When Spike Lee was considering what artists he wanted to work with on the music for his twelfth film, "He Got Game," the director admits that his first choice wasn't who he ended up working with.

Lee, who has collaborated with such musicians as Stevie Wonder and Prince on the music for his films, told MTV News that he originally wanted A Tribe Called Quest, the band for which he directed the video "Scenario" in 1991, to provide the soundtrack for the film.

"We knew we wanted a rap group to do all the songs for the film," Lee said. "A Tribe Called Quest was a consideration, that couldn't be worked out. Then I said, 'Well, how come I didn't think of PE?' And it was stupid on my part."

"But I think what made me think about Tribe first," added the director, "because I had been told, or I read, Public Enemy was no longer together and had disbanded. But I did not want to take no for an answer. I talked to Chuck, then with Hank Shocklee, and the guys reunited."

"He Got Game," starring Denzel Washington and rising NBA star Ray Allen, opens today, and you can catch more from both Spike Lee and Public Enemy, who last worked together on the 1989 film, "Do the Right Thing," when they appear on "MTV Live" today at 6 p.m.