Alejandro Bayley, 1 track ZM1Ziggy Marley, 1 track DN1David Nesta Marley, 1 track JR1John Rosado, 1 track DD1Davy DMX, 1 track DF1David Franklin Reeves, 1 track AW1A. Williams, 1 track JM1Jamal Malik, 1 track RP1R.K. Pace, 1 track NS1NME Sun, 1 track GA1Gerald Albright, 1 track R1Rampage, 1 track DM1Dereck McKinnis, 1 track FM1Felony Muzik, 1 track TM1Tom Morello, 1 track on Rage Against the Machine's page HR1Henry Rollins, 1 track JL1Joseph Lucas Howze, 1 track MJ1Marcus James Ankeney, 1 track MA1M. Alvarado, 1 track KE1Kenneth Earl Houston, 1 track TI1The Impossebulls, 1 track KJ1Kyle Jason, 1 track S1Sekreto, 1 track CS1Charles Shaw, 1 track CM1Chuckie Madness, 1 track SK1Samuel Kim, 1 track SS1Sammy Sam, 1 track BJ1Brian Jason Butts, 1 track JL1Janol Lamont Holmes, 1 track J1Jagger-Richards, 1 track EB1Eric Brown, 1 track DB1Dejuan Boyd, 1 track S1Solé, 1 track MR1Mike Redman, 1 track ED1East Duel West, 1 track SV1Sammy Vegas, 1 track B1B-Real, 1 track on Cypress Hill's page SD1Sen Dog, 1 track on Cypress Hill's page CH1Cypress Hill, 1 track DP1DJ Premier, 1 track CM1Chris Martin, 1 track on Coldplay's page PD1Pop Diesel, 1 track MD1Mike D, 1 track on Beastie Boys's page A1Ad-Rock, 1 track on Beastie Boys's page R1Run-DMC, 1 track TW1T. Worthan, 1 track RP1Rayvoughn Pearson, 1 track GB1Glenn Bolton, 1 track JB1James Bomb, 1 track J"1Johnny "Juice" Rasado, 1 track N1Nas, 1 track R1Rapsody, 1 track BT1Black Thought, 1 track on The Roots's page Y1YG, 1 track Q1Questlove, 1 track on The Roots's page TM1Tracy Marrow, 1 track PB1Pacal Bayley, 1 track TH1Trevor Helt, 1 track MJ1Mark Jenkins, 1 track OH1Osten Harvey Jr., 1 track TI1the Impossebulls, 1 track RB1Rashad Brown, 1 track MA1Ms. Ariel, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. GG Gary G-Wiz · TB The Bomb Squad · KS Keith Shocklee · ES Eric Sadler · AK Amani K. Smith · HS Hank Shocklee

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Where credits exist, Public Enemy is Chuck D plus a production team: he is on 123 tracks, Eric Sadler on 40, Hank Shocklee on 31, Gary G-Wiz on 28 and Keith Shocklee on 24. Flavor Flav has 42, almost all of them shared. The rest of the picture is missing rather than absent: seven of the sixteen albums, all from 1999 onward, publish no per-track writers anywhere, and those are marked unverified rather than filled in.

Quick Facts

  • The writerChuck D on 123 of the 244 album tracks
  • The Bomb SquadEric Sadler 40, Hank Shocklee 31, Keith Shocklee 24
  • Flavor Flav42 credits, almost all of them shared
  • Missing creditsSeven albums publish no writers anywhere
  • American peak"Give It Up" reached number 33 on the Hot 100
  • Hall of FameInducted in 2013

Creative Fingerprint

One writer and a production team, with half the later catalogue undocumented.

The Story

Chuck D is on 123 of the 244 album tracks and the Bomb Squad producers are on most of the rest. Seven albums publish no writing credits at all.

Awards & Recognition

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2013
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 62nd Grammy Awards

Frequently Asked Questions Public Enemy

Does Chuck D write Public Enemy's songs?
He is credited on 123 of the 244 album tracks, more than anyone else in the group by a wide margin. Flavor Flav has 42. The producers write too: Eric Sadler is on 40, Hank Shocklee 31 and Gary G-Wiz 28.
Who wrote "Fight the Power"?
Carlton Ridenhour, who performs as Chuck D, with Eric Sadler and the Shocklee brothers of the Bomb Squad.
Who are the Bomb Squad?
The production team of Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Eric Sadler and Chuck D, who built the sound of the first four albums and share most of the writing credits on them.
Why do seven albums have no writers listed?
Their Wikipedia articles publish track listings with producers and no writers, and no Discogs release or MusicBrainz work relation supplies them. Those albums are marked unverified with a note rather than filled in from guesswork.
How many albums have they made?
Sixteen studio albums under the Public Enemy name between 1987 and 2025. Loud Is Not Enough came out as Enemy Radio, and the live records and compilations sit outside this catalogue.
Which single did best in America?
"Give It Up" reached number 33 on the Hot 100 and "Can't Truss It" number 50. Almost nothing else charted there.
What did It Takes a Nation of Millions do?
It was the first hip-hop album to top The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics poll.
Are they in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, inducted in 2013. They also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 62nd Grammy Awards.
Does Flavor Flav write?
He has 42 credits, mostly shared with Chuck D and the production team, including "911 Is a Joke" and "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man".
Who produced the later albums?
A rotating cast including Gary G-Wiz, Johnny "Juice" Rosado, C-Doc, Paris and DJ Pain 1, with Chuck D producing throughout.

Sources

Wikipedia: Public Enemy Wikipedia: Public Enemy discography Wikipedia: Chuck D Wikipedia: Flavor Flav Wikipedia: Professor Griff