Yo! Bum Rush the Show was the first album in a string of culturally significant releases such as the masterwork It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet, which featured hits like "911 Is a Joke," "Welcome to the Terrordome," "Burn Hollywood Burn," and the iconic "Fight The Power." PE's frontman, Chuck D, sounded like no other rapper at that time, with his bombastic voice and politically charged, pro-Black lyrics. Chuck D's lines like "Elvis was a hero to most/, but he never meant shit to me" will forever be branded into the minds of Golden Era rap fans for their honesty and anti-establishment attitude.

On "911 Is a Joke," P.E. hypeman Flavor Flav raps,

At the time of the song's release in 1990, there was a significant amount of criticism against police departments and their slowness in responding to calls from majority-Black neighborhoods.

This type of outspoken wordplay set Public Enemy apart from other groups and artists of its time. And it was this audacity and outspoken truth that would draw a young Khnum Muata Ibomu, AKA stic.man of dead prez to the Long Island-born legendary Hip-Hop group. In his own right, stic.man, as one of half of the duo dead prez with M-1, harnessed that P.E. energy in songs like the raucous hit single "Hip-Hop" and on knowledge-filled tracks like "They Schools."

ROCK THE BELLS connected with stic for its latest recurring feature, "The First Time I Heard" to talk about the first time he heard Public Enemy, how P.E. influenced dead prez, and why rappers don't rap about eating healthy.

What do you remember about the first time you heard Public Enemy?

stic.man: I remember feeling inspired! The authoritative tone of Chuck D's voice—he had a unique emcee voice. It was grown man James Brown meets Black Power motivational speaker-type vibe over the squelching Bomb Squad production. It was creative, urgent, and powerful, and it was infectious. My homies and I felt represented.

Do you remember the first Public Enemy song you heard and where you heard it?

SM: I remember the impact of the video of "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos." The way they showcased the prison break was inspiring. I also remember watching "Night of the Living Baseheads" on Rap City, and they had the host Chris Thomas also in the video on the "cooking pot, washing pot" segment. That was a funny yet heavy scene that touched me.

What member of the group do you remember gravitating towards the most and why?

SM: I liked the whole group dynamic. Chuck's leadership, Griff and the S1's discipline and Flav's unconstrained flavor and gold tooth smile, it all created a harmonious chord for many aspects in me, all in one group. It was the P.E. vibe that I loved.

How specifically did Public Enemy influence dead prez?

SM: P.E. inspired dead prez in that we saw an example of a successful rap group that moved the crowd with consciousness-raising music. It was hard and of substance, and they set the standard. We idolized their "artivism," and their example has not only influenced our musical works but it's also influenced our growth as men in our everyday lives.

Chuck D is a vegetarian and very outspoken about the need for colon cancer screening. My favorite dead prez song is "Be Healthy," and you're a big proponent of health and eating well. Why do you think more artists don't rap about health and speak about it in their music?

SM: I don't know why certain artists don't speak on certain things in their music. It's a choice, I guess. 

I just know I use my art to inspire in areas like health and wellness because it matters. My fit hop albums The Workout and Workout II both hit number one on the fitness charts, and it makes me so grateful to know millions of people are training, living healthier and getting and staying fit to my music. That means everything to me.

One thing that Public Enemy never shied away from was addressing racism and injustices. And neither did dead prez. I find it interesting that despite their sometimes very in-your-face calling out of white people, ie. Public Enemy with their infamous Elvis line or dead prez with "down for running up on them crackers in their city hall" on "Hip-Hop" audiences at concerts many times were overwhelmingly white Hip-Hop fans. Why do you think that is?

SM: I think there are more intelligent folks who could add to that answer, but I believe there are two reasons. One: the music is marketed to white audiences by white-ran corporations under the premise that that's the most prominent music-buying audience. Two: Black music provides a safe, accessible entry point into the black culture in a society that has invested in racial divisions since its inception. Hip-Hop, like ours, allows a vantage point.

dead prez, KRS-One, Public Enemy. Has that kind of Hip-Hop disappeared?

SM: We ain't disappeared. We back outside. We are working on a new Dead Prez album now, and we have a new website for updates at Deadprez.com.

You have an upcoming book. Do you want to share the details?

SM: My new book is The 5 Principles' and released on October 18. It's about my journeys in health, fitness, mindfulness, martial arts, and running and the key lessons, practices and takeaways for the healthy gangsta lifestyle I live and thrive in today.