Studio Album · No. 15

What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? Songwriting Credits by Public Enemy

2020 Def Jam 17 tracks 43:57

Produced by Chuck D, Flavor Flav, The LBX, C-Doc, DJ Infinite, DJ Pain 1, DJ Premier, Easy Mo Bee, Johnny "Juice" Rasado, Racer X, Threepeeoh

Def Jam Political Hip HopHardcore Hip Hop
92%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 12 of 13 tracks · 4 not yet documented

Authorship Breakdown 12 / 13 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 13 tracks with documented writers, by whether Public Enemy carries a lyricist or composer credit.

92%
12 trackswritten by Public Enemy 1 trackoutside writers 4 trackswriters not documented
Public Enemy's roles on this album

Share of the 17 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist71%
Composer71%
Producer6%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

17
Tracks
23
Lyricists
10
Producers
2020
Released
Data Insight

Thirteen of the seventeen tracks carry writers, with George Clinton, DJ Premier, Nas and Run-DMC among the guests sharing them. It is the most crowded credit sheet the group has.

What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? came out on Def Jam in September 2020, the group's return to the label after 21 years.

Track Listing & Credits 17 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
When the Grid Goes Down...
George ClintonDavid C. SnyderKhari Wynn George ClintonDavid C. SnyderKhari Wynn C-Doc Public Enemy (Performer)George Clinton (Featured Vocals)
2
GRID
Chuck DGeorge ClintonB-RealTorman JahiSen DogDavid C. Snyder Carlton Douglas RidenhourGeorge ClintonLouis FreeseTorman JahiSenen ReyesDavid C. Snyder C-Doc Public Enemy (Performer)Cypress Hill (Featured Vocals)George Clinton (Featured Vocals)
3
State of the Union (STFU)
Chuck DDJ Premier Carlton Douglas RidenhourChris Martin DJ Premier Public Enemy (Performer)DJ Premier (Featured Vocals)
4
Merica Mirror
Not documented - The LBX Public Enemy (Performer)Pop Diesel (Featured Vocals)
5
Public Enemy Number Won
Chuck DHank Shocklee Carlton Douglas RidenhourHank Shocklee C-Doc Public Enemy (Performer)Mike D (Featured Vocals)Ad-Rock (Featured Vocals)Run-DMC (Featured Vocals)
6
Toxic
DJ LordChuck DT. Worthan Lord AswodCarlton Douglas RidenhourT. Worthan Threepeeoh Public Enemy (Performer)
7
Yesterday Man
Chuck DMarcus AnkeneyDaddy-ORayvoughn Pearson Carlton Douglas RidenhourMarcus AnkeneyGlenn BoltonRayvoughn Pearson DJ InfiniteRacer XC-Doc Public Enemy (Performer)Daddy-O (Featured Vocals)
8
Crossroads Burning (Interlude)
Not documented - C-Doc Public Enemy (Performer)James Bomb (Featured Vocals)
9
Fight the Power: Remix 2020
Chuck DEric SadlerHank ShockleeKeith Shocklee Carlton Douglas RidenhourEric SadlerHank ShockleeKeith Shocklee Johnny "Juice" Rasado Public Enemy (Performer)Nas (Featured Vocals)Rapsody (Featured Vocals)Black Thought (Featured Vocals)Jahi (Featured Vocals)YG (Featured Vocals)Questlove (Featured Vocals)
10
Beat Them All
Chuck DDavid C. Snyder Carlton Douglas RidenhourDavid C. Snyder C-Doc Public Enemy (Performer)
11
Smash the Crowd
Chuck DIce-TPMDDavid C. Snyder Carlton Douglas RidenhourTracy MarrowParrish SmithDavid C. Snyder C-Doc Public Enemy (Performer)Ice-T (Featured Vocals)PMD (Featured Vocals)
12
If You Can't Join Em Beat Em
Chuck DDavid C. Snyder Carlton Douglas RidenhourDavid C. Snyder C-Doc Public Enemy (Performer)
13
Go at It
Chuck DMarcus AnkeneyPacal BayleyTrevor HeltTorman Jahi Carlton Douglas RidenhourMarcus AnkeneyPacal BayleyTrevor HeltTorman Jahi DJ Pain 1 Public Enemy (Performer)Jahi (Featured Vocals)
14
Don't Look at the Sky (Interlude)
Not documented - C-Doc Public Enemy (Performer)Mark Jenkins (Featured Vocals)
15
Rest in Beats
Chuck DMarcus AnkeneyEasy Mo BeeTorman JahiDavid C. SnyderKhari Wynn Carlton Douglas RidenhourMarcus AnkeneyOsten Harvey Jr.Torman JahiDavid C. SnyderKhari Wynn C-DocEasy Mo Bee Public Enemy (Performer)the Impossebulls (Featured Vocals)
16
R.I.P. Blackat
Flavor FlavRashad Brown William Jonathan Drayton Jr.Rashad Brown Flavor Flav Public Enemy (Performer)
17
Closing: I Am Black
Not documented - C-DocThe LBX Public Enemy (Performer)Ms. Ariel (Featured Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 56 contributors

CD
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour
Writer
On this album11 written
CD
Chuck D
Writer
On this album11 written
DC
David C. Snyder
Writer
On this album6 written
MA
Marcus Ankeney
Writer
On this album3 written
TJ
Torman Jahi
Writer
On this album3 written
GC
George Clinton
Writer · Vocals
On this album2 written
HS
Hank Shocklee
Writer
On this album2 written
KW
Khari Wynn
Writer
On this album2 written
DP
DJ Premier
Writer · Producer · Vocals
On this album1 written
EM
Easy Mo Bee
Writer · Producer
On this album1 written
FF
Flavor Flav
Writer · Producer
On this album1 written
B
B-Real
Writer
On this album1 written

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2012 100%
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2015 100%
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2017 n/a
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Frequently Asked Questions What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?

Who wrote What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?
Chuck D on most of it, sharing with George Clinton, DJ Premier, B-Real, Sen Dog and a long list of guests across thirteen of the seventeen tracks.
Did any single chart in the Hot 100?
No single from the album entered the chart.
How did it sell?
The discography publishes certifications for it rather than a sales figure.
Are engineering credits published?
No. The album article names no engineer.
Who produced it?
The group with a range of outside producers.
Why the return to Def Jam?
It was their first album for the label since 1999, released 33 years after the debut.
How long is the album?
43:57 across seventeen tracks.
Data note: Four interludes have no documented writer: "Merica Mirror", "Crossroads Burning (Interlude)", "Don't Look at the Sky (Interlude)" and "Closing: I Am Black". Each runs under fifteen seconds. The album article leaves their writer cells blank, the Def Jam release on Discogs lists no Written-By for the record, and their Genius pages credit only producers.

Sources

Wikipedia: What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? Discogs: Public Enemy - What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down? Genius: Pop Diesel - Merica Mirror Genius: James Bomb - Crossroads Burning Genius: Mark Jenkins - Don't Look at the Sky Genius: Ms. Ariel - Closing: I Am Black Wikipedia: Public Enemy discography Wikipedia: Public Enemy Cover Art Archive: What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? by Public Enemy