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Listen to What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down? by Public Enemy
ALBUMWhat You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?Public Enemy
Listen to Public Enemy Essentials featuring Public Enemy
PLAYLISTPublic Enemy EssentialsApple Music Hip-Hop
Listen to FREEDOM featuring Public Enemy
PLAYLISTFREEDOMApple Music
Listen to #TheShowMustBePaused: The Playlist featuring Public Enemy
PLAYLIST#TheShowMustBePaused: The PlaylistApple Music

Top Songs By Public Enemy

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS
Public Enemy
Public Enemy
Performer
Nas
Nas
Vocals
Rapsody
Rapsody
Vocals
Black Thought
Black Thought
Vocals
Jahi
Jahi
Vocals
YG
YG
Vocals
Johnny Juice Rosado
Johnny Juice Rosado
Keyboards
Clyde Stubblefield
Clyde Stubblefield
Drums
DJ Lord
DJ Lord
Scratches
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Carlton Ridenhour
Carlton Ridenhour
Composer
Eric T. Sadler
Eric T. Sadler
Composer
Hank Shocklee
Hank Shocklee
Composer
Keith Shocklee
Keith Shocklee
Composer
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
Johnny Juice Rosado
Johnny Juice Rosado
Mixing Engineer
JP Hesser
JP Hesser
Recording Engineer
Shawn Franklin
Shawn Franklin
Mastering Engineer

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Come on and get down, uh
Come on and get down, uh
[Verse 2]
The year is 2020, the number, another summer, get down
Sound of a funky drummer, music hittin' your heart
'Cause I know you got soul (Brothers and sisters)
[Verse 3]
The information age got 'em seein'
What's really wrong with these racist days
I honor the strong and pity the weak
Your thoughts run your life, be careful what you think
Haiti beat France in century seventeen
Salute Toussaint and Dessaline
And I do love France, know what I mean?
It's a system of talk and nobody's agreein'
They say it's suicide when dead bodies are swingin'
Cowards are huntin' black men, that's what I'm seein'
How many toasters have been burnt down?
And once Central Park was a thrivin' black town
Yo, Chuck, I'm fightin' the power right now
Thanks to you, Flav, and PE puttin' it down
Puttin' your life on the line so I can rap now
The next generation's still singin', "Fight the power"
[Verse 4]
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power
We've got to fight the powers that be
[Verse 5]
Police think they reign, sic nine over the law
Wanna give us short sticks, but we really Nia Long
To the boys in the hood, got them bullets and batons
Them boys in the hood, triple K's on they arm
Four fingers on my palm, screamin', "Fight, change the policy
Defund, buy back our property"
You love Black Panther, but not Fred Hampton
Word to the Howards and the Aggies and the Hamptons
They book us, won't book us, I'm Booker T. Washington
George killed for a twenty, think about it, (Think) that's two thousand pennies
The value of black life, the cost of goin' to Wendy's
For a four-quarter burger, ended in murder
Fight for Breonna and the pain of her mama, gotta fight
[Verse 6]
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power (Fight the power)
Fight the power
We've got to fight the powers that be
[Verse 7]
Yo, generations is how long we been at war
The revolution on all platforms
You break a man mind and his back
Your solidarity is what I'm wearin' all black for
For comrades who done fought without me
It's not to try and change all thoughts about me
Or to redirect your reports about me
Dear white people, you should take a course about me 'cause
Is it the long ding-a-ling, four-finger ring?
The sciences and the arts, the songs we can sing?
I really wanna know why y'all so scared?
Probably 'cause the promised land, we almost there, but look
I think of images that fueled my youth
Interviews by Craig Hodges and Abdul-Rauf
Examples like Olympic Black Power salute
To Panther troops I saw as I pursued my truth
If racism is a cancer, black thought's the answer
Gotta get up off the back porch
Emancipate your mind, get your bodies back from ransom (Come on)
And all black hands up for the anthem
[Verse 8]
Fight the power
Fight the power
Yo, yo, check this out, man
Bring that beat back, man
Two, three, four, hit it
[Verse 9]
People, people, stronger than this evil
Smashin' your power structure, melanin, royal, regal
System designed to kill and not protect
Worldwide, hit the streets just to get some respect
Our fight and our rights for freedom will never waver
Justice Breonna Taylor, salute Chuck and Flava
Feel the same anger since Radio Raheem died
Black power to the people, push forward pride
[Verse 10]
Fight the power like it's a opp though
Born to fight, I made it off the block, though
Thought he had a gun, and he was black, that's the combo
The police killed George havin' a convo
They killed Malcolm X, they killed Doctor King
They gave us guns and dope, they wanna stop our kings
Tryna erase our history, stop and think
History class ain't tell us 'bout Juneteenth
Cops don't give a damn about a negro
Pull a trigger, kill a ****, he's a hero
Fuck livin' life on welfare
The last one who cared was Obamacare
Round twelve, nose kinda bloody, gotta keep fightin'
Trump flew to North Korea, they respect violence
If you ain't tryna have your city on fire
Put some respect on our name
We come from gold and diamonds
[Verse 11]
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
We've got to fight the powers that be
[Verse 12]
Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me, you see
Straight up racist, that sucker was, simple and plain
Motherfuck him and John Wayne
'Cause I'm black and I'm proud
I'm ready, I'm hyped, plus I'm amped
Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps
Sample a look back, you look and find nothing
But rednecks for four hundred years if you check
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" was the number-one jam
Damn, if I said it, you could slap me right here
Get it
Let's get this party started right
Right on, come on
What we got to say (Yeah), power to the people, no delay
Make everybody see
And all that you fight the powers that be
Written by: Carlton Ridenhour, Eric T. Sadler, Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee

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