Yo! Bum Rush The Show  by Public Enemy

In March 1987, Public Enemy's debut album titled Yo! Bum Rush The Show was released, a hip hop album that would shake things up as the lyrics of its songs would describe the raw reality experienced by the Black population in the metropolises of the United States of America. The intense politicized lyrics of Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, also known as Chuck D, would provoke reactions even from radio stations that refused to air songs from this particular album.

Musically, the album is a wild and harsh relentless assault on unsuspecting listeners. The album's production involved the Bomb Squad production team. The record was released by Rick Rubin's Def Jam, who also helped in mixing the album. The album cover shows the whole then-group of Public Enemy in a poorly lit basement in front of a pick-up truck, with an expression as if they are plotting some plan. Additionally, for the first time, the now-legendary logo of the group with the target appears.

At the time of its release, the album reached only No. 125 on the Billboard chart. Over the years, its sales exceeded 500,000 in the U.S., thus now belonging to the category of gold records. Yo! Bum Rush The Show is an important album in hip hop music as it brought a different perspective on what hip hop could be.