As Public Enemy finished their UK tour at the Forum in London on Thursday night, their leader Chuck D told the crowd last month's violence in English cities had been inevitable. "This is a new world order, if you push people they're going to fuck shit up," he said. "But there is enough to go round for everyone. Tell your government that. Equal rights are important."

He added that the legendary hip-hop group had nearly cancelled their UK shows after the violence. "We almost didn't make this gig because of what happened here a month ago," he told the crowd. "People in America were going nuts and they were scared about coming over here. They were going: 'What the fuck is going on in England? A white man is acting like a black man.'"

Flavor Flav dedicated the song 911 Is a Joke to those imprisoned for rioting.

Public Enemy are perhaps the most politically involved rap outfit of the last 25 years. Chuck D coined the phrase "black folks' CNN" to describe hip-hop's ability to instantly and accurately report on the problems facing inner-city black communities in America. In August he recorded Notice, Know This, a response to Jay-Z and Kanye West's Otis, drawing attention to the discrepancy between the consumerist boasts of superstar rappers and the economic disempowerment of the communities the music represents.