“By the Time I Get to Arizona” centered on Arizona governor Evan Mecham’s decision to cancel the Martin Luther King Jr. While they may be best remembered for their politically charged “Fight the Power,” years before the 1989/1990 release the group embarked on recording another high-profile, protest song. It set out to be the voice of a community, not just one more posse of boasters.” Chicago Tribune writer Daniel Brogan described Public Enemy’s style on the album as “raw and confrontational,” writing that the group “doesn’t aim to - or have a chance at - crossing over.” According to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, “From its first album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show in 1987, the group marketed itself as a distillation of black anger and resistance. Serving as a stark contrast to initial releases from the likes of T La Rock & Jazzy Jay and Oran “Juice” Jones who relied mostly on feel-good records, Public Enemy wasn’t in the business of making party anthems. Prior to a dispute that ultimately severed their relationship in 1999, Def Jam released every Public Enemy album since its 1987 debut, Yo! Bum Rush the Show.

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