Evil Empire came just four months on the heels of Public Enemy's previous album, and where Heroes rained down hellacious aggression, Empire is more measured in its politics and musicality. Even the album's marquee track, "Riotstarted"—featuring a spoken-word intro by hardcore punk hero Henry Rollins and guitar from Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello—assumes a thoughtful mode. Then there's "Broke Diva," in which PE's resident reality-TV star Flavor Flav tears into reality TV. Don't say these guys have no sense of humor.
- Run-DMC
- Ice Cube
- Wu-Tang Clan