Cult of Personality was released in 1988 on Living Colour's debut album Vivid, and its opening uses a Malcolm X speech sample before John F. Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt appear later in the track. The song became a rock staple and reached new audiences through games, wrestling and online edits, especially after CM Punk adopted it as his entrance theme. The prelude survives on its own because the calm political speech instantly signals charisma and authority, making it easy to reuse far outside the full song.