In 1989 one of the most eye opening and forward thinking films of all time, Do The Right Thing was released. While the film put the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bed-Stuy on the map, it also showed off the fact that hip-hop could fuel a film's soundtrack and enhance the dichotomy of a film's narrative. Director Spike Lee used a typical score for his Oscar® nominated film he also used the new urban sound that was sweeping New York City and young listeners around the country by storm. While the mainstream had yet to really take hip-hop serious, Lee, who executive produced the soundtrack, proved it was more than just beats and words and that it could lead action and show something far more serious, like folk and punk a generation prior, hip-hop now became the new voice of the people and Do The Right Thing showed that.
With it's lead single, Public Enemy's "Fight the Power," Do The Right Thing fueled in sales and spots on MTV. Also featured on the soundtrack are Steel Pulse, Al Jarreau, E.U. and many others, Do The Right Thing became more than a soundtrack to a film, but the call of a whole spawning sector seeking to be heard.