This solo Flavor Flav track playfully tackles the deathly-subpar response of the 911 hotline to medical emergency calls in poor, Black communities.

Writing for The Grio, David A. Love references the song a few times on his retrospective commentary about 911’s response times, observing that:

The song’s themes resonated with poor, black and Latino communities who often are victims of crime but are not properly served by emergency responders when they are in need… So, is 911 really still a joke? Apparently yes, two and a half decades later. But in Far Rockaway, nobody’s laughing, only crying. As the song says, there’s not a minute to spare.

“911 Is A Joke” reached number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and number 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, becoming Public Enemy’s second number-one rap chart hit as of June 1990 after “Fight the Power.”