Hip-hop pioneers and icons Public Enemy performed their new song “Grid” while performing as the musical guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night. The group was also joined by industry veteran George Clinton and B-Real of the famed hip-hop group Cypress Hill for the performance.
“Grid” is a track that appears on Public Enemy’s latest album What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? The performance sees the rappers trade verses with B-Real, who offers a verse that echoes much of his nasally and socially-minded rhymes that he became known for throughout his career in Cypress Hill. The song and performance concludes with George Clinton performing his signature spoken word rhyming, dressed in a pink trench goat, gas mask and faux officer hat.
Public Enemy released What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? on September 25 on the Def Jam Recordings label. The album features an array of iconic and superstar guest names across the rap and hip-hop genre including Nas, YG, Rapsody, DJ Premier, Black Thought, Questlove, Cypress Hill, George Clinton, Run-DMC, Ice-T and remaining Beastie Boys members Mike D and Ad Rock, among others.
The album marks Public Enemy’s first release with Def Jam Recordings since 1998 and comes just one month after they announced they were re-signing with the hip-hop conglomerate back in August. The group’s return to Def Jam included a marketing campaign that saw the Public Enemy logo projected on various cultural landmarks across the globe including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Parliament building in London.
The hip-hop group achieved widespread critical and commercial success with their early studio releases on Def Jam including It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988), Fear of a Black Planet (1990) and Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black (1991).
Photo credit: Marv Watson
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