Backstage Pass

LOS ANGELES — There’s something truly revolutionary about Public Enemy leading a crowd through a version of “Fight the Power” in the Clive Davis Theater of The Grammy Museum, with artifacts from Whitney Houston’s life just outside the door. Music really can be the great equalizer.

“Fight the Power” capped a night of discussion Tuesday about the Roosevelt hip-hop group’s legendary career,...

Director Spike Lee and the legendary Harry Belafonte have signed on to induct Roosevelt’s Public Enemy into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month at a ceremony at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

Both Belafonte, who shares Public Enemy’s mix of entertainment and political activism, and Lee, who has collaborated with the rap group on several projects starting with using their...

Believe the hype. Long Island rap group Public Enemy will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, along with an eclectic class that includes hard-hitting Heart, prog-rockers Rush, singer-songwriter Randy Newman, bluesman Albert King and Queen of Disco Donna Summer.

“We are thrilled to announce this year’s class of inductees, which again represents the broad, compelling and...

Long Island's Public Enemy and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts lead this year's eclectic slate of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees, alongside prog-rockers Rush, electro-pop pioneers Kraftwerk, gangsta rappers N.W.A. and disco leaders Donna Summer and Chic.

“The definition of ‘rock and roll’ means different things to different people, but as broad as the classifications may be, they all share...

Billy Joel's “Piano Man” dominated the readers’ vote for last week’s installment of “100 Songs Every Long Islander Should Know.”

The classic landed just short of the overall Top 5, though we did get a new entry. Ryan Star's "Last Train Home" pulled into the Top 5 station, pushing out Bayside's "Montauk." For those keeping track at home, the current standings among readers...