Artist: Run-D.M.C.
Video: 'Christmas in Hollis'
Highlight: A mischievous elf fills in for Santa while the rappers celebrate Christmas Queens-style. Buy 'Christmas in Hollis' on iTunes.

Metallica, Run-D.M.C., the Stooges, War, Bobby Womack, Jeff Beck, Chic, Wanda Jackson, and Little Anthony and the Imperials are the nine Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2009 nominees, it was announced Monday. Of these nine, ultimately five will be chosen for induction. The 24th Annual Induction Ceremony will take place on April 4th in Cleveland (in a first, tickets for the ceremony will be available to the public).

Eligibility for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dictates that the artist's recording career began at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Thus, this year's nominees must've all released their first recording by or before 1983. Last year's winning class included Madonna, John Mellencamp and Leonard Cohen.

Twenty years into a career that makes them, along with N.W.A., arguably the most influential group in hip-hop's history, Public Enemy continue to 'Fight the Power' through music and thought. The group, who've spent much of this summer on the road celebrating its 20-year anniversary, recently released a new album, 'How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?' The new album finds PE celebrating leader Chuck D's love of music, paying homage to Bob Dylan and fellow rap icons Run-DMC, among others. A few days after meeting backstage at the L.A. Rock the Bells stop, Chuck D spoke with Spinner about how AM radio shaped his love of music, the innovations that continue to inspire PE and how important a social-minded American festival like Rock the Bells is to hip-hop and music in general.

One of the things about Rock the Bells is that it's very socially conscious. How much does it mean to you to be playing with like-minded artists?

It allows artists to understand they can keep their consistent path and still further their careers here in the United States, because I think a lot of artists, be it Nas, the Roots, Cypress Hill especially, have seen there's been all these areas that have been set up festival-wise for their careers. But seeing it happen in the United States takes a concentrated effort, and Rock the Bells is able to make it come to fruition. It's proven to be a traveling Woodstock of hip-hop.

One of the things about the festival is that it mixes the established names with more up-and-comers, like the Coup, Murs and the like.

I don't think the artists have been up-and-coming. I think the up-and-coming is the new audience that's coming to the festivals, and also what's up-and-coming is the understanding of these artists that have been around seven to ten years, like Sage Francis, Mr. Lif, Living Legends, Murs and people like that. They're not rookies. The new artists bring more visibility to the older artists, and the mainstream artists bring visibility to everybody. This is a beautiful thing.

Though Run-DMC are often referred to as the "Beatles of hip-hop," the Wu-Tang Clan are making a bold move to claim that title for themselves. Wu-Tang leader RZA said the upcoming fifth album by the eight-strong group, to be titled '8 Diagrams' and released this fall, will feature a track called 'Gently Weeps.' On this cut, which is built around a sample of the George Harrison-penned 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps,' the Wu will not only borrow John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to play lead guitar but will also feature Harrison's son, Dhani, on acoustic guitar.

The Clan chieftain said it was easy to indoctrinate the son of the late Beatles guitarist into the way of the Wu, as the young Harrison is "the biggest Wu-Tang fan in the world," according to RZA.

'Crown Royal'
Run DMC, 2001

Rise: The trio showed hip-hop how to 'Walk This Way,' right into the pop mainstream with its multiplatinum collaborations.

Fall: Their endlessly delayed comeback was too long in coming, so guests such as Fred Durst and Stephan Jenkins were soooo 1990s by the time of its eventual release.

Stats: 'Raising Hell' (1986), 3 million; 'Crown Royal,' 150,000