Fire Fight? Doors and Public Enemy Legends Have Teamed Up for a Special 2026 Record Store Day Collaboration

Doors drummer John Densmore has teamed up with Public Enemy frontman Chuck D in a new project called doPE. Bringing together two musical generations and genres, the duo will release their debut album, no country for old men, as a limited-edition colored-vinyl LP on April 18 in conjunction with the Record Store Day 2026 event.

Videos by American Songwriter

Densmore and Chuck D recorded the album specifically for this year’s Record Store Day. According to a press release, no country for old men “blends spoken word, rhythm, and raw social commentary to bring together generations of rebellion and reflection.” The album’s lead track, “every tick tick tick,” has been chosen as Record Store Day’s 2026 Song of the Year. It also will available on April 18.

[RELATED: Video of New Version of The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” Featuring Robby Krieger & John Densmore Is Coming Soon]

The LP will be housed in a deluxe gatefold package that will feature original illustrations by Chuck D.

The name doPE combines the first two letters of Doors and the initials of Public Enemy. Elements of both bands’ logos appear in the doPE logo, which Chuck D designed. The project came together after the classic-rock legend and the lauded hip-hop artist met in 2014 at a Record Store Day panel at the Amoeba Music Hollywood store in Los Angeles. That year, Chuck D served as Record Store Day Ambassador.

A year after they met, Chuck D sent an email to Densmore that read, “You’ve got the beats, I’ve got the rhymes, let’s make doPE.”

View this post on Instagram

More About the Making of the ‘no country for old men’ Album

Chuck D then began sending verses to Densmore to get the collaboration started. John responded with the line, “Everybody gets older, but not everybody gets elder.” According to the press release, “The phrase became a philosophical cornerstone of the project, a meditation on responsibility, legacy and the bond between generations.”

The lyrical exchange led to the writing of the album’s title track, described as the “thematic anchor” of the project.

In a statement, Chuck D said about working with the Doors drummer, “John Densmore’s beat isn’t just rhythm, it’s history talking. He’s been scoring moments of our culture for decades, and that wisdom hits different when it meets the now. This collaboration is about locking generations together and pushing sound forward.”

Densmore added, “It’s been an honor working with Chuck D. on this project. He’s got the rhymes & I’ve got the beats… & we made doPE!”

RSD Co-Founder Michael Kurtz on the doPE Collaboration

“every tick tick tick” was co-produced by Densmore, David “C-Doc” Snyder, and JP Hesser. According to the press announcement, the song “captures the urgency of hip-hop, the raw pulse of rock and a shared sense of social responsibility.”

Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz said about the track, “To me … ‘every tick tick tick’ captures that moment, as well as the times we’re living in.”

He added, “I’m excited about this new doPE album by John and Chuck and to have ‘every tick tick tick’ be Record Store Day’s 2026 pick for RSD Song of the Year.”

A full list of Record Store Day 2026 releases will be announced soon.

‘no country for old men’ Track List:

Side A:

1. “every tick tick tick”
2. “no country for old men”
3. “doomsay”
4. “the bones of my father”
5. “i love that i don’t know”
6. “people are strangers”

Side B:

1. “breakthru”
2. “ops3ssion”
3. “dajali ii”
4. “everybody dies”
5. “no country for old men” (dub)
6. “saydoom” (dub)

(Photo by Grant Ball)