Analyzing ‘Fight the Power’ Part 1
Music and Longevity Across Evolving Marketing Eras
FIGHT THE POWER
project overview
It is still fresh in our minds that we witnessed the case of George Floyd’s murder by excessive police brutality in 2020. The video footage spread around the world overnight, and despite the incident that occured admid the first ever COVID-19 quarantine policy measures, it caught the attention of people worldwide and led to protests in support of humanity and Black lives. At that time, even though a lot of people stayed inside, the protests were seen every week nationwide, and it did not take too long to create a global movement. Notably, while the protestors continued delivering their message, Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” served as a fitting powerful backdrop. Originally released in 1989, the song became one of the catalytic anthems for the rise of Black culture while during the Rodney King’s case with 4 abusive police officer’s trial in 1992. Now over three decades later, the song’s enduring message once again was highlighted as the persistent struggle for justice remarkably exposed. In this digital age, the internet secured its position as the standard medium of communication, and the world is smaller as as a finger-click away allowing a 70-year old’s wisdom in a remote village of 8,000 miles of distance and a New York Times’ best selling author would access the same song simultaneously. Through a comprehensive analysis, this study will contribute to our understanding of how the ever-changing relationship between music, its distribution method, along with activism, and cultural shifts with a specific focus on the impact of “Fight the Power” utilizing its longevity.
Public Enemy and Fight the Power
Released in 1989, Used for Protesting in 2020
Public Enemy and Fight the Power
The Song in Their Words
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Fight the Power
- word count: 489
- track length: 5’23”
- peak: #68 in Sep. 1989
[…] Chuck D, lead MC of the revolutionary rap group from Long Island, drew upon his days as a youth listening to the Isley Brothers in the 1970s. Their protest-era song “Fight The Power” was the first time he’d heard a curse word in music. With atrocities like the 1986 murder of Michael Griffith still hanging in the arid air of the NYC pressure cooker, Chuck felt it was way past time for a song to address “all the bullshit goin’ down.”
- word count: 367
- track length: 4’42”
- peak: #10 in May 1990
This militant and confrontational approach was designed to empower the Black community and create some controversy along the way, which helped sell a lot of albums. By this point, many of Public Enemy’s fans were young white guys who liked the beats and associated with the anti-authority message. The group had also been through charges of anti-Semitism, reverse racism and homophobia, and emerged mostly unscathed (although their “Minister of Information,” Professor Griff, left the group after declaring “Jews are wicked”), so declaring white people “Rednecks” in this song wasn’t that much of a risk.
- word count: 744
- track length: 4’57”
- peak:
The updated 1989 track, originally created for Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, includes modern references like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brook, three African Americans killed by white officers in separate incidents.
In this pivotal year and racially charged era, the BET Awards chose to open their show in June with a new version of Public Enemy’s iconic 1989 song “Fight the Power,” which sadly is as relevant today as it was 31 years ago. The new video includes group founders Chuck D and Flavor Flav along with many images and scenes from recent Black Lives Matter protests, as well as guest verses or appearances from Nas, Rapsody, YG, Jahi and the Roots’ Black Thought and Questlove.
Fight the Power Before Internet
Billboard Top 200 Album Chart
Trends around Fight the Power
| Week | Rank | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-09-09 | 68 | Do The Right Thing | Soundtrack |
| Rank | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hangin’ Tough | New Kids On The Block |
| 2 | Repeat Offender | Richard Marx |
| 3 | Forever Your Girl | Paula Abdul |
| 4 | Girl You Know It’s True | Milli Vanilli |
| 5 | Batman (Soundtrack) | Prince |
| 6 | Full Moon Fever | Tom Petty |
| 7 | Skid Row | Skid Row |
| 8 | Cuts Both Ways | Gloria Estefan |
| 9 | The End Of The Innocence | Don Henley |
| 10 | The Raw & The Cooked | Fine Young Cannibals |
Trends around Fight the Power
| Week | Rank | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-05-26 | 10 | Fear Of A Black Planet | Public Enemy |
| Rank | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got | Sinead O’Connor |
| 2 | Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ’Em | M.C. Hammer |
| 3 | Brigade | Heart |
| 4 | Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 | Janet Jackson |
| 5 | Soul Provider | Michael Bolton |
| 6 | Pretty Woman | Soundtrack |
| 7 | Poison | Bell Biv DeVoe |
| 8 | Nick Of Time | Bonnie Raitt |
| 9 | Violator | Depeche Mode |
| 10 | Fear Of A Black Planet | Public Enemy |
Fight the Power Before Internet
Billboard Top 200 Album Chart
Fight the Power Before Internet
Billboard Top 200 Album Chart with #1 songs
Chart Trends
Comparing Fight the Power & Best Alternative Music Album 1991
“Afrocentric and Political” Features Fight the Power, no single made it in Hot 100 chart
- release date: Apr. 10, 1990
- total length: 63’21”
- peak: #10 - week of May 26, 1990
- weeks to peak: 5
- number of tracks: 20
- Contract on the World Love Jam
- Brothers Gonna Work It Out
- 911 Is a Joke
- Incident at 66.6 FM
- Welcome to the Terrordome
- Meet the G That Killed Me
- Pollywanacraka
- Anti-Nigger Machine
- Burn Hollywood Burn
- Power to the People
- Who Stole the Soul?
- Fear of a Black Planet
- Revolutionary Generation
- Can’t Do Nuttin’ for Ya Man
- Reggie Jax
- Leave This Off Your Fuckin’ Charts
- B Side Wins Again
- War at 33⅓
- Final Count of the Collision Between Us and the Damned
- Fight the Power
“Critically Acclaimed” Nominated for 4 Grammy Awards in 1991, 2 singles charted in Hot 100
- release date: Mar. 20, 1990
- total length: 51’09”
- peak: #1 - week of May 5, 1990
- weeks to peak: 4
- number of tracks: 10
- Feels So Different
- I Am Stretched On Your Grave
- Three Babies
- The Emperor’s New Clothes
- Black Boys On Mopeds
- Nothing Compares 2 U
- Jump In the River
- You Cause As Much Sorrow
- Last Day of Our Acquaintance
- I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
Chart Trends
Trends of the Top 10 Songs when Fear of a Black Planet ranked highest
Market with Physical Media Copies
- Not able to track each plays
Playlists were made with duplicated copies - once purchased, no more no more monetary transactions
However, $10 - 20 ea. Trends may have also been created by specific economical segments
Potential buyers vs. product availability
Distributor/retailer perception was heavily reflected
Distribution by Streaming Services
Measurable (sales, streaming counts, or other units available)
Accessible to audiences - free (sponsored) streaming which is also traceable
Consumer listening habits are heavily accounted
song credits
Fight The Power - From “Do The Right Thing” Soundtrack
Performed by: Public Enemy
Written by: Carlton Ridenhour, Eric Sadler, Keith Shocklee
Produced by: Hank Shocklee, Carl Ryder, Eric Sadler, Keith Shocklee, Spike Lee
Source: UNI/MOTOWN
Fight The Power
Performed by: Public Enemy
Written by: Carlton Ridenhour, Eric Sadler, Keith Shocklee
Produced by: The Bomb Squad
Source: Def Jam Recordings
Fight The Power Remix 2020 feat. Nas, Rapsody, Black Thought, Jahi, YG, & Questlove
Performed by: ?uestlove, Black Thought, Jahi, Nas, Public Enemy, Rapsody, YG
Written by: Carlton Ridenhour, Eric T. Sadler, Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee
Produced by: Johnny “Juice” Rosado
Source: Public Enemy PS/ Def Jam
references
- Billboard Charts:
- Spotify Metadata:
links
code and materials: https://github.com/ShokoLocoMocco/dav-capstone
author profile: https://shot.mba
other data viz works: https://sho-viz.com
