%22Fight the Power%22 is a song by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released as a single in June 1989 on Motown Records. It was conceived at the request of film director Spike Lee, who sought a musical theme for his 1989 film Do the Right Thing. First issued on the film's 1989 soundtrack, a different version was featured on Public Enemy's 1990 studio album Fear of a Black Planet.%22Fight the Power%22 incorporates various samples and allusions to African-American culture, including civil rights exhortations, black church services, and the music of James Brown.As a single, %22Fight the Power%22 reached number one on Hot Rap Singles and number 20 on the Hot R&B Singles. It was named the best single of 1989 by The Village Voice in their Pazz & Jop critics' poll. It has become Public Enemy's best-known song and has been accoladed as one of the greatest songs of all time by critics and publications. In 2001, the song was ranked number 288 in the %22Songs of the Century%22 list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.