Martin Luther King Jr. Show: with Public Enemy, and D.J. Dr. Boogie & Crew, at the Hamilton Fire Company Banquet Hall, Neptune, NJ, January 17, 1988

Many of the original Hip-Hop parties took place at local roller rinks, community centers, parks, and clubs. Roller rinks were an important cultural site for fun in the late 70s and 80s where adults and teens would attend roller discos and Hip-Hop parties.  The space would be used as a place for DJs to spin, rappers to show their talents, and for breakers to showcase their dancing skills on the large skate floor. Community centers were another important space in the early years of Hip-Hop for youth to gather and escape their everyday life. Additionally, community centers and recreation centers were the original spaces where DJ Kool Herc would spin in his early era of DJing. The community centers such as the Bronx River Center and the PAL were usually located in the middle of the projects. But local promoters would give parties and give money back to the center for books and trips for the local kids in the community. 

Public Enemy was a group that adopted the military aesthetic early in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Members included Chuck D (Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, b. 1960), Flavor Flav (William Jonathan Drayton Jr., b. 1959), Terminator X (Norman Rogers, b. 1966), Professor Griff (Richard Griffin, b. 1960) and DJ Lord (Lord Aswod, b. 1975). Formed in Long Island, New York, in 1986, the politically charged group was known for their renegade lyrics and protest songs like “Fight the Power” and “Burn Hollywood Burn”. Public Enemy addressed the concerns of Black America which included songs discussing subjects such as racism and the mainstream media. Public Enemy's first four albums during the late 1980s and early 1990s were all certified either gold or platinum. They were inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 62nd Grammy Awards.