Long before Flavor Flav became a reality show punchline, Public Enemy came out of Long Island and changed the face of hip hop with their socially conscious and purposeful blend of hip hop. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, DJ Terminator X, and production group The Bomb Squad pulled no punches in detailing their version of the American experience, championing black culture and its potential as a force to change the world.
Chuck D’s legendary flow is powerful and authoritative, a rough and rugged tank that cuts through the mix, occupying the place right between spoken word and a yell, never deviating from that measured intensity but also never pushing it over the edge. He effectively rides that red line all throughout the record– it is both urgent and filled with clarity all at the same time. Paired alongside the dense and chaotic production from The Bomb Squad, as well as Flavor Flav’s undeniable skillset as his generation’s definitive hype man, Chuck D’s stream of consciousness hits like a nuclear bomb ready to explode in your hands.
Themes surrounding self-actualization, black empowerment, dangers of drug usage, perils of complacency, and political suppression are as timeless as they were in 1988. And It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back hits them all with brutal precision.
Standout Songs: “Bring The Noise”, “Don’t Believe The Hype”, “Night Of The Living Baseheads”, “Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos”
