"Shut 'Em Down" is the fourth single from

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

's fourth studio album '' Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black''. Chuck D of Public Enemy explained to ''Melody Maker'' in 1991: "'Shut 'Em Down' is about major corporations like Nike taking profits from the black community, but not giving anything back, never opening businesses in black areas. And it's saying that the best way to boycott a business is to start your own." Part of group member

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped creat ...

's voice was sampled on the track "Ten Crack Commandments" by

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

, off the album ''

Life After Death The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...

''. The opening of the song was used by

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons' ...

Television Productions (RSTV) during the closing credits of

Def Comedy Jam ''Def Comedy Jam'' is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons. The series had its original run from March 7, 1992 to May 2, 1997. Simmons was inspired to make Def Comedy Jam by The Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York and Jerry Le ...

. This song was used in the 2008 thriller film ''

Lakeview Terrace ''Lakeview Terrace'' is a 2008 American crime thriller film directed by Neil LaBute, written by David Loughery and Howard Korder, co-produced by James Lassiter and Will Smith, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington. ...

'', the 2009 video game ''

Madden NFL 10 ''Madden NFL 10'' is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. The 21st installment of the ''Madden NFL'' series, it is the first game to feature two players o ...

'' and the 2014 video game ''

NBA 2K15 ''NBA 2K15'' is a 2014 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It is the sixteenth installment in the ''NBA 2K'' franchise and the successor to ''NBA 2K14''. It was released in October 2014 for Mi ...

''. A mashup of the song with

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional l ...

's "Stand Up" was created by fan Pony Sixfinger, who posted it on his ''YouTube'' channel. After Liam Howlett of The Prodigy saw it, the band released an official version of the mashup, the song "Shut 'Em Up". (The new release's title was a combination of the words from the two original songs' individual titles, making the title, like the song itself, a mashup.) The song was included as a bonus track on the expanded edition of ''

The Day Is My Enemy ''The Day Is My Enemy'' is the sixth studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was released on 30 March 2015 by record labels Take Me to the Hospital/Cooking Vinyl in the UK and Three Six Zero Music/Warner Bros. Records in th ...

''. The mashup was eventually used in a commercial for

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

, and as the opening song for the ''

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

'' documentary series ''Shut Up And Dribble''. The song was also used in the movie ''

Fist Fight Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing boxing glove, protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a ...

''.

Charts

References

1991 singles 1991 songs Public Enemy (band) songs Music videos directed by Mark Pellington {{1990s-hiphop-song-stub