Politicians take note, Public Enemy is back, and they have arrived with a vengeance. P.E. has always thrived on urgency. From the blasts of It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back to the anthems of Fear of a Black Planet, the group’s music has been both a soundtrack and a megaphone for social resistance. With their surprise drop, Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025, Chuck D and Flavor Flav prove they’re still sharp, restless, and unwilling to let hip-hop or America sleepwalk through the present moment.
The album, released without warning on June 27 via Bandcamp on a “pay-what-you-want” model, caught many fans off guard. I only stumbled onto it after seeing Public Enemy tear into a medley on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Brooklyn. That performance sandwiched the new track The Hits Just Keep on Comin between classics Don’t Believe the Hype and Fight the Power, a reminder that the band’s legacy and its present-tense fire exist on the same continuum. Watch below:
Across 12 tracks, Black Sky swings between rage, satire, and reflection. C’mon Get Down kicks things off with PE’s trademark mix of bombast and message. Evil Way calls out hollow gangster posturing, while Sexagenarian Vape and Ageism confront stereotypes about older artists, with Chuck D spitting: “Been their age, they ain’t never been mine… Ageism stuck in the bitterverse.” These are the kinds of generational reckonings few other hip-hop veterans dare to tackle head-on.
Political critique remains central. March Madness is a searing indictment of lawmakers who have failed to stem gun violence in schools. Fools Fool Fools (Dirty Drums Mixx) broadens the scope, taking aim at climate denial, corruption, and the “masquerade parade spinning in webs of charades.” Flavor Flav, as always, balances the gravitas with moments of mischief — Messy Hens gleefully skewers gossip culture with the kind of playful barbs only Flav can deliver.
The production is lean and muscular, led by Carl Ryder, C-Doc, JP Hesser, and Sam Farrar. There’s a raw immediacy here, with live percussion from Green Day’s Tré Cool on Fools Fool Fools giving the record extra punch. While much of today’s hip-hop has pivoted to moodier trap soundscapes, PE keep their beats booming, their cuts jagged, and their delivery direct.
What makes Black Sky resonate is the sense that Public Enemy are not stuck in nostalgia. Yes, they nod to their Hall of Fame status on Public Enemy Comin’ Throoooo, but the album is far more about relevance than reverence. This isn’t a museum piece. It’s a call to arms.
Flavor Flav framed it best when he told fans: “These new tracks are for you to get down to at home. Pay whatcha want for the next 72 hours.” And Chuck D echoed the sentiment to NME: “This album is a give back to all of our fans with gratitude and appreciation.”
More than 35 years after they rewrote the DNA of hip-hop, Public Enemy are still pushing, still provoking, and still proving that their name — and their message — carries weight. Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025 isn’t just a late-career victory lap. It’s a reminder that hip-hop’s conscience has unfinished business.
Reel Deal: A blistering, defiant return that blends sharp commentary with fresh creative fire. Public Enemy remains as essential as ever.
DeMarcus Reynolds knows music. From rock to trap to hip-hop, he covers the beats that move culture.
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