Fear Of A Black Planet

Ha! Call this rap? Hardly a nigga, muthafucka or ho to be heard. Yes please, I'll take that.

Groovy

Good Ol’ Hip Hop doing its thing out here

This was a little milder than I was expecting. It was not bad overall.

In "Fear of a Black Planet", Public Enemy grasp the bull by the horns, realising hip-hop's full potential to shock, outrage and offend. They also take the opportunity to make a statement on the world from their unique perspective, and harness their genre as a vehicle for change that threatens to break down or crash every few minutes. This album is rich, overwhelming, chaotic, furious, exhausting, incendiary. Play it loud and drown. The music is dense and seems impenetrable on first listen: a complete overload of samples and effects, like Spector re-incarnated. Listen to the opening bars of "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" for an accurate representation of the flavour of this record: squalling distorted guitar, a heavy, front-and-centre beat, discordant keyboard, ad-libs dropping in and out, piles of reverb, and Chuck D spitting out a hurricane, barely pausing for breath. Chuck is an admirably passionate MC and there are so many lyrics to take in - pages and pages all at once - that I could only let it wash over me at first. Song by song, I became enveloped in the urgent, angry world echoing all around me: "Fear of a Black Planet" is a spectacularly immersive album. "911 Is A Joke", "Who Stole the Soul" and "Burn Hollywood Burn" were just some of my highlights on first listen, as well as the iconic "Fight the Power". It's only after a few listens that I caught wind of the anti-Semitism row that plagued the band more than any other, and then identified the problematic lyrics in the otherwise knock-out "Welcome to the Terrordome." It was hard to keep approaching the work in the same way, knowing the group's anti-semitism and homophobia severely injures the album's mission statement and undermines Public Enemy's plea for a tolerant world. At its heart, though, I can't deny that "Fear of a Black Planet" is a compelling listen. It's overlong, stretching its dense, cacophonous and enveloping production to its limit over 63 minutes, but perhaps that's the point. It's hard to feel quite as engrossed in "B Side Wins Again" or "War at 33 1/3" as it is in "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" or the intoxicating "911 Is A Joke", because lack of sonic variation or vocal delivery has caused a serious fatigue. By the end, it's hard to even determine whether the group are calling for peace, violence, or anything in between, but it's a gripping and engaging album that demands full attention.

Flava flav sounds like shit, but chuck d rocks. And the lyrical content is ahead of it’s time.

Didn't like this.

Wow, this was such an incredible listen. The tracks are an all-out assault; there's a neverending flow that makes the record feel like a seamless jump from idea to idea, stitched together with audio samples and drum loops. There's never a dull second of music. And the themes and messaging are brutally straightforward. Topped off by absolutely iconic album art, this might be my favorite discovery from this site so far.

Some great tracks with strong social commentary from the time. I like hip-hop but I don’t love it and this album was very much ‘of its time’ for me.

God damn I really like Chuck D’s voice

Amazing album.

While still decent, in my view a significant step back from It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. 3/5

Solid rap album, has an intensity to it that sets it apart from other politically charged rap albums at the time. Solid closer, but there were a number of tracks that could have been left off of it.

Never a great sign when you’re relieved that an album ended and the Spotify algorithm took over.

Really inventive use of samples, solid listen.

Absolute classic. The rise of political rap, and one of the earlier examples of boom-bap style. This is definitely one to hear before you die.

vot dermo .... sorry not sorry ничего супер выдающегося НА МОЙ ВЗГЛЯД хипхопчикк ...

What do you release after a landmark album like "It Takes A Nation Of Millions..."? You harness all that pent up anger and use it to create "Fear Of A Black Planet." Highly political, powerful, clever and all members are at the top of their game. Hiphop with a message. A true classic in music history.

I think these individual songs would work great in some playlists but as an album it's a bit too chaotic for me

A lot of the themes in this album are still relevant 30 years on quiet sad. Very good early hip hop album.

Pretty good

didnt like it

not quite 4 but most tracks were good

a whole lot of edge

p649. 1990. 2 stars. Hip-hop, so not my thing. Well done of its kind but... meh. On the plus side, most of the tracks are short. Bonus point for Fight The Power.

average 90s east coast hip hop

Great rap album, not as perfect as other albums though

This is a bit too messy for me

Hype energy, get's you nicely riled up as I guess they intended. Too much 'over the place' to enjoy a full album listen but has many cool parts

Ei valitettavasti tää rap vieläkään lähe. Jotain ihan menevääkin seassa.

Fantastic album. Good beats, great samples, excellent flow. Worth it, 100%.

Wow, a 3rd Public Enemy album. I mean, I know they're influential but there are a LOT of other hip hop acts that were hugely influential. But... that album is pretty rad.

Not my cup of tea.

Fun in-your-face rap. A fun style, but most songs sounded really similar, and 20 songs just felt too long.

Though hip hop is not a genre I listen to at all, I respect the hell out of this album. The songwriting achieves its goal of making the listener aware of the systemic racial issues in the world and highlights important topics worth pondering. I'm glad this album was successful and I hope it ruffled a few feathers. 3.5/5

their 2007 album "how you sell soul" is way better

It took me 30 years to come to appreciate this album, but I'm glad that I finally got to a point where I can enjoy it.

Too rerepetitive to my taste. Cool vibes.

Solid

Very influential but doesn't hold up to today's standards. Sounds pretty dated

I would give it a 4.5 if I could but since I like it more than I dislike it, it's an easy 5! Completely emblematic and full of rage, loved it!

It is best that you are maintaining focus while listening to this album, because once distraction can throw you off balance and it'll take some time to get back in the thick of things. This is Public Enemy at the absolute peak of their powers creatively and culturally, with Fear of a Black Planet being their most audacious, inventive, innovative, dense, confrontational and controversial. It is not a stretch to suggest that this is hip-hop's Sgt. Pepper, laced with the kind of social commentary that not only defined the 90s but of the present day. One would be a fool and not feel a heavy chest and chills down the spine in regards to the album's title, for that fear still persists. Favorites: Brothers Gonna Work It Out, 911 is a Joke, Welcome to the Terrordome, Meet the G That Killed Me, Burn Hollywood Burn, Who Stole the Soul?, Fear of a Black Planet, Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya, Man, B Side Wins Again, Fight the Power.

started this one several times, never got through it. sorry

bei Who stole the Soul? kommt am Anfang einfach ein Ton aus Getting Better lol

The generator just gave me albums from Tribe and De La Soul that came out around the same time. And those are way better. Those guys are more creative with their beats, more natural with their flow, generally more playful, and more upbeat and positive. A fair amount of the solos on Fear of a Black Planet are kind of stilted, and it just really beats you down to listen to a whole hour-long record that is so overwhelmingly negative. When they're not on - and most of the record aside from really the last half of the last song is not - they're really off.

Public enemy levererar once again

älskar old school hiwp hawp

2.5

Not my favorite PE album. Love Welcome to the Terrordome. Still fun for what is a really political album.

This music has always been too chaotic for me.

I sometimes think how much better PE would be without hype man, Flavor Flav. Chuck D is amazing and carries an awesome group.

Was not a rap fan at the time of the release but many of my friends were, so I heard this album many times. Started to like one, then 2 then more songs, then most of the album. Really good album with a well crafted social message.

Held up far better than Run DMC… I’ve never listened to this record in its entirety, but I really liked it. Was never much for rap in the past, but finding it more interesting than I thought I would. Sadly still relevant.

Some really good songs on this. Public Enemy political stance made them seem punk to me. Lots of energy on this record. I'd say the skits don't hold up but that's my complaint about most hip hop albums.

I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. Could do without Flavor Flav, but I like the messages, Chuck D is very engaging, and I really enjoyed some of the experiments they did with the stereo mix. Not something I’ll listen to a lot, but much better than most hiphop I’ve been exposed to.

Seminal classic, should be taught in schools.

Legendary, raw, and energized. Chuck D can make you follow his every word and emotion- I'm ready to flip a cop car. This record rightfully played a part in fathering a whole movement of conscious hip hop, and still stands as both endlessly listenable and just as socially relevant today. It's as much a party playlist as it is a protest anthem, as much a window into its time as it is a reflection of now. Really great stuff. If only Flav weren't so corny, man. I think he had no business being lead for any tracks, but also find him overrated as a hype man. Highlights: Fight the Power, Burn Hollywood Burn, Welcome to the Terrordome, 911 is a Joke (the beat, lyrics, vibe) Lowlights: 911 is a Joke (Flav's delivery), Can't Do Nuttin For Ya Man.

foundational and transitional. Illmatic is my nominee for best rap album but nothing sounded like this at the time.

6/10. A little disappointing, I liked their other albums better. Still solid, but lacking some energy.

Pretty cool sounds from the samples. 8/10

I like concept/themed albums, and this is a 5/5 on that front. The beats are also solid, with impressive production. That said, the choice of "instruments" makes it a bit… ¿noisy?, in a way that make it hard for me to pay attention to the background sounds individually, but also makes it hard to pay attention to the lyrics. It's a little bit strident for background listening, but also hard for me to actively listen to for the reasons I just mentioned. My heart wants to give this a 4, but my head has to give it a 3 based on my previous rating scale. So far that's been: 3. I liked this but probably won't listen to again 4: I liked this and will likely check out to see if I want to add it to my regular rotation And unfortunately, due to the "I don't know when I would listen to this" issue I doubt the second part will happen.

This is definitely a landmark album in Hip Hop. I don't enjoy it quite as much as "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back", and its bombastic, production can be a bit too jarring at times, but it does an excellent job of getting Public Enemy's message across. I've always felt that P.E. channelled their anger much more effectively into their music than N.W.A. It's a challenging album to listen to and they are guilty of the occasional homophobic or sexist lyric, but nothing anywhere near what turned me off "The Chronic". It helps that they actually have a clear political message to convey, and don't waste time metaphorically waving their dicks around like Dre and Snoop!

Masterpiece

It's alright, felt like too many breakdowns/speeches/interruptions. Not enough hooky jams to be memorable.

3.5 strs

Such a great sounding album! Old git here, but this is how rap music should be produced. Still sounds dangerous and abrasive, and sad how the "controversial" stuff like the call-in sampled on Incident At 66.6 FM resembles the golden age of radio compared to the shit nowadays on Fox News etc. Fight The Power pushes this to a 5 easily

Ummm.. was okay..

Meh, was ok, annoyed me how it kept switching from ear to ear in my headphones

amazing 90s rap that never gets old

Best Song: Fight The Power. There's a reason it's the most popular off the album. Pure righteous fury. Worst Song: 911 is a Joke. Great, a full Flava Flav song. Overall: Flava Flav thankfully takes little airtime on the album (although still more than he's due). Chuck D has such a buttery smooth flow which, when paired with his political lyrics, make compelling songs. Still, some of the production is dated, hindering its listenability in the modern day.

Great

Never listened to much Public Enemy before, but this album was awesome

first listen i appreciate this album but probably won’t be revisiting it

Angry rap. The best kind.

not well served by orpington

A lot of Jazz and rock influence. The old school rhyming cadence was nostalgic

5/4 rhymes rhythmed

Not for me. I appreciate its importance, though. And it was much better than I feared it would be.

Solid, but noisier than expected. Few tracks stood out. Maybe need a few more listens.

I don’t know. I just couldn’t get into it.

Listened at low volume, but enjoyed. Worth another listen at higher volume, I think.

I liked it a lot. My criticism is that most of the time there’s so much going on with the music it’s overwhelming.

I got two Public Enemy albums in a week. “Nation of Millions” earned my respect and this is even better. (prior listen)

Brilliant, both musically, and lyrically......

A decent rap album from public enemy. Nowhere near as entertaining or influential as their first album. This one is a bit too sporadic with their short songs and bits between some of their aggressive songs. Chuck D has a great flow and the heavy bass and drums make this a unique sound only public enemy can do. 6.5/10

Solid album. Standout is "Fight the Power" but the whole album is a good listen. Can now understand how this album was so important for future hip hop.

Great album and a true pioneer of sampledelica. At times it does feel a bit anxious or overwhelming due to the insane combination of samples utilised, however this is made up for incredible songwriting and social commentary that is unfortunately still relevant 30 years later. Favourite Tracks: - Fight the Power - Welcome to the Terrordome - 911 is a Joke - Fear of a Black Planet - Revolutionary Generation - Power to the People - Who Stole the Soul? - Burn Hollywood Burn Overall Grade: 4/5 (A-)

Lot of noise when this came out about how the production was too dense to listen to. No, sounds fantastic. Had to check my vinyl and yes there were 20 tracks, 1 hour long, on it, so may have in fact been the mastering. The music is excellent, the hi points among their very best.

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

kuuntelin loppuun, parempi kuin odotin! tosi 1999, ei voi väittää etteikö olis vanhentuneen kuuloisia skrätsäys-/sämpläys-interludeja, hassu tuplaustyyli. voimaa ja sanomaa (jota en kuunnellut)

Vaikka levystä tulee periaatteessa sympaattinen vaikutelma, ja vaikka jotkin biisien taustoista ovat kieltämättä nerokkaita, tyylillisesti tämä ei vain lähde. Biisit on ahdettu täyteen erilaisia sampleja/huudahduksia/ääniä, vaikka ne kuulostavat jo valmiiksi "täysiltä" kaoottisten rumpukomppien takia. Lopputulos on kakofoninen tavalla, joka ei tuota mielihyvää. Chuck D:n intonaatiosta välittyvä energinen paatos alkaa myös ärsyttämään. Jostain syystä odotin pitäväni tästä enemmän, vaikka kokemus Public Enemystä on ollut aiemminkin sama.

Better than the first one I heard.

Not my type

Very Oldschool, good tracks but a little to oldschool to be among my favourites. Delivers a message.

Two thousand twenty two the number, another summer, sound of Public Enemy to kill your slumber, Music hitting half as hard, cause you know it got old, Once dangerous, hey, hey! Now a critics darling y'all, Flav's yappin' while Chuck's rappin', Saying like he mean it, Meanin' when he say it, While Terminator X spinnin', These beats he be killin', Insert generic line here, Insert generic line there, A true relic of hip hop history, But no one's bumping this recently.

No :(

Too much! Just too much! Is this also back in fashion together with all 90s stuff?!

I've enjoyed it. It gave me the desire to shot a cop in the face and round together wit' ma community for defending black wome'

Still blown away by the cacophony of samples and Chuck D’s powerful voice. Noise rock bands wish they could be as visceral as peak PE sounded

Essential 90's rap. Classic is as classic be. 4.5/5

Meh

Zero Stars. Fear of a Crap Planet.

I'm a huge fan of rich and complex sounds. In Public Enemy's follow-up to It Takes a Million, they really spam sample after sample into a working mess, only a few months before the sample clearance system put hip hop into chaos. Chuck D is still as strong as ever, preaching socially conscious issues that tackle different issues about race, censorship, and public perception, not repeating themselves much at all. Flavor Flav once again makes his return as the best hype man in history, with supportive and even comical contributions which balance out Chuck D's aggressive nature. It's fast, powerful, and exciting, which changes in vibes but never slows down for more than a second. Funky enough to have you consistently raising your fist to the music, 95 or 22. This can be a bit draining for an hour-long album, but it carries the energy and sense of urgency of the album, making it an incredibly coherent and focused listen. I'd probably just cut it down by a few songs, but really none of them were obvious picks to remove. They were all fine. I think more shorter tracks like "Reggie Jax" dispersed throughout would be more digestable.

Hip hop is not really my thing but the album was interesting to listen to. Plenty of attitude and each track is punchy.

Very interesting soundscape, more a special effects album than a music album but interesting to listen to

solid album overall, hard hitting lyrics that are still pretty apt for some situations today, some of the hook melodies and sample repetition I found to be a bit grating

Great energy from a classic hip hop group. I think it should be intergraded in political science classes’ curriculums.

these beats still sound great after 3 decades

This album is probably Public Enemy’s best and confronts how they are portrayed in media while making a larger statement on the Black experience in America. Chuck D’s lyrics are insightful and are an incisive criticism on American society and media. His delivery is methodical and deliberate, the perfect complement to Flavor Flav’s more energetic rapid fire style. The only thing about this album that wore on me was its length. Perhaps I just need to listen to it again, but unlike some other albums that run over an hour, I definitely noticed it.

Chewbacca?

Amazing album. The layering of music and sounds, talking, sound effects is intense and tells a story.

- Funky - Anti-authority but with some powerful messaging - Agree or disagree they don't hold back on their views - Musically fun

Not my favorite public enemy album - too much going on with the production - can't hear Chuck D and Flavor Flav

Good

4.2 - I prefer this one to “It Takes a Nation…” The beats are better, the rhymes and cadence more relentless and the focus more devastating. Great use of news soundbites and snippets from political speeches. The brief DJ vignettes between tracks add to the overall flow. Highlights: “911 Is A Joke”, “Welcome to the Terrordome”, “Fear of a Black Planet”, “Fight the Power.”

No rest for the listener in this fast-paced rush of an album. Culturally significant, lyrically poignant, and catchy as hell, this is some great hip hop. I can easily see why this blew up and made such big names of the band members.

the whole album felt pretty scattered. I think it was meant more so a showcase for each artist, but they hardly sound any different from each other so it is goop

S'aite I like public enemy flava Flav is funny

This and 'It Takes a Nation of Millions' are my favourite rap albums. I love the production, the flow, the attitude. The claims of anti-semitism are concerning - but I don't hear them here.

Very good

Have listened before, didn't need to do it again. 2 x meltingly good bangers, the rest is just not in the same league. Do The Right Thing is the best way to listen to this music

4.5

jammy

ok, not my genre

I can appreciate the importance and influence of this work and others by Public Enemy, but 80s/90s hip hop is really not my groove most of the time. I don't listen too closely to lyrics, so perhaps that's the source of my feelings of underwhelming. This album also feels too long and repetitive musically.

I enjoyed this for the most part and liked how aggressive it was. I'm not a fan of Flavor Flav, but Chuck D is great. I thought the use of sampling was cool and how they built rhythms off of random sounds. The song structures were cool with how the songs flowed together. I thought it got repetitive after a bit.

not my bag

Classic fight the power and other interesting tracks

Love the genre and respect for the topics of the lyrics but couldnt get into this one

I really liked the high energy, samples and lyricism. First half was a little stronger than the second. Favorite: Burn Hollywood Burn

i only listened to half of it but it was okay i guess

Urgent, angry, relentless beats, powerful lyrics. Exceptional

Good, would need to give a stronger listen to evaluate more deeply

I liked it

Gesellschaftlich relevante Lyrics Behandelt Problem der 1990er

Some absolute classics here, with a bit of filler. Claustrophobic and in your face. I have the cd.

Cool

It's still got it. It's a thrilling, important, inspirational record. Basically perfect

In the interest of full disclosure, I was hoping the generator gave everyone "Born In The USA" on July 4th, just to be clever. Chuck D was a hero to many, but he never meant shit to me. That's not a diss, sort of like how the Elvis line in "Fight The Power" wasn't a complete diss. I just didn't know shit about Public Enemy until I was exposed to Rosie Perez dancing to "Fight The Power" during the opening credits of "Do The Right Thing". What an introduction to the world for Rosie Perez! Director Spike Lee says he got the inspiration to open Do The Right Thing from Ann Margaret singing and dancing in Bye Bye Birdie. Rosie outdoes the legendary Ann Margaret in her iconic dance sequence. Ann Margaret is forever linked to Elvis, and because of Chuck D's infamous line in "Fight The Power", so is Public Enemy. Chuck D is my favorite rapper. I just love his voice. Flavor Flav is probably my least favorite. But Chuck D's voice is so powerful it makes Flavor Flav's impact on me a non-factor. But I always go back to Rosie Perez owning that moment, dancing and shadowboxing to "Fight The Power" to let us know that "Do The Right Thing" is no ordinary movie. Fight The Power was the result of Spike Lee reaching out to public enemy to create a song for his film. It's just the perfect marriage of music and film. And this album proves that one can appreciate both Elvis and Public Enemy. Maybe this was the most appropriate album for the 4th of July after all.

Ovo nije it takes... Ali i dalje je jebeno

It's funny to think of how scared people were of this type of "gangsta rap" when it first came out. Even I remember being scared to listen to it, just based on it's reputations. And I get it - the message is intimidating to assholes trying to stay in power (which is the point), but the music itself is still so early "hip hop" that it's hard to have any real negative reaction to it. Still, this album is real busy. There's too much going on at once through most of it (which I know was innovative in the genre at the time), but it just seemed messy.

I preferred Gang Starr to this (as recent hip hop comparisons) and I'm trying to work out why, I think Gang Starr was more laid back. I totally enjoyed this album but can't see myself listening so readily - I listened to GS like 3 times. But there were totally ones in this album that were an absolutely bop - I guess it was also quite long so harder for me to reflect and pick those out. 3.5 ideally

Really liked this. I love the drum beats they use. Plus Flavor Flav wore lots of massive clock necklaces so that's a good thing.

There are better Public Enemy albums

(Content warning: this review includes a discussion of anti-Semitic statements.) A while ago, during a review of Gang Starr's Step in the Arena, I wondered if there was a term for the period in hip-hop from 1987 to 1992, which saw the genre both go mainstream and mutate into something almost unrecognisable. Well, Wikipedia designates this period as golden age hip-hop, which strikes me as a slightly lazy terming, but that's just a quibble. In any case, the most critically feted act from that period is surely Public Enemy. Explicly political, explicitly pugnacious, Public Enemy took both their philosophy and rhetoric not so much from the mainstream civil rights movement, but from the more hard-line Black Power movement, which within its membership has had elements espousing black nationalism, black self-determination and, at its most extreme end, black separatism and black supremacism. In my review of Tracy Chapman's first album, I questioned the depth of her political statements, as I found them essentially platitudinous, at their hearts just pleas for better public services. But what about the opposite case, when the act evinces a position that is radical to the point of outrage? For instance, the Clash would wear t-shirts bearing Brigade Rosse, an Italian commmunist terrorist group who were responsible for the murder of around 50 people. In retrospect, I think it's as plain as day that Joe Strummer was being a silly sausage, and the Clash's somewhat callow glorification of far-left rebellion has aged as well as communism. But Public Enemy, especially with the album Fear of a Black Planet, represents perhaps the platonic example of a major group vaunting immoderate politics and inviting justified indignation. Beforehand, Public Enemy had, with lyrics declaring Louis Farrakhan "a prophet", indicated that their stance was not as mainstream as, say, the condemnation of police brutality. But then Professor Griff, both Public Enemy's Minister of Information and their Bez, gave an interview to The Washington Times, where he declared that Jews were "responsible of the majority of wickedness in the world." This was not the first time he had expressed anti-Semitic views in an interview (also, he was openly homophobic in the same interview, and again this was not the first time he had berated an interviewer homophobically). Leader Chuck D dithered, initially firing Professor Griff then inviting him back. You should note an unsettling taste developing in your mouth. This album emerged in the aftershocks of all this. And this album has openly anti-Semitic and homophobic lyrics (I'll spare you, you can look them up yourselves). It also spouts long-disproven conspiracy theories and avows positions that, I suspect, most people will find nonsensical and rather unpleasant. This is not in any way to dilute the seriousness of racial issues in the States and beyond, but rather to hope for a more sober, considered take on important political issues. For all the righteous anger supposedly driving this album, the listener should take it as gimmicky, as a childish tack in lieu of intellectual sophistication. Also, the album's length and the lack of musical relent become wearying, and finishing the album degenerates to a chore. By the by, Public Enemy didn't stop there with the anti-Semitism. Their 1999 album There's a Poison Goin' On includes the song Swindler's Lust (again, I won't be quoting the lyrics), and soon after that Chuck D and Professor Griff formed a side project named Confrontation Camp. Who on earth is still championing Public Enemy? 4chan?

J’aime la diversité qu’il y a dans cet album. Il y a aussi un côté un peu plus décontracté que dans It take a million to hold us back. Le message passe pareil.

Intéressant d'entendre l'album sur lequel se retrouve l'excellente et importante Fight The Power. L'album est par contre long et répétitif. C'est dense et ça vient épuisant. C'est un peu difficile aussi de se concentrer sur le propos. L'intro est bonne et bien montée, 911 Is A Joke et la pièce Reggie Jax apportent un côté différent qui fait du bien. Pour un album de 1990, je m'attendais à quelque chose d'un peu plus différent. Il a définitivement eu un impact sur plusieurs groupes qui ont suivi, donc une étoile bonus pour ça.

The songs tend to get samey and don’t really change that much. Although the underlying message of each song is said basically right in the title, the music tends to be forgettable. As you get through the album, the identity is lost due to the nature of how much sampling is in it. The vocals are where the album shines, but it’s sometimes difficult to understand when combined with the backing track. Favorite track: Fight the Power

One of the few albums on this list that made me add it to my discogs wantlist. I positively love every song on this album. Public Enemy created one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, possibly in my own possible top five. The first thing I want to talk about is how incredible the samples and production are. Despite having a lot of repetition and is more in-line with the mainstream at the time, I can't get enough of it. I usually prefer a more jazz style from this era (Low End Theory and Bizarre Ride II), but this tended to lean more metal in it's influences and I found that absolutely fantastic. The production, from a purely audiophile view, is kinda rough. In my opinion, this is the perfect duo. The metal, the rough production, but classicly produced hip-hop beats makes this album bombastic in all the right ways. I don't know much about the group itself, but I think that will change soon enough because I think this album is incredible. The rhymes, bars, and wordplay on this album is top-tier, combines activism, anti-authority, and insight to the group in way that is rarely seen in popular music. I don't know what else to say other than that you SHOULD LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM. I think the biggest detractors are the "rough-around-the-edges" production and the metal snippets, but it would be a shame to go one's entire life without giving this one a chance. Highlights: All. But my favorites were "Welcome To The Terrordome", "911 Is A Joke", "Anti-****** Machine", "War At 33 1/3", and "Fight The Power."

Svidio mi se. Možda bi čak i slušala par pjesama jednom godišnje.

Got this one on vinyl. Definitivno je ovaj album u to vrijeme bio jako potreban. Ma i sad je....Album koji je dosta "raznolik", ali tema je tu, politika, black people, prava. Nije mi iskreno čista četvorka, ali tu je.

Nostalgija osobno, ništa više.

Yet another brilliant album from innovative artists.

I remember watching Do The Right Thing and hearing Fight The Power for the first time - by proxy through Radio Raheem's boombox, and falling in love with the track, not fully appreciating the political nature of the record. 911 Is A Joke, Welcome to the Terrordome, Brothers Gonna Work It Out, Fear of a Black Planet, Can't Do Nothing for Ya Man and Fight the Power are the standout tracks for me - and Public Enemy show that a statement can be made without resorting to profanity (in the main) and still be as effective 30 years later.

Golden Age of Hiphop? More like Golden Age of Sampling. That was my first impression about this album. It's not bad. And I know that sampling is one of the foundations of most great hiphop sounds. The opener is a beautiful sound collage of samples. I heard some familiar tunes and some soundbites. This is basically the entire album. Samples. In the so-called Golden Age of Hiphop, they can sample as much music and soundbites as they want without getting sued. Public Enemy did a great job using these samples to create a rich sound. They aren't like other rappers/producers who stack up layers of samples and beats like it's lasagna, but they painted every note with a piece of sound to push the overall atmosphere. It's one hour of dense beats, deep lyrics, and complex commentaries. That being said, it's dense. It's a pretty demanding listen. I didn't enjoy most of it, especially the second half, where it became monotonous. But I respect it. I like the popular singles, and how the samples are used. Apparently, they used jazz, soul, and R&B - elitist music - without leaving their humble roots. I know Public Enemy transformed rap from a fad to something revolutionary. Something that even requires social consciousness. This album really proved it for me. A classic from the Golden Age of Hiphop.

We need more music like this right now.

incredible

4.25

LP

Great album. I liked this one more than the prior good blend of rap hip hop and other instrumentation

this was really great! i liked the production more than the other public enemy record we listened to

Among the religious traditions of India, Asia, and Africa, certain deities are sometimes invoked for the purpose of destruction. They are portrayed in iconography as real bad asses, physically imposing, fiercely armed. But their purposes are not considered evil. Rather, the destruction they practice is actually designed for the elimination of things that are an impediment to one’s ability to be fully self-realized- the destroying of unhealthy behaviors and attitudes, everything from a bad cigarette addiction to a bad temper. Public Enemy is a band of destruction, with their sights on unjust systems and a biased status quo that present major obstacles to the realization of a more fully developed human consciousness. So, yeah, they’re unapologetically aggressive, and not especially interested in necessarily being your friend. (That said, P.E. should be commended for its consistent respect of black women, and criticism of the misogyny that exists among the male members of the black community.) Given all this, is it any surprise that the general lyrical content of 'Fear Of A Black Planet' is received fearfully among whites? ‘Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me, you see, straight up racist that sucker was, simple and plain. Motherfuck him and John Wayne.’ Whoa, who shines whiter among whites than Elvis Presley and John Motherfuckin’ Wayne? Follow up lyric: ‘I’m Black and I’m proud. I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped. Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps. Sample a look back you look and find nothing but rednecks or 400 years if you check.’ – ‘Fight the Power.’ Invoking destructive powers, though, can be dangerous business because of the risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, as in P.E.’s unfortunate running feud with Jews witnessed on ‘Welcome to the Terrordome.’ But this LP is so aggressive, so offensive (I mean that in the sense of advancing, not insulting) that there’s bound to be some ricocheted verbal ammunition. And Chuck D is the voice for these lyrics with his commanding and passionate baritone, ringing out like a hammer on anvil, hard and loud and proud. Along with Terminator X’s infectious scratching, and the Bomb Squad’s always lively producing, 'Fear Of A Black Planet' comes, literally, with lots of bells and whistles… and sirens and gunshots. It’s fast paced and busy, instrumentally and verbally, with multi-layers of samples. This’ll raise your blood pressure, whatever race. I say all this as a long-time fan of P.E, and this LP being one of my two favorites from their body of work. Sure, they come with conditions, and some I don’t particularly espouse myself of a troublesome theological and ethical nature. The listener will do well, though, to acknowledge that while both John Wayne and especially Elvis are deified among many American whites, they too come with their own moral shortcomings. This lyric from ‘Pollywanacraka’ is important to consider in an overall assessment of P.E.’s position: ‘The devil splits us in pairs and taught us white is good and black is bad, and black and white is still too bad.’ Remember to whom Chuck D is claiming ultimate allegiance- God, and not the devil. And as such, he’s promoting tolerance among both whites and blacks when it comes to interracial relationships. Thus, an interesting question posed to frightened whites on the title track, putting the ball in their court: ‘What’s wrong with some color in your family tree?’ ‘Now we are ready if you are ready,’ Chuck D challenges the African American community on the first song following the intro. ‘Brother’s gonna work it out.’ Sadly, over thirty years later, there is still much left targeted but untouched for demolition.

Oh man, all those samples! Sadly still relevant but such an empowering listen.

Eu descobri q na real eu gosto bastante de hip hop 5/5

Was fine but not amazing imo. I really liked the sampling of news recordings etc.

I may have said this in a previous review but whenever I listen to '90s hip-hop I like it a lot more than I expect to. Definitely want to check out some more of the genre

Raw, political, aggressive and loud. Very loud. There's so much going in the music - so many layers of samples - that it can be hard to focus on anything sometimes. But when it works, the energy is unlike anything else. I also think the songs are better the louder you play them. This was designed to be played at maximum volume. Chuck D's flow hits really hard and doesn't sound as dated as a lot of other hip-hop from this era. "Welcome to the Terrordome" stood out to me as a good example of his rapping. Other highlights: “911 is a Joke,” “Burn Hollywood Burn,” “Power to the People,” “Fear of a Black Planet,” the beat on “Reggie Jax,” “Fight the Power”

It's one of my favorite hip hop albums. I have a black and white t-shirt of this album cover. The songs are weirdly jamm-y and have big instrumental gaps, and yet also have a smattering of lyrics about slavery and race issues on top of music that is fun and energetic. It's a crazy sound.

I liked it as far as hip hop goes but probably wouldn’t listen again.

«Motherfuck him [Elvis] and John Wayne». Agree.

Pretty good! I don't think I've ever really listened to Public enemy, but it wasn't what I was expecting. It was more...thoughtful, and less violent than I expected. There's a line in a KRS-one song that says the difference between emcee-ing and rap is: "Rappers spit rhymes that are mostly illegal. Emcees spit rhymes to uplift their people". This album seems more in line with "emcee-ing", especially compared to Straight Outta Compton or something like that which came out around the same time and also deals with many of the same frustrations. I much prefer the Chuck D. parts to the Flavor Flav parts. Chuck D gets 4/5. Flavor is like 2/5. All in all, album is like 3.5/5 (because it's weighted more towards Chuck D.).

Solid. Has all the musings of a good early 90s rap album. Found myself bobbing my head to the beats.

This album wasn’t created for someone like me and that’s fine.

Well, once again my notes disappeared. I liked some of the famous songs, but otherwise was a bit disappointed...other than the big hits, I thought the rest of the album didn't do much to stand out.

I did not enjoy this. Don't know why there seems to be a music genre that is 'Make as much unpleasant noise as possible'. Because art, I suppose?

Of a time and also very relevant today. Public Enemy sounds focused in their messaging with great delivery over excellent sampling.

Obviously a seminal and extremely important album full of adventurous sampling. I'd have to really listen to the lyrics to bump this up, but it's not half bad as a background album either.

Classic rap. Fight the Power is powerful and amazing. It does get a little monotonous in sound and message but a classic none the less. 4.5 🌟

Another giant project, another great Public Enemy performance. There really is no one that sounds like this band. The recordings here sound like they're getting played out of a dumpster: I dig it.

Really great didn't quite hold my attention all the way through

nja, inte den bästa hiphopen vi haft. men helt okej

Puedo reconocer su importancia histórica y lo que sea, pero sí fue un suplicio terminarlo. No es que sea malo, pero el género me cansa muy rápido.

Fue un disco que no me desagradó, para ser de este género. Creo que todavía no llegaba la época de R&B con tonadas sexosas o el Hip Hop de sonar como idiota y eso le da puntos.

Not much of a rap or hip hop guy but I thought it was pretty cool !!

Cet album a quand même bien vieilli en comparaison à beaucoup de trucs old school. Je comprends pourquoi c'est un album si important dans l'histoire du genre. Pas mon genre trop trop, mais s'écoute bien quand même.

This is a solid old-school rap album, great flow, great beats, the "skits" are all pretty funny and there aren't too many of them. Very focused on racial themes among different systems like hollywood, policing, government, and society as a whole. Great album, it's a long one at 20 tracks, but didn't feel like it. Chuck D has excellent delivery and lyrics. Flava Flav is up and down, luckily he's not as prevalent on the album. Can't do nuttin for ya, man! was probably the lowest point of the album, but there was a lot to like in here. So much of the message is still relevant 30 years later; which is depressing to think about.

Le caractère lancinant et répétitif de la musique est parfait pour accompagner la verve énergique de Chuck D ; en même temps, cela devient vite redondant, malgré les intermèdes instrumentaux de Terminator X. Quelques succès ressortent évidemment : "911 Is A Joke", "Burn Hollywood Burn".

A timeless album really. It's just so urgent and chaotic and really does feel exciting and dangerous even over 30 years later Also the guy talking about men in cages on Incident at 66.6FM sounds like Ben Shapiro

Political hip hop at its best . 911 is a joke and Burn Hollywood burn are standouts .

Great album, some awesome sampling and Fight The Power to end with, what's not to like?

Took me ages to find the explicit filter settings to give this a proper listen.

Good one

Got thru whole album. Rather enjoyed it. Only couple times wonder is this going somewhere

I always sort of dismissed Public Enemy because Flavor Flav came across as such a clown. This album is pretty good throughout, and I’m disappointed I’ve missed out. Good rap rockin beats - will listen to again. 4.5 stars and rounding down for the clock-pendants and matching Elton john glasses.

Solid rap from the era. Feels like a 3.5 to me, but rounding up because of the direct confrontation of white supremacy and leaning into the way media of the time talked about and tried to belittle issues they brought up

This album was sick, had me dancing around the grocery store. Awesome beats, unique sampling, great rap. I’m so glad I got this album today, I’d never heard of this group and feel like I’ve discovered a secret gem. This is a very strong 4/5 and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Amazing social commentary, powerful and compelling lyrics.

Public Enemy was that tiny bit too old by the time I started listening to music that wasn't in the top 40 (metal, rap, punk etc). Even though it was only about 1992-93, Public Enemy was already a thing of the past. I knew who they were, but no one was listening to them. It was all about much more "gangsta" shit by that point, or Cypress Hill - thinking about it, there was an almost instant shift away from PE's style. Not sure what the catalyst was, would be interesting to know. But out with the socially-conscious lyric stuff, in with the street life and weed themes. That may also just have been a regional Australia thing and limited to my own experience, can't say for sure. But it's weird to realise that PE were releasing albums that sounded this good right up to the changing of the guard. It's not like they were washed up or anything and needed to pass the torch. In any case, I do really like this style. The sampling and drum beats etc float my boat much more than the later "bassline + drum machine" formula that became the norm. And Chuck D's voice is genuinely cool. I'd listen to him read the phone book. This is an easy 4/5 - I'd give it a full 5 but it's over an hour and some of it (eg. "Pollywannacraka") was filler.

Początek trochę rozczarowywał, bity jak dla mnie chaotyczne i ciężko było skupić się na treści albumu, który bądź co bądź mówił o ważnych tematach dla kolorowej mniejszości w USA. Pod koniec wrócił na lepsze tory i fajnie było poznać oryginał "B Side Wins Again" z NFS:MW ;) . Ogólnie nie zachęcił mnie do powrotu, gdyż nie mój rodzaj muzyki, ale na pewno dla fanów "czarnej" to świetna pozycja.

Not my forte, but a nice old-school album nonetheless.

Całość brzmiała jak jedna bardzo długa i bardzo średnia piosenka, trochę te piosenki wszystkie takie same były. Generalnie nie było to nieprzyjemne do słuchania, ale myślę, że nigdy więcej tego doświadczenia nie powtórzę.

Album oceniony subiektywnie, bez kontekstu kulturowego. Niezwykle eksperymentalny, niestety nie do końca udany. Dziwny remix właściwie każdej z warstw muzycznych nie pozwala mi się cieszyć ani rytmem, ani melodią utworów. Dużo wstawek muzycznych słychać było w rapie lat 90 i nie tylko - inne gatunki muzyczne także inspirowały się nowinkami z tej płyty. Był to pierwszy i zdecydowanie ostatni raz, kiedy sięgam po ten album - bez zaskoczenia.

Bardzo ciekawa warstwa muzyczna. Bogactwo dźwięków, różnych sampli i ciekawie zmiksowane. Przekaz liryczny trochę mniej adekwatny do naszej sytuacji z racji braku czarnej części społeczeństwa.

Za pierwszym razem było ciężko, ale drugim razem jak odpaliłem to mi się słuchało całkiem nieźle, bity bardzo przyjemnie "funky" i wesołe

Nie jest to zły album, to na pewno. W kontekście roku 1990 i tego co wtedy było, to jest nawet album dobry. Muzycznie. I to bardziej w kontekście techniki muzycznej, bo mało to chwytliwe. Lirycznie jakoś nie powala. Niemniej jednak w obliczu roku 2022, ale i nawet trochę w obliczu tego co wychodziło w rapie amerykańskim parę lat przed i parę lat po 1990, nie jestem w stanie wystawić więcej niż 3.

A rare miss for this group - usually the beats and bars hit hard and fast on a Public Enemy album, but here they feel a bit tired and repetitive. The subject matter and flow is still at the top of its game, but there aren't as many standout tracks or even individual mic-drop lyrics I know this group is capable of.

Meh

‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ is relentless. It’s harder, angrier, more intimidating, and full of even more samples twisted beyond recognition than on ‘It Takes A Nation of Millions…’. It starts and finishes phenomenally well, but the middle sags as the record almost buckles under the weight of its political message and the dense and brutal nature of its beats. It’s still a great album, and you can’t question its legacy or influence, it’s just exhausting to listen to all the way through.

Frábær plata!

Enjoyed some of the songs.

Vraiment bon

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Brothers Gonna Work It Out; 911 Is A Joke; Incident At 66.6 FM; Revolutionary Generation; Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya, Man! Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Just as the title expands from Nation to Planet, so does the sonic world they're pulling from. The abrasive screeches of It Takes a Nation of Millions are toned down, but the breadth of the samples is no less overwhelming (just a little easier to listen to). 4.5 rounded down but my favorite of the two.

Not my kind

My housemate used to listen to this while we were at Uni. Never really got into it, but I’ve heard worse.

A am familiar with some Public enemy songs but had never listened to an album in full. It's pretty full on. A lot of anger at the world. Is the planet any better now than what it was for Public Enemy back then? I'd say not. It's a good album.

A really good album. There's definitely a lot to like here. Chuck D is great as to be expected. Flavor Flav has his finest moment in "9-1-1 is a Joke" and Terminator X supplies some great beats. However, there are some hiccups. Pollywanacracker has some weird vocal fry stuff that just grates on me. I can't stand it. I feel like the album loses some steam starting with "Can't Do Nuttin For Ya Man" they're not bad songs but the real greatness doesn't come back for me until the closer, the classic "Fight The Power" Overall it's a really good album, it's just not quite as good as "It Takes A Nation..." Still very much worth listening to.

Not for me

As always I feel ill equipped to critique hip hop, but I was really struck by the diversity in this album, unified by humor, wit, and anger.

Fine but not something I'll go back to.

Too much exposition

It took me a while after this was released, but it is a stone cold classic. Powerful and angry.

git up git up git up n git down

I liked it

Fan ta den vita mannen FR

Gnarly

Föredrar a Nation of Millions, den här kändes lite för lång. Går ändå hårt men lyssnade på Chief Keefs Back from the dead 2 genast efter vilket va kray, i kontrast var dehä int så galet!

Great, great album Not familiar, again, to the genre, but very approachable "Welcome to the Terrordrome" is quite memorable Great use of sampling

Ferocious and powerful album. I remember being amazed by it at the time it came out and am still amazed by it now. Lyrically it is peak Public Enemy and the beats behind the raps take on a new level. In comparison, It Takes a Nation of Millions sound stripped back. It is an uncomfortable listen at times and the length of the album made it an impossible task to listen to in one sitting. Worth it for the amount of top tracks on here, 911 Is A Joke, Welcome To The Terrordome, Burn Hollywood Burn and Fight The Power all as relevant as the day they got released

Not their best

I respect it for it’s time but leaves a lot to be desired. Nice sampling

This is the first rap album I've actively listened to and gone through the whole thing, the genre is still new to me, and I gotta say.. I really enjoyed it. It was just fun!

Raising social consciousness and making tracks people can move to.

Chuck D has a great voice man. Super Iconic. Not the biggest fan of Flava Flav. It's probably not my favorite Public Enemy album, but it's pretty solid honestly.

Alger andstæða við Aphex Twin að því leyti að hér hef ég þroskast og finnst þetta oftar en ekki ansi skemmtilegt, ólíkt því sem mér fannst í gamla daga. Mjög hress cacophónía á köflum og beitt. En er ekki titiltextinn á umslaginu ósymmetrískur?

This was a great listen. Full of energy: poetic, politically-charged lyrics, bouncing bass-dominated rhythms, a cacophony of percussion, noodling electric guitar: it sounds like it was recorded in a party house in Brooklyn back in the day.

Classic hip hop album.

Really good. Flav has more songs than I realized and they’re better than I expected

I love hip hop but this album doesn't age very well. It's got a few solid tracks but a lot of filler that just doesn't feel right.

It's alright I suppose.

basically the same sounds over and over again, don´t kill me if you read this

FIGHT THE POWER

Hip hop is not my thing, but I’ve heard about Public Enemy in the past. Never listened anything from them before… After the first round, must confess that this album is all killer no filler! Excellent content, clean delivery, enjoyable, engaging… a big surprise! Adding some classic rap to my music mix, for sure

Not my cup of tea.

The music was not for me

Ruff.

911’s a Joke and Fight the Power are anthemic and I found myself bopping to a lot of this album.

A lot of great stuff on here, but also a lot of filler

Just as relevant now as it was when released 31 years ago. Sooooo good.

not even 75 albums in and i already got all public enemy albums lol

I know I said rap from this era was all the same, but Public Enemy was doing it different. 4.5/5

Pasable como ruido de fondo 2

True 90s hiphop

storia

It wasn’t my cup of tea

doo doo

30-years after it's release, and in the context of a George Floyd world, the album had more punch to me than it might have. A solid album. Really enjoyed listening to it, and really paying attention to the lyrics. Added.

Easily the best of the three Public Enemy albums we’ve had so far. Just fantastic scratching - some of the best use of sampling I’ve ever heard. Politically active lyrics and minimal yeaaaaaa boiiiiiiiiii’s (thank god) Fave tracks: “Welcome To The Terrordome” “Burn Hollywood Burn” “911 is a Joke”

Solid album

Very angry

Sometimes less is more.It sounded like a BBC sound effects album

Classic. Very distracting music lol

Classic East Coast album so it had - discussion of systemic racism - Hype men - good DJing - Kinda Antisemitic - kinda homophobic - kinda against interracial relationships 3/5

man, I can do none for you man

Generic 80's rap

Welcome to the terrordome!

it did not age well

Really don’t like this style of hip hop and not being American doesn’t help as the issues that are mentioned in multiple songs don’t do anything for me. There are just too many songs that annoy me, although I can appreciate the ideas in some of the songs

Influential, im sure, but was tough to get through the whole thing as its pretty long. Was also listening at work to be fair. Still legends.

The first thing that hits you in the face is that these beats are peak early hiphop. They are just so damn tasty. Then you start listening to the lyrics and are forced to confront the depth of the social commentary on display here. Chuck D and Flavor Flav are on the very top of their significant game with this album. It's intense. It's rowdy. It's aware. It's brash. It's fun. But it's also surprisingly balanced in the way that it approaches racial issues while staying angry that there are still issues. I get that, Public Enemy. I feel that anger and hope still, 32 years later.

Rich and varied, enlightening, and angry and suspicious. Required listening.

no

-Cool guitar solo stuff happening in "Brothers Gonna Work It Out." I wish they put it a bit higher in the mix, I would think that would make it a lot cooler -Some cool rhyme scheme stuff happening in "Welcome To The Terror Dome" -Good general message and storytelling in "Burn Hollywood Burn" -Some nice stuff, but nothing really makes me want to listen more

Huge credit for cultural, social, and political relevance. Also a gateway and a huge jump in production and quality between 80s and 90s hip hop. The whole thing runs a bit long but the message and concistency holds up. Chuck's delivery is also one of the best. Terrordome is probably the best track even if 911 and fight the power are more popular and relevant.

that was a fun album, I’ll give it an 8/10.

Liked a lot of the tracks and beats, but there's just too much exposition.

Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me, that straight up racist sucker was simple and plain Mother f- him and John Wayne ... I'm ready, I'm hyped and I'm amped, most of my heroes don't appear on no stamp..." Absolutely love Fear of a Black Planet. Say what you want about Flavor, but Chuck D can do no wrong. This album occupied my TEAC walkman for months during my sophomore year of high school and still get back and listen to some of it even now. Welcome to the Terrordome is unmatched. Fight the Power and it's placement in Do the Right Thing helped shape my teen years. The instrumentals are great, I love the samples and scratches beats that go on forever. A lot of the samples were the first time I'd heard artists like The Temptations, James Brown, Sly & Family Stone... Terrordome lists 21 different sampled albums. You just can't do this anymore. Truly a different era. You just can do this anymore.

Nope. Not my thing.

There is a lot to like about Public Enemy. But unfortunately there is too much not to like to ignore. Amidst some great social commentary and lyrics, "Fear of a Black Planet" gets bogged down with frantic changes and hyperactive and random insertions of sound. Chuck D's deep voice delivers some great lines. Flava Flav, on the other hand, is more often annoying than interesting. (Though Flava Flav does have his moments. Those moments are not from his post-Public Enemy reality show roles, where he seems to be playing an exaggerated character of his reputation. Or maybe that's just really him. There were a few times on this album when I thought he lyrical style and voice were interesting. But what stood out was yelling randomly in places where it didn't enrich the song.) A lot to like, but there were just too many times when an out-of-place sample or sound effect ruined an otherwise good thing.

This was pretty great to listen to first thing in the am on my dog walk.

The social commentary is the real star of this album. Public Enemy muses on the plight of black Americans like: feeling less than marginalized (911 Is A Joke), mistreatment of women (Revolutionary Generation ), and being stigmatized (Who Stole The Soul). There are also several songs with positive messages like: black men should help each other out (Brothers Gonna Work It Out), interracial relationships are acceptable (Pollywanacraka), and black pride (Fight The Power). Musically however, there isn’t much to point to on this album. The vocalists are not great. I get that it’s hip hop, but their voices are not good even with the style being more spoken word than singing. The music screams early 90s, and that’s not a compliment here. The sound is dated. There aren’t any terribly interesting hooks, samples, nor beats. This rating is based solely on the apt social exposition. I remember that Public Enemy pissed off a bunch of the white establishment. Of course the white establishment twisted the focus onto the “vulgarity” of the music by doing some of the very things Public Enemy was protesting against on this album. Unfortunately, too much of the message is still relevant today.

This was immensely enjoyable.

The beats and the flow is spot on. But it's not interesting or as deep as they make it seem. Somehow this album makes me smell America around me, it's a very unusual sensation. It's like I'm back in Atlanta, and somehow the music feels so important. Very hardhitting, and quite a nice listen. What I'm trying to write; it's kinda monotonic in a style I don't rock too hard, but they got mad skills. Low 3/5 Ok I just heard 4 consecutive songs and didn't feel any change in setting or sound of any kind. It's just too straightforward to me. 2/5 Ok this happened when I got "It takes a nation of millions to hold us back" too. I get so tired of this music, and it becomes a chore to listen to the rest. 1.5/5

A great album with a lot of well known songs. The message still rings strong today.

Gotta love classic dj rap

2/5

Encore un album de hip-hop au bout duquel on a le sentiment d'avoir écouté la même chose pendant plus d'une heure (les albums de ce genre musical durent en moyenne une heure quarante-cinq). J'ai envoyé une carte postale à Robert pour avoir davantage d'explications, sa réponse devrait arriver dans une poignée de jours ouvrables, je vous tiendrai informé.

Rien n'était attendu de cet album, c'était juste un mauvais moment à passer. Cela a été fait, il est grand temps désormais de jeter cet album à la poubelle. Je tenais à profiter de cette tribune pour rappeler à Robert qu'il ne m'a toujours pas envoyé mon livre des 1001 albums. Je peux comprendre un léger retard, mais cela fait maintenant plus de 4 mois que je lui ai commandé son livre. Mais je ne m'inquiète pas, Robert est un homme de parole qui ne manquera pas à son engagement.

Good, just feels a lot like a rehash of "It takes a nation of millions". 3

Relentless, crushing beats and noise, and wave after wave of sounds and noise and drones. Dizzying panning and cutups, sonic bombardment, a cavalcade of voices and slogans

Not for me

WAyyy too repetitive with the production

I liked it. Bunch of good stuff in thete

A good album with good songs and a solid message. I enjoyed it for sure.

Classic jams! ...I didn't listen all the way through though.

No puedo parar de mover la cabeza!

Couple of classic songs. I think it's the first time I've heard the whole album. Public Enemy was definitely unique in this time frame. 2/5.

3. Fear Of A Black Planet - Public Enemy. 20 Tracks I'm not into rap or hip hop at all, but my biggest criticism of rap is that I often have no idea what's being said & I don't have this issue with Public Enemy. It's no "takes a Nation of Millions", (although you can really see they have tried to replicate it), but considering I don't like this genre, it's not awful at all. 2/5.

I liked it a lot. I liked the messaging

Not sure how I never got around to appreciating this the way I did their first two albums. The production crackles, Chuck D is forceful, and Flav is used just enough. 4.5.

I'm sure it was a touchstone for the genre and culturally relevant but it just isn't my jam

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Fight the power