Several members of P.E. were also infamous for their alignment with the
Nation of Islam and its leader, Minister Louis
Farrakhan, whose remarks and speeches they have sampled along with
Malcolm X's on several of their recordings.
Professor Griff, after reading the book "The Secret Relationship between Blacks and Jews", published by the Historical Research Department of the Nation of Islam, which elaborates on the Jewish role in the slave trade, Griff made what many perceived to be
anti-Semitic remarks in an interview he had with
David Mills of
The Washington Times. However, according to Chuck D's book
Fight The Power, after Griff cited several Jewish sources verifying his claim in a follow-up interview, Mills regretted writing the story and apologized to Griff. The story later surfaced in a
Village Voice article. It resulted in Griff leaving Public Enemy and founding his own group, Last Asiatic Disciples, whose lyrics were even more politically and racially charged than Public Enemy's.
[7][8]