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Raise The Roof - Public Enemy



     
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Raise The Roof Lyrics


Testing, one, two, testing, one, two
The house is now on fire, spread the walls y'all
Everybody get somebody
We don't want anybody let fuck nobody'Cause you know what time it is
It's time to get busy
And when it's time to get busy
You know what you gotta doYou gotta, raise the roof because it's all on fire
Not done by the sun or electrical wire
Not done by sons strikin' matches with daughters
But done by scratches so save that waterThis jam is packed so I just figure
All we need is the house to get bigger
So startin' with the roof down to the base
We're at your service to burn the placeCome on, come on
Come on, raise the roof
That's right, raise the roof
Come onWith the spot as hot as it can get
An' the roof's on fire, you're soaked and wet
The puzzle on your face shows as you sweat

But your body keeps movin' with no regretsChandeliers shake, swing from front to back
Left to right all night and the lights don't crack
Your mind's on the time hopin' it don't end
'Cause it's time to get stupid, here we go againCome on, come on
Come on raise the roof
Come on, raise the roof y'all
Come onStare at the Strope, pull your earlobe
For the sights and sounds clear across the globe
This jam might hit or miss the charts
But the style gets wild as state of the artDazzling in science, bold in nerve
But givin' my house what it deserves
Served on the floor 'cause I get payed
Make the fans that left, wished they had'a stayedRealize my friend, ain't this a trip
As your body gets railed when you do the flip
And your mind gets rocked when we're on the roll
Then the freak of the week makes you lose controlA Swatch for a watch, so you'll know the time
Your crowd gets loud and you clock my rhyme
The Messiah's on fire and I'm living proof
I'll quench your desire and raise your roofCome on, come on raise the roof
Come on, raise the roof
Come onIn school I'm cool throughout the week
When the weekend comes, I'm down with the Greeks
Frat brothers known across the seven seas
Fly ladies of the 80's, sororitiesThe Zetas, Deltas, AKA's
Women that keep me in a daze
The A-Phi-A - Sigma boys on the move
With the Kappas and the Ques and of course the grooveAnd for real it's the deal and the actual fact
Takes a nation of millions to hold me back
Rejected and accepted as a communist
Claimin' fame to my name as a terroristMakin' money in corners that you'll never see
Dodgin' judges and the lawyers and the third degree
Nothin' wrong with a song to make the strong survive
Realize gave me five 'cause I kept 'em aliveMislead what you read about my devilish deeds
Mislead what I said so you're better off dead
Make 'em hear it and see it for the deaf and blind
And command it and we'll plan it for incapable mindsTake for granted and demand it from the wave of my hand
Make the jealous understand it and just say damn
When they see me ask a question how the hell can it be?
When they watch me pull a serpent straight out of the seaTurn the winter into summer, then from hot to cold
Expand my power on the hour, make you all behold
From the slammer swing a hammer like the mighty Thor
God of thunder, you'll go under, then you'll all applaudAnd fathom that distance, that the mad must reap
Meet Namor, sea lord, 'Prince Of The Deep'
Here for you to fear at any cost
Tellin' you to get busy or you better get lostLivin' lives civilized from the lessons I taught
Cities buried underground just because I went off
My friends, enemies, better be my friend
Is the question people guessin' is this the end?End of the world, are you guessin' yes?
Just say and don't delay it, get it off your chest
Houses of crack, I've seen too much
I go ready, aim, fire, then I'll blow 'em up

Enjoy the lyrics !!!
Public Enemy, also known as P.E., is a seminal Golden Age era Hip-Hop group known for their densely layered production and politically charged lyrics demonstrating their interest in the concerns of the African American community.

PE formed in Long Island, New York, in 1982 around a WBAU radio show as Spectrum City. After one less-than-successful single, they regrouped and signed to the still developing Def Jam record label after Rick Rubin heard Chuck D freestyling on a demo. Their debut, ‘Yo! Bum Rush The Show’, was released in 1987 to mild critical acclaim, although the Hip-Hop climate changed dramatically due to sampling during the time of release. As a response, they went on to release the revolutionary ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ in 1988, which performed better in the charts than their previous release, and included the hit single ‘Don’t Believe the Hype’.

Slightly less militant than their previous releases Public Enemy’s, ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ was officially recognised as being the most successful and influential of the Public Enemy recordings when, in 2004, it became one of 50 recordings, chosen that year by the Library of Congress, to be added to the National Recording Registry. Sales-wise it was the most successful of any of their albums to date. It included the powerful and controversial 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 premier self-describing anthem. The song is considered to be amongst the most popular and influential in Hip Hop history and was the theme song for Spike Lee’s landmark film ‘Do The Right Thing’.

Public Enemy are to be considered musical pioneers for a broad variety of reasons. For instance, Terminator X elevated DJing to a refined art. Some of his most innovative scratching tricks can be heard on the track ‘Rebel Without A Pause’. PE’s production team, ‘The Bomb Squad’, offered up a web of innovative samples and beats; critic Steven Thomas Earlewine declared that PE “brought in elements of free jazz, hard funk, even musique concrète, via their [production] team, the Bomb Squad, creating a dense, ferocious sound unlike anything that came before.”

PE revolutionized the rap world with their political, social and cultural consciousness. These themes became infused into skilled and poetic rhymes with jazzy backbeats. They are recognised as the first Hip Hop group to make extended world tours, leading to huge popularity and influence within the Hip Hop communities of Europe and Asia. They also changed the internet’s music distribution capability by being the first group to release MP3 albums, a format virtually unknown at the time.

Public Enemy, in keeping with their ‘pioneer’ status, also helped to form and define the so-called ‘crossover’ genre of music (heavy rock music spliced with hip hop) by collaborating with New York thrash metal outfit Anthrax in 1991. The single ‘Bring The Noise’ was a remarkable potpourri of semi-militant pro-black lyrics, grinding guitars and sporadic humour. The two bands, cemented by a mutual respect, and the personal friendship between Chuck D and his Anthrax counterpart Scott Ian, introduced a hitherto alien genre to rock fans.

During the seemingly unlikely tour of Anthrax and Public Enemy, Flavor Flav made his famous pronouncement onstage that “They said this tour would never happen” (heard on Anthrax’s Live: The Island Years CD). This has become something of legendary significance in both rock and rap circles. There is some justification for the theory that without this unlikely musical partnership, bands such as Rage Against The Machine and Linkin Park would not have existed, and the genres of rap rock, nu metal and their related offshoots might have never developed.

Members of Public Enemy

Chuck D
Real name: Carlton Douglas Ridenhour
Role: Group leader, lyricist, main vocalist, and artwork
Birthdate: August 1, 1960

Flavor Flav
Real name: William Jonathan Drayton, Jr.
Role: Lyricist, vocalist, hype-man, and comic relief.
Birthdate: March 16, 1959

Professor Griff
Real name: Richard Griffin
Role: Head of S1W, liaison between PE and S1W, road manager. Ensured that the chaotic Flavor Flav was available when needed. Occasional vocalist and/or producer, plays drums at live shows.
Birthdate: August 1, 1960 (the same as Chuck D)

Terminator X
Real name: Norman Rogers
Role: DJ, Producer
Birthdate: August 25, 1966

Dj Lord
Real name: Lord Aswod
Role: DJ, Producer

The following are a part of The Bomb Squad, the revolutionary production group which is closely associated with (and sometimes considered a part of) Public Enemy:

Hank Shocklee
Real name: Hank Boxley
Bill Stephany
Keith Shocklee
Eric “Vietnam” Sadler
Chuck D - often listed as a member of the Bomb Squad under the pseudonymn “Carl Ryder”, a shortened form of his real name.

The S1W’s are sometimes considered a part of Public Enemy, as well.

There are three other groups named Public Enemy:

2) The first Public Enemy, an Oi!/punk band formed in 1984 who released one LP album (England's Glory) and one 7 inch (Skinheads). This band was never white supremacist and has no connection to the "revived" Public Enemy:

3) White Power group from the UK, formed by Paul Burnley (of No Remorse). Released 3 CDs: “Paul Burnley Is The Real Public Enemy”, "There is only one..." and “Archives”.

4) Public Enemy was a Hardcore/Punk group from Tuscon, Arizona.

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Public Enemy