Public Enemy - 911 Is a Joke

Track Name
Public Enemy

Fear of a Black Planet

911 Is a Joke

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Total Unique Listeners

99,635

Total Individual Plays

290,789

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"911 Is a Joke" is a 1990 song by American hip hop group Public Enemy, from their third album, Fear of a Black Planet. The song is solely done by Flavor Flav. It was released as a single and became a hit in June 1990, reaching number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and number 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, becoming their second number-one rap chart hit after "Fight the Power". It also reached number one on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. This was due largely to its sales, which were unusually high for the level of mainstream airplay it received; Billboard reported that only one of the stations on its Top 40 panel was playing it.

The song is about the lack of response to emergency calls in a black neighborhood, but specifically references the poor response by paramedic crews and not the police, which is a common misconception regarding the track; the "911" in the title of the song refers to 9-1-1, the emergency telephone number used in North America.