Welcome To The Terrordome

Public Enemy came under fire from the Jewish community after equating the black experience with the holocaust. When Professor Griff, who was the group's "Minister of Information," told the Washington Times that "Jews are wicked. And we can prove this," it incited a great deal of controversy and led to Griff leaving Public Enemy. "Terrordome" takes on this controversy. Group leader Chuck D explained to Keyboard magazine in 1990: "My job is to write shocking lyrics that will wake people up. Take 'Welcome to the Terrordome.' How could I talk about 1989 and not talk about the band's confrontation with the Jewish community? It would've been false! But no matter what, if I mention the word 'Jew' on a record, if I'm not explicitly praising the Jewish community, that record will be deemed anti-Semitic because people would just hear that word in a rap song by a group that allegedly said something about the Jewish community and interpret it accordingly. But I had to tell people what happened and how it happened, and a line like 'Tell the rab to get off the rag' is about what happened. I told Rabbi Cooper, 'Listen, I'll take care of the situation, don't worry about it, calm down,' and his attitude was, like, 'Everything's cool, I just want to know what's going on. These things can't happen, and if this is your group member, it doesn't make things look good for the rest of the group.'"

Chuck D told NME that the song's title was inspired by an article he read in Melody Maker with the title "Welcome to the Terrordome" (a pun on Frankie Goes to Hollywood's album Welcome to the Pleasuredome).

Aside from addressing the political controversy that surrounded Public Enemy concerning the Jewish community in "Welcome To The Terrordome," Chuck D also spoke on the death of Yusef Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins was a 16-year-old African American male who was murdered in the summer of 1989 in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst when he was ambushed and killed by a group of young white men. This event added fuel to the fire that was already burning throughout racial relationships. Chuck's frustration can be heard in the following lines: First, nothings worse than a Mother's pain of a son slain in Bensonhurst Can't wait for the state to decide the fate So this jam I dedicate Places with the racist faces Example of one of many places He also gives his take on thought versus action: Whatcha do is get your head ready instead of getting physically sweaty when I get mad I put it down on a pad give you something that you never had Chuck D was known for offering fearless lyrical insight on controversial subjects, putting him at the top of the most influential emcees list in the genre of hip-hop.