Favorite "#" Songs #7 - "911 is a Joke"
@teamfreak16 (43586)
Denver, Colorado
June 11, 2017 2:37pm CST
We are at #7 in my Favorite "#" Songs series, the theme being songs with numbers in the title (and the numbers cannot be spelled out.) @FourWalls is doing one as well, and although I think we are going to match on one, this is not the one I'm thinking of. The seventh spot belongs to Public Enemy's "911 is a Joke."
One of my favorite protest songs, "911 is a Joke" deals with slow response times of paramedic teams when a 911 call originates from a black neighborhood. Public Enemy's main rapper, Chuck D, takes a back seat to his partner, Flavor Flav, who performs the entire tune.
The song hit #1 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart, and #15 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. Interestingly, although only one station in Billboard's survey reported playing the song, "911 is a Joke" reached #1 on that magazine's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, which is based upon a poll of Top 40 stations.
While the main sample is Vincent Price's eerie laugh from "Thriller," Parliament and Eddie Murphy, among others, were also sampled. The song has also been covered by Duran Duran.
And yes, this is one that I repeat a few times whenever it comes up on shuffle on my iPod.
Enjoy!
(Info verified by Wikipedia)
4 people like this
3 responses
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
11 Jun 17
This was something else Scott huh?
I will dance to this too today

1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43586)
• Denver, Colorado
11 Jun 17
It does have a good dance beat, doesn't it?
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
11 Jun 17
@teamfreak16 I can dance to everything Scott and yes it has a good beat.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43586)
• Denver, Colorado
11 Jun 17
@TiarasOceanView - I'm sure you'll enjoy it then!
1 person likes this

@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
18 Jun 17
"Get up, get get get down, 911 is a joke in your town..."
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
18 Jun 17
@teamfreak16 That line was always a little confusing to me. I mean, I understand the "late" part, but not the "crown" part. Are they the winners in being late? Was it just a convenient rhyme? Was it a reference to something I don't know?
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43586)
• Denver, Colorado
18 Jun 17
@spiderdust - I think they are the kings of being late. That's how I take it.
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
11 Jun 17
Flavor Flav, what a character.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43586)
• Denver, Colorado
11 Jun 17
Possibly the funniest guy in hip hop.
1 person likes this




