ENEMY ENDING: The fact that Public Enemy...

ENEMY ENDING: The fact that Public Enemy is calling it quits is no big shock. The group, which for years ranked as the most-acclaimed act in rap, has been overshadowed in recent years by Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre and others, and PE leader Chuck D., now 35, has let it be known that he thinks the group is spent. But where PE has chosen to make its last stand is a surprise.

Instead of on its Bronx home turf, on Tuesday PE will give what it says is its last-ever concert at the Hackney Empire, a Victorian music hall in a rundown area of East London. PE will be rejoined for the occasion by its former associate Professor Griff, who was dismissed from the group in 1988 after making anti-Semitic remarks. The event is being filmed for possible MTV telecast and home video release.

The reason for the London site is reflected in recent comments by Chuck D. touting British hip-hop over current American rap and actively recruiting aspiring young English artists to send him tapes.