Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community.

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Public Enemy number forty-four on their list of The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. They will be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

They also went on to release Fear of a Black Planet, which was considered to be just as militant and controversial as their first two releases. It was also the most successful of any of their albums to date and in 2005 was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress. It included the singles "911 (Is a Joke)", which criticized emergency response units for taking longer to arrive at emergencies in the black community than those in the white community, and "Fight the Power", which is considered by many to be the group's anthem. The song is regarded as among the most popular and influential in Hip Hop history and was the theme song for Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing. Their next release, Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black, continued this trend, with songs like "Can't Truss It" and "# I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Niga". The album's influence could be seen and heard in the controversial song and video "By the Time I Get To Arizona" which chronicled the black community's frustration that some states did not recognize the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The video featured members of Public Enemy taking out their frustrations on politicians in the states not recognizing the holiday.