Reviews (page 6 of 13)
Wow. Can't listen to it a lot, but WOW. 4
Sterkir textar en vantar sárlega sterkara bít til að halda athyglinni
Ágætlega þétt en stundum of mikið að gerast, og svo eru textar náttúrulega minn Akkilesar-hæll.
This album could have been slightly shorter, as it seemed to become repetitive towards the end. The group deserves credit for all the work they did to put together the overall sound on the record, which was dense. Hip hop is not my cup of tea, so this one gets 2.5 stars.
This is a great album title. Like their last album, even though the raps/lyrics are solid, I don't like the beats! Too many annoying noises. Truly, what is music but a series of annoying noises? Maybe I should come back to this one when I'm less tired. But for now, it's another 2. I bet nowadays some people think '911 is a joke' refers to 9/11 and not 9-1-1.
Chaotische muziek mar niet vervelend
I'll say the same thing as I did about their last album here - it was an enemy to my musical enjoyment.
Hip hop clássico, muito maneiro.
I liked a lot of the cool mix tracks.
I liked a lot of the themes and content but some the songs sound very noisy. I liked fight the power and incident at 66.6
I can imagine this was probably a phenomenal album of its time, but it has held up completely in the face of our current climate.
I think this album does a great job of taking an early version of the sub-genre of gangster rap and substituting themes of violence / guns with messages of politics and social reform. Tons of energy and a raw, intense, feel but still feels somehow positive in it's message. Not always in the mood for this much intensity but in the right time and place I think this album really speaks for itself.
Sadly this is just as relevant now as it was when it was released. It's angry, aggressive, and important. Excellent turntablism and use of samples. Honestly, Chuck D's rapping isn't my favourite, but it's still pretty good. Flavor Flav on the other hand I find incredibly annoying. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it's not quite for me.
Very good album. Public Enemy hits every time.
I liked it. Funky and fun while expressing some serious concerns of the times
great album. a few songs to bump while driving. but very real telling of what black america must have been feeling in the 80s around cops. dudes were smart.
God🙏💯
Crazy sampling and texture. Seems to have pioneered that style/approach. Some deep themes, too. A classic for a reason.
Angry men
217/1089 - Way better than the first PE album I got, the beats aren't as annoying. Still a bit repetitive. I appreciated that a majority of the skits were tv footage/radio call-ins but I'd still prefer no skits.
Not my style, still great
Kinda cool but not my style
A few good songs but the rest doesnt impress
Very good. And interesting.
I was surprised at how relevant Fear of a Black Planet still is today. The impact of this record on music history can't be measured in stars. I should actually give it 5 stars. For listening pleasure alone, though, I'd give it 3 stars, as the old-school style was often too edgy for me.
I like this. It’s good.
Esse álbum é muito bom! Curti bastante. Celest Gumiho.
This album is fantastic and I love all the samples and call backs to other records. My only complaint is the sound is inconsistent, some songs are quieter than others and some sound like there is a blanket on the speakers. But this album feels like a leap forward creatively.
Didn’t love. Why am I getting so much early 90s hip hop?
Försökt lyssna en del..men långt album. Vilket är en nackdel därför att det låter allt väldigt likt. Inte så stor variation. Såg att många satt högt och motiverar det med skivans budskap. Det må så vara..jag är dock mer intresserad av den musikaliska aspekten. Man gillar ju ändå de rätt enkla och sköna beatsen, men man tröttnar faktiskt lite. Jaja.
Se föregående recension. Stark trea.
somehow more chaotic but catchier than it takes a nation. I never have and never will hear something that sounds like this. also the chuck D cube BDK collab is one for the gd books
Listened with my dad, not my favorite hip hop that I heard so far but kept my attention even though it was pretty long. 2.5
-1 for lack of Cold Lampin
Not for me
Like a lot of the rap and hip hop on this list, I really appreciate the power of its messages, still relevant so many years later, and the talent of all those involved but do still feel the overall sound or production is a bit dated. Favourite tracks were probably Burn Hollywood Burn and Fight the Power. Like I said, still so meaningful in today’s world (unfortunately).
I really enjoyed the sampling and creative layering, but a lot of the rapping felt a bit same samey.
Borderline annoying
Fear of a Black Planet – Public Enemy (1990) | Political Hip-Hop | Avg: 7.79 | Favorite Songs: “Fight the Power” and “Burn Hollywood Burn” Fear of a Black Planet is a wall of sound; dense, aggressive, and unapologetically political. I have a strong appreciation for the album’s high points, with multiple tracks in the 8 to 10 range, and “Fight the Power” and “Burn Hollywood Burn” standing out as massive, culture-defining moments. The Bomb Squad’s production is relentless, layered with samples and noise that give the album its chaotic energy, while Chuck D’s voice cuts through with commanding urgency. It’s a record that hits hard and leaves no room for indifference. Even with a few lower-scoring tracks scattered throughout, the consistency in the top-tier cuts demonstrates the project's real impact. Songs like “Brothers Gonna Work It Out” and “Power to the People” continue the fire without feeling repetitive. There’s a focused fury behind everything here, and while the density might be overwhelming at times, it’s also what gives the album its lasting weight. It’s not just a classic because of its message—it’s a classic because it sounds like nothing else, and still resonates today.
Flavor fuckin’ Flav! In his prime! Lyrics are sharp, incredible sampling, great hooks and bone rattling beats. Ear worms all over the place and some classics.
Musically and lyrically intense and relentless, but never overwhelming thanks to the commanding Chuck D. Timeless masterpiece.
so fucking raw and put together so impressively. the way the album builds up to Fight The Power is phenomenal
5 stars bc it’s a) super impressive rly, i wish i could put my thoughts down better and b) previous one was so annoying i needed something enjoyable and this came in clutch.
Repeat listen
First hip hop album, I was struck by how political it was, from start to finish. 911 is a joke was a track I forgot I loved
Pretty solid. Loved the energy behind it. Goes without saying that this album was not made for a 54 year old white guy. I am ok with that.
This was fine. I do feel like sometimes the songs never went anywhere and just were too repetitive. Love the aggressive anti-racism lyrics tho! Liked Songs: "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" , "Welcome To The Terrordome" , "Burn Hollywood Burn" , "Who Stole The Soul? " , "Fear Of A Black Planet" , "Reggie Jax" , "War At 33 1/3"
This style of hip-hop is extremely grating to me. Message aside, there just isn't anything to hold onto musically here. 1.5
I was there when this was released, I have a good understanding of it's cultural importance, but the music is just meh.
An absolutely essential album from The Golden Age of Rap (1987-1992) as important to Rap as Sgt Peppers is to Rock & Mozart is to Classical music.
The standard for rap that has a message. The fact that the message remains relevant to today is both impressive for its writing and scary for the lack of social progress.
not my thing tbh all been done before
Flav-A-FLAAAAAAV! I've probably listened to this album a hundred times.
Growing up seeing Flavor of Love on VH1, I would never have expected Flava Flav to have songs like this. I'd give it a 4.5, so I struggled between a 4 and 5. But hearing Burn Hollywood Burn right before seeing Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest cemented it as a 5.
Want to like it more but the beats got a little repetitive
PRETTY SICK OLD SCHOOL FUNKY RAP
Surprisingly good, old school rap.
This album slaps Infact every public enemy album slaps
Some real tunes on here. The problem with it for me, and it’s not unusual of albums of the era is that it just goes on too long.
Finally listened to this album. Samples samples samples.
Not bad for an older rap album. Sadly the topics are still relevant, but those beats are a bit dated. Enjoyed it.
35 years later and the songs still bang, and the messages are still relevant. Chuck D is fierce and you can't not love Flava Flav. Like 'Straight Outta Compton' though, this just seems a bit longer than needed and loses replay-ability value. Trimmed down to 45-50 minutes, it would be 5 stars for sure.
Good to stick on in the background Quite long. 3.5
i liked it, not something i would normally listen to on my own time but i guess that’s kinda the whole point
I usually like social commentary music and the sampling was cool but this didn’t quite hit for me
The 1001 albums journey has made me appreciate this stuff. I like that about the challenge - getting to appreciate stuff you wouldn't have
Better than I was expecting tbh. I hadn't listened to this before but thought it was pretty enjoyable. I may give it another listen down the road but I don't see this as something I'll keep on repeat.
I'm not much of a hip-hop head, so I didn't know what to expect going into this. I actually ended up enjoying this. Aggressive rhythms and pointed social commentaries that are still (unfortunately) relevant today.
Public enemy proves it is one of the heavy hitters of 90s hip-hop with a classic boom bap record that dares to use hip hop as a vehicle for conversations on a myriad of topics facing the community and country. The flows and prose are of a caliber few artists attempt nowadays and for that it deserves its laurels
I dont kno man
Good just not for me
A little inconsistent but its honestly hard to fault their 1988-1991 output.
Proper classic this one! Right, I'm not exactly what you'd call a massive hip-hop head - don't have it on rotation daily or anything - but I know quality when I hear it, and this album is absolutely mental in the best possible way. Already had my head turned by their debut "It Takes a Nation of Millions," but bloody hell, this follow-up proper blew me away. It's like they took everything that worked and cranked it up to eleven. So what's all the fuss about then? The way they've chopped up and flipped those samples is just mad skillful. Not just nicking bits here and there, but properly reimagining them into something completely fresh. Chuck D's still spitting fire - his lyrics are sharp as anything and still bang on today. The bloke's got this way of laying down serious political chat without being preachy about it. Proper articulate anger, you know? And then Flavor Flav - mental as a box of frogs, but in the best way. His random outbursts and general nuttiness shouldn't work alongside Chuck's serious stuff, but somehow it's perfect. Like having your mate cracking jokes during a heated pub debate - keeps things from getting too heavy. The bangers on this record: "Welcome to the Terrordome" kicks off like a proper statement of intent. Aggressive as you like, but with a point to make. Gets your attention straight away. "Power to the People" - does exactly what it says on the tin. Proper rallying cry that gets the blood pumping. Shows hip-hop can be a right powerful tool when it wants to be. "Fear of a Black Planet" is the big one though. Tackles the uncomfortable stuff head-on, no messing about. The production's all dark and brooding - fits the subject matter perfectly. This isn't just another hip-hop album - it's proper boundary-pushing stuff. The thing still sounds fresh decades on, which says everything really. These days everyone's sampling everything, but back then this was revolutionary stuff. Changed the game completely. It's one of those albums that opened doors - showed hip-hop could tackle the big subjects without losing its edge. Still relevant today, which is pretty impressive when you think about it. Quality always stands the test of time, doesn't it?
Maybe the first album I was actually waiting for? And then somewhat disappointed by. That’s the way the ball bounces G! To this day, “Contract on the World Love Jam” through “Terrordome” is unimpeachable. And then...well, it’s not bad, but it all pales next to “Fight The Power.” Which I was already a fan of, from the Do The Right Thing soundtrack (one of my first CDs!). I even got the tape of that antisemitic dipshit Professor Griff in the weeks before Black Planet came out. I was all in. “Terrordome’s” dense sound design is still as incredible to me as a My Bloody Valentine record or one of the Very Expensive Studio Productions by Depeche Mode, etc. The Bomb Squad here was an assault, an all-encompassing, overwhelming sound, especially compared to the more spare Nation of Millions or Bum Rush. There’s so much in there! Meanwhile Chuck D never lets up, surpassed only by Andre and Big Boi on B.O.B. Alas, after that, I get the sense they were spread a little thin between working on other albums, touring, the usual record business ridiculousness. The truism about how you have your whole life to make your first record and then a few months for your second doesn’t just apply to every rock band that comes along. In this instance, it falls on PE’s third outing. They still had enough going to put out 2 more singles on Apocalypse, but the light was just about out by then. The title track and thus the album title has some ideas about ethnicity/genealogy that surely made only a little bit of sense to my dumb ass in 1990 but, as with a lot of PE tracks, the scope is limited to that basic matter of biology. Today, I’d love to hear its critique/observations extend to cultural appropriation, multiculturalism, diversity concerns, but it’s fairly pat. The very next song is, one would think, a necessary part of the future black planet, two Black men’s appreciation of Black women. Of course, this being PE and the Bomb Squad, well, it’s more like reading a Marxist’s chapter on relationships in a book about constructing the ideal society. Not quite a love jam. And then a Flavor track, that...I can’t parse if it’s entirely autobiographical or Flav sending up some better off man bitching about having to loan a few dollars to hangers-on. Or both. Coming right after a song for the sisters, it’s curious. “Fight the Power” has lost not one bit of its power. Just a pure piece of agitprop. And thanks to James Brown, is still danceable and immediately gets your attention. You don’t have this on in the background just kinda passing the time and not notice it. Chuck’s even aware of this in one of the verses: As the rhythm designed to bounce What counts is that the rhymes Designed to fill your mind It felt like something important even to me in (the fall of) 1989 and getting to see Do the Right Thing in the theatres only drove that home. So, they may’ve peaked with this and Terrordome, but damn, those are some incredible peaks.
3/6
Het geluid van PE wordt me met dit album een beetje te rommelig, vergeleken met de twee platen daarvoor. Toch een belangrijke plaat, maar zet 'm niet zo gauw op.
I was very surprised by this album, it wasn't like I expected at all. Didn't like any of the songs.
Rap
This was the type of hip-hop I’ve been waiting for. The type that I really get from Public Enemy: loud, bombastic, funky, and absolutely not dated in the slightest. Chuck D has to be in the conversation for the best hip-hop vocalist. His deep voice really increases the impact of most of the album. Flavor Flav wasn’t bad, either. Especially on 911 Is A Joke. It suffers a little bit from the hip-hop trait of “being an hour long”, but the songs are honestly great enough to prevent this from becoming a slog. Easy to see how this was influential. Favorite track: Fight the Power Other hits: Burn Hollywood Burn, 911 Is A Joke, Welcome to the Terrordome, Pollywanacrcka, Brothers Gonna Work It Out, Power to the People, War at 33 1/3
an absoluting excoriating social expose on racism, police brutality, and realistic depictions of the black experience over high energy samples, breakbeats, and intense callouts. Great album.
Such a fun listen. Really like the songs, sampling and energy. Also like Chuck D’s voice a lot
5/5. I love Public Enemy. Every album really just delivers every time, I can't believe I've been missing out. And especially this right after listening to the Clash's debut, another defining moment in the punk movement. Just so layered and complex, instrumentally and lyrically, Chuck D is so up front and personal, not mincing words. There is just so much on this record, it doesn't feel like an hour, it feels like a feature length movie, and not in a bad way. I am excited to revisit this one, and the others, and truly see what the hype is all about, even if I'm told not to believe it. Just an awesome record, perfect again. Best Song: Fight The Power, Burn Hollywood Burn, Welcome To The Terrordome, Who Stole The Soul?
Solid enough album. Not exactly sure why there needed to be 3 Public Enemy albums on this list, but ok.
The lyrics were pretty good, and I appreciate the subject matter, but I didn’t think the instrumentals were that catchy or the songs the most enjoyable to listen to. 5/10
Good hip hop! But songs do blend together a lot and sound similar
PE took everything that had happened in rap and DJ culture and electronic music as a whole up to that point and pushed all of those genres forward by leaps and bounds. This album was a true sea change and unquestionably one that everyone should hear. I don’t ever play it just to play it, but I enjoyed hearing it again today and its quality and importance cannot be overstated.
We need more partnerships between the hype guy and the brain guy.
This was enjoyable, but a tad repetitive depending on the track.
This was better than the last public enemy album I heard on this list. Still contains Flavor Flav so points deducted.
I liked it better than “it takes a nation”.
A 'counterattack on world supremacy' that's more world supremacy, i.e., a 'black planet,' will never work out, but Fear of a Black Planet has more than a rumble of truth in it. Conspiratorial, not so much, Public Enemy is merely tired of the shitty system and more often than not espouse common sense: 'Teach a man how to be a father / To never tell a woman he can't bother'; 'Every brother ain't a brother / Cause a black hand / Squeezed on Malcolm X the man'; 'Yeah, I'll check out a movie / But it'll take a black one to move me.' Before PC there was PE, which recognizes identity but isn't swallowed up by identity politics. But The Bomb Squad's atonal funk, that noisy yet charitable in-your-facism, remains the sui generis export of the group.
#665. Everything with Flavor Flav can be improved by having less Flavor Flav 3/5: fine
Aborder "Fear of a Black Planet", le troisième album de Public Enemy, aujourd'hui et plus de trois décennies après sa déflagration initiale, est un exercice complexe qui force à dissocier l'objet musical de son aura historique. Car si le message et l'influence de l'album demeurent d'une pertinence absolue, son enveloppe sonore, elle, accuse le poids des années, rendant son écoute à la fois essentielle et éprouvante. C'est cette dualité qui justifie une évaluation en trois temps : une reconnaissance de son génie historique (5/5), une admiration pour sa prouesse technique (4/5), mais un bilan global plus mitigé (3/5) en raison d'un son qui a malheureusement mal vieilli. Pour comprendre "Fear of a Black Planet", il faut se téléporter en 1990. L'Amérique est une poudrière de tensions raciales, et le hip-hop vit son âge d'or militant. Public Enemy, déjà solidement établi avec "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back", n'est plus seulement un groupe de musique ; c'est le "CNN de la communauté noire", pour reprendre les mots de son leader, Chuck D. Cet album est le point culminant de cette ambition. C'est une thèse, un manifeste, un cours d'histoire et de sociologie politique mis en musique. Chaque morceau est une prise de position radicale et sans concession. Le mythique "Fight the Power", déjà hymne du film "Do the Right Thing" de Spike Lee, ouvre l'album de manière explosive et donne le ton. La suite n'est qu'une succession de brûlots dénonçant le racisme systémique ("Welcome to the Terrordome"), la représentation des Noirs dans les médias ("Burn Hollywood Burn"), la manipulation de l'information ("Who Stole the Soul?") ou encore les stéréotypes liés aux relations interraciales ("Pollywanacraka"). Le génie de Public Enemy est de rendre ces thèmes complexes accessibles et percutants. La voix de baryton prophétique et la plume acérée de Chuck D sont celles d'un leader, d'un orateur qui harangue les foules. À ses côtés, Flavor Flav, avec ses "Yeah boy!" et ses interventions plus légères ("911 Is a Joke"), n'est pas qu'un simple "hype man". Il est le bouffon du roi, celui qui apporte une touche d'absurdité et d'humanité au milieu du chaos, rendant le discours encore plus percutant par contraste. Historiquement, l'album a non seulement défini le son du rap politique pour les années à venir, mais il a aussi prouvé que le hip-hop pouvait être un véhicule pour les idées les plus subversives et intellectuelles. Il a influencé des générations d'artistes, de Rage Against the Machine à Kendrick Lamar. Pour son courage, sa portée et son impact sur la culture mondiale, "Fear of a Black Planet" mérite sans aucune discussion la note parfaite de 5/5. C'est un document essentiel, un chapitre obligatoire de l'histoire de la musique du XXe siècle. Si le fond est révolutionnaire, la forme l'est tout autant. La production, assurée par le collectif The Bomb Squad, est une œuvre d'art en soi. À une époque pré-numérique où le sampling était un artisanat fastidieux, ils ont érigé un véritable "mur du son" hip-hop. Oubliez les boucles claires et les rythmiques épurées. Le son de "Fear of a Black Planet" est une cacophonie organisée, un collage sonore d'une densité presque suffocante. The Bomb Squad superpose des dizaines de samples par morceau : des bribes de funk de James Brown, des discours de leaders noirs, des cris, des bruits industriels, et surtout, ces sirènes stridentes qui sont devenues leur signature. Le résultat est un paysage sonore anxiogène, agressif et urgent, qui épouse parfaitement la colère et la paranoïa des textes. Des titres comme "Welcome to the Terrordome" sont des chefs-d'œuvre de production maximaliste, où chaque seconde est saturée d'informations sonores. Cette approche était techniquement une prouesse. Elle a repoussé les limites de ce qui était possible en studio et a créé une esthétique sonore unique, complexe et inimitable. On ne peut qu'admirer l'ambition et le savoir-faire nécessaires pour assembler un tel puzzle sans que tout s'effondre. La note de 4/5 salue cette vision et cette exécution technique hors-norme. Ce n'est pas un 5/5 car, et c'est là que le bât blesse, cette complexité est une arme à double tranchant. La brillance technique, poussée à son paroxysme, est précisément ce qui rend l'album si difficile d'accès aujourd'hui. C'est ici que l'auditeur de 2025 doit faire face à une réalité inconfortable : "Fear of a Black Planet" a mal vieilli sur le plan sonore. Ce qui était révolutionnaire en 1990 sonne aujourd'hui daté, et souvent, simplement désagréable à l'oreille. Le mixage, volontairement sur-saturé et agressif dans les hautes fréquences, manque cruellement de la chaleur et de la profondeur des basses qui sont devenues la norme dans le hip-hop. L'ensemble est souvent criard, métallique. La densité sonore, cette fameuse "cacophonie organisée", peut rapidement devenir une simple cacophonie pour des oreilles habituées à des productions plus aérées et dynamiques. L'écoute de l'album d'une traite est une expérience fatigante, qui requiert un effort constant de concentration pour ne pas être submergé par le maelström de bruits et de samples. Ce vieillissement n'est pas une critique de l'intention originale. The Bomb Squad voulait créer un son de confrontation, et ils y ont parfaitement réussi. Cependant, le résultat est un album qui s'admire plus qu'il ne s'écoute pour le plaisir. C'est une œuvre aride, exigeante, qui ne fait aucune concession à l'auditeur. Si on le compare à d'autres classiques de l'époque, comme "The Chronic" de Dr. Dre sorti à peine deux ans plus tard, le contraste est saisissant. Dre a inauguré une ère de productions léchées, chaudes et groovy qui restent infiniment plus accessibles aujourd'hui. En conséquence, la note globale de 3/5 n'est pas un rejet de la grandeur de l'album, mais un constat honnête de sa pertinence en tant qu'objet de consommation musicale en 2025.
A highly enjoyable series of punches to the face, culminating with "Fight the Power."
Some great rhythms and sampling, Chuck D is ferocious but with a smooth delivery
It was alright, felt very half baked honestly. Some of the lyrics were great but I don't think the majority was. I'm sure the samples were great/innovative at the time but think groups get much better with it quickly after this. The feel of the album is pretty fun Rating: 3.0
Absolutely stellar throughout. Great words on 'Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya, Man!' The title alone is great. Love the cut off ending the last song.
Not a massive PE fan. Think there was much better hip hop acts about in the early 90s.
I can hear the roots of so much modern music in this. It's often a bit busy--in a way that's very intentional, but means it's music for a certain mood for me.
This was a great listen. I've never heard any Public Enemy, and really wasn't even very aware of them. But, I loved their beats, with all that scratch, and their in your face style with Chuck D as the front and Flavor Flav as the foil; their dichotomy is what made a few of these songs so memorable. This albums whole statement seemed to highlight the difference in white and black in Hollywood and neighborhoods, alike, which is a take I haven't heard. I ended up loving so many of the points that they brought up. The only thing that didn't do it for me here was some of the instrumentals go off the rails and aren't something you can listen to, they seem more to be there to wake you up. All in all, great listen and I'll definitely listen again down the road. Favorite songs: Welcome To The Terrordome Burn Hollywood Burn Fear Of A Black Planet Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya, Man! Fight The Power
The production surprised me on this one, really solid. You can hear the MPCs everywhere and the guys’ mic presence is great
A classic rap album, absolute legends. Unfortunately, their message is still relevant and just as powerful today.
Naporno za slušati, dosadno i bezveze. 1/5, 1/10
Classic hip hop that kinda just sounds like all the other classic hip hop on this list.
God DAMN! Like a nuclear explosion in your face.
I hadn't listened to much Public Enemy before. It had some cool tracks, not my favorite hip hop style though.
I rejected hip-hop out of hand when it first appeared because I didn’t understand it. My understanding began to change when I heard this music in Spike Lee films. I began to recognize its significance, relevance and beauty as a musical form. Listening to this for the first time free of my former biases made me realize how much I was missing. This is a beautiful album.
I really like most of the songs, though there are a few misses and it can drag a little long. The concept is great and the message hits hard. 8/10
3/6
Not bad, not my favorite but can definitely hear a lot of influence on the newer generation in here.
This is OK, but I find the backing too tuneless and repetitive and the lyrics toneless and more shouted than sung, lacking the cleverness that I enjoy. It's not my favourite kind of rap / hip-hop. Like a lot of albums, I find it kind of charming that this was ever considered especially controversial or offensive music.
Solid rap album, strong attitude and message
Great stuff on here, Burn Hollywood Burn is a jam. Album is long IMO. But given its significance at the time, I think it does a lot. I dig it, and would listen again
Lives up to the hype. Brash and impactful.
I mean, holy hell. That’s one of the best albums I ever heard. I knew of Public Enemy but never got around to listening to them- man, I was missing out! It made my head spin; it’s a bop, socially conscious, heavy sonically, and Chuck D. Goddamn! I put it on repeat and might listen again today.
Fight the power!
Definitely an album to listen to all the way through - so many good samples and I really liked how they pulled in so many different types of audio
One of the best 1990s rap albums, impactful for what was to come the rest of the decade. Quite the global album in its themes. Its most popular song is included as the closing track even as it was released a year before.
Good! Fight the power is a classic!
A few weak/filler tracks hold this back, but when it hits, it hits. Overall I like It Takes a Nation of Millions more, but this very close, and the production sounds more evolved.
Public Enemy's energy and deliberate, focused writing are what make this album. There's a slew of topics they set out to target centred around race, and they score direct hits pretty much every time. They're also drawing from an incredibly rich well of samples, so varied that it's dizzying. My favorite instance of this all coming together is Burn Hollywood Burn, the thesis of which is as simple as it is effectively communicated (Like, I guess I figure you to play some jigaboo / On the plantation, what else can a nigga do?). The main knock I have is that despite this range, the project started to feel a little one-note by the end, but only just. High 3.
Very impressive! The music isn’t in a style I can claim to know anything about, but I can tell these guys were at the top of their game here. The flow is simply unbelievable, and the commentary continues to resonate well into the 21st century. Endlessly listenable. So much to pick up on repeat listens. Incredibly stylish. So cool! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Very close to a 5 star for me
Holy shit, this album jumps off. If I was a white person in 1990 I would have been terrified. Chuck D and even Flava have such great presence on this. But I give all credit to The Bomb Squad and Terminator X for the hardest of hard production. This never slows down, never falters, slams out the gate and keeps on hitting. 911 is a Joke and Welcome to the Terrordome, Burn Hollywood Burn and I Can't Do Nuthin for You Man, this album has no shortage of bangers.
Not my style. It was okay, but nothing stood out to me
I own an anti-nigger machine
4/5 strong but too long
A raw and authentic album that sounds like both a declaration of war and a history lesson in Black America. Chuck D’s authority and the Bomb Squad’s chaotic production make it an intense and uncompromising experience. The album is packed with political messages and cultural power, and it still holds up today. 5/5
8.5/10
Great samples, an og record. Love the vibe
I haven't listened to this album all the way through, so I'm pumped!! This is a VIBE. I've got it on while working and I am really enjoying it. I wish I had listened to more Public Enemy earlier. I didn't know how important it was until my mid-30s.
BEST SONGS: - Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya, Man!
This is too hiphop for mee. Too much rap, and too much random soundbits. The more popular songs were okay, but the majority not
Basehead
I was twelve years old when Dy-Na-Mi-Tee was released and it was such a massive hit, it gives me so much nostalgia-as does It Takes More and Put Him Out. These are three songs that really dominated my playlists of that year, I remember the video for the second song always being on MTV Base in the morning when I got ready for school. There are a few filler tracks in my opinion but they all have a good beat to them. My notable mentions added to the two songs mentioned was Kandy Krush which really got me moving about and Too Experienced which featured Barrington Levy which was fun. This album had a lot of reggae influence which made it really easy to listen to. The last song that had the secret bonus track at the end, was a real treat. The rapper in this track is her brother Akala who is also a writer and activist, his song Shakespeare is worth a listen if you liked this track. I’m glad I got to listen to this album and revisit some songs as an adult
If this is not the quitessetial hip hop sampling album, I don't know what is.
Y s'en passe des affaires icitte. J'ai le goût de m'acheter un tshirt.
I really like Public Enemy. This album is a nice progression from 'It takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back'. They've ditched the catch phrases a bit. But, we still get the odd 'Yeah boy' and 'Here we go'. Again, I love the sampling. There's a nice range of familiar sounds (including their own, can you sample yourself?!). The raps are quite political and racial. But, I'm cool with that. I particularly liked Ice Cube joining in on a song about hating Hollywood (well, Ice, famous now in Hollywood...). The more I hear from these guys (35 years too late!), the more I like it. 5 Stars!
Klart melodisk og mange fede samplinger fra medier. Men jeg blev ør ar noget scratching, der blev sendt fra side til side, og så kom jeg til at kede mig undervejs, så den røg fra en 3'er til en 2'er i gennemlytningen.
First great album I hadn’t heard (all of - I did of course know the two big singles). Loved it, it’s so dense and full of energy and righteous anger. Chuck Ds voice and delivery are great on this.
This album really does it job and makes you stand up and pay attention to what it's saying which. I generally find lyrics difficult to pay attention to the first time around but this album was different in that regard. The beats are superb as well with some clever use of vocal samples.
Already listened on Nov 20 2024 as album #6, before joining a Group. Here is a recap of that review: "I've "It Takes A Nation..." in my collection, this album didn't hit me like that one did. I think I was moving on to other things musically, so it took few more years to get back into hip hop via Paris, Cypress Hill, Ice Cube et al. While I'm sure this is an important album in the hip hop context, it's just "more of the same" to me. I do remember several of the tracks on this album, probably can get in on the hook from first go, due to power play in MTV and such, on tracks like "911 is a joke" as well as "Burn Hollywood burn" and "Fight the power". Also, I didn't like the interludes that we're quite common at this time, I feel they just brake the feel and flow of the album, instead of adding to the story."
2nd 4 star album from them
All time trend setting groundbreaking noise hop politically powered masterpiece
♫ Listening to "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy (Fear of a Black Planet, 1989) ♫
Still fresh and cool 35 years later
Day 5 First listen- I was vibing, yes but I got completely bored few tracks in unfortunately. (2/5)
This album is like waking up on a warm Spring morning and feeling motivated to go out for a run. The mood that you’re in is sparking a new beginning towards better health and a better mindset, while also making you wanting to punch out the nearest government official.
Great from start to finish.
This was so good!
This album had me grooving hard on the subway.
I enjoyed
✊🏽
Don't feel the need to revisit, but this was a fun ride.
Good
One of the great classics of old school hip-hop! Can’t beat the Chuck D rhymes.
Still feels incredibly powerful even today. The production on this has not aged at all. I do think it's maybe a little weaker than It Takes a Nation of Millions..., but not by much
I have an issue that no matter what wonderfully apt politically conscious lyrics are being expressed if there is not a melody I find it difficult to listen to. This album therefore washed over me. Combine this with samples which to me always feel sterile and contrived and you have something that is unpalatable.
I have said it before that Public Enemy is the Greatest Rap Group of All Time. This album is just more evidence. I liked how this album actually starts with Terminator X doing his thing, proving that he was a talented producer and member of the band rather than just a guy dropping beats in the back. Chuck D’s lyrics are powerful and resonate in culture today (sadly, I would like to say they don’t apply because America has finally moved on …but I can’t). Welcome to the Terrordome is a classic banger that is spoken with power and presence. I forgot how many times the metal band Anthrax sampled this album throughout their discography. 9-1-1 Is A Joke was Flava’ Flav solo work and poignant, however, his style and flow feels dated today. I get why his solo album never grabbed traction, though respect his role in PE. Every year is class I tend to play Fight the Power any time we are discussing a social uprising, and often show segments of the video when talking about the Black Panthers, or the birth of Rap, or because it’s Tuesday and I don’t give a shit what my admin would think. Damn it, every generation should listen to Public Enemy and I’ doing my part!
Random thoughts: * I knew 2 tracks before going into this album. * interesting choice to have Fight The Power as the last track. Did they think it was not commercially viable? * overall, many of the tracks were entertaining and good. * the overall sound is kinda the same across all the tracks.
This album hits extra hard given the state of the world at the time of listening to it. I can only imagine how hard it hit back when it released in the early 90's. The songs are angry, yes, but that's an oversimplification. Each track is a challenge, confronting issues such as white supremacy & racism head on with no mincing of words. It's got the full package: great beats, great rappers, and meaningful lyrics. I have actually never heard of most of this group, with the exception of Flavor Flav (who I only know of, I had not heard him rap prior to this), and that's truly shocking to me. I hope to see something of theirs on this generator again.
Lots… LOTS of sampling of news clips, conversations, sayings, etc… kinda works but there’s too much of it for me. The beats were cool and I liked the more rock-ish approach to hip hop than other stuff I’ve heard.
If something could be an equivalent of collage in music, it’s this.
Oof no. Sorry but this was terrible! Repetitive and over an hour long?! Torture. That's what that was 1 ⭐️
Not the best PE album. But still great.
ærgerligt, men det er slet ikke min smag. Der var ikke særlig meget hvor det sådan sprang ud og jeg var sådan wow det er et fedt track det her. Jeg forestiller mig det er fordi meget af det også ligger i, at det er conscious hiphop og teksterne er fyldt med en masse kulturelt og banebrydende. Jeg tror måske det er noget jeg vil værdsætte senere i livet og noget jeg sikkert gerne vil vænne tilbage til, men jeg er bare mere til jazzet hiphop eller oldschool hiphop.
This was ana amazing listen. So good. I've never really listened to Public Enemy before and now I wish I had.
Okay, so to start off, this is definitely not my genre. I thought some of the tracks were alright, but some of them were just rhythmic noise. Flavor Flav can be alright sometimes and other times his voice can get really grating. I had heard a couple of these tracks before (eg. 911 is a Joke), but most of them were new to me. The bits with Ice Cube were pretty good, and some of the beats were pretty nice and interesting to listen to. Overall I didn't love it. Two stars.
pretty cool- production is really cool and worth another deep dive into them. not going to be in daily rotation i think
1971 had What's Going On and There's a Riot Goin' On 1990 had AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted and Fear of a Black Planet no one has really risen to that level of dense, political outrage in the decades since, even though we continue to have to fight for every goddamn thing we deserve. it's not for lack of trying - Kendrick has certainly come close - but I think it speaks to how expansively and deeply Public Enemy was growing and evolving between Nation and Planet. There's no way those titles weren't intentional, related choices.
I liked it
Fav songs: Welcome to the Terrordome; 911 Is a Joke Classic album. I've loved this since I was a kid. Fun to give it a re-listen.
There is nobody that can stand toe to toe with Chuck D when he's angry and on a mission. Combined with the ferocity of Terminator X and the rabidness of Flavor Flav, Public Enemy are essential listening.
Ass
One of the great rap albums of this generation.
Didn't do that much for me
ITANOMTHUB has always been my favorite PE album, but this one might be their best. Angry, thrilling, frightening.
The beats were fine but all that talking get to be too much.
Appreciate a lot of the productions, but early 90's just doesn't scratch the itch for me.
Good 90s rap. Great beats. Some great songs. That are pretty creative. But others just feel repetitive, not in a groovy way, more in a “ok, where are you going with this way” I was expecting some of the black power political lyrics, I didn’t expect to hear so much discussion about roles of black men vs black women. Directly trying to call out a sometimes resentful relationship. Not sure it did much to repair it - it kept trying to put a lot of responsibility on black women to be better, rather than talking about what they as black men could do. So, I thought that angle was surprising. Definitely a group that likes to provoke discussion.
They have a unique style, but this is one of those albums where the style is so prevalent that it feels a little repetitive after all. Still, I can appreciate this album as pioneering a specific sound in hip hop. Plus, even when the sound gets old, some of these songs don’t get old. Songs like “Burn Hollywood Burn” are great. Saved the best for last with “Fight the Power.” Most of these songs are great and enjoyable in isolation, it’s just hard to hear so much of the same style back to back.
I feel that liking this album is going to put me on a list somewhere. Political rap is the best rap, and 35 years later there is still a palpable fear of a black planet.
Poignant and good. Something about his voice that really works.
Liked this one much more than Nation of Millions. Good lyrics, energetic music. A few small quibbles, but enjoyable overall.
This is Public Enemy's best album; there's no contest here. There are many songs to like here. I don't like spoken word songs, so "Pollywanacraka" is my least favourite on "Fear of a Black Planet". This album saves its best song, "Fight the Power", for last. I hope I get another great LP today.
The more Public Enemy I hear, the more I like them. This is a great one. Tons of energy directed in a way that speaks to me, across cultures.
Wasn't a huge fan of this one.
Tänkte ge detta en femma efter första låten. Sen sjönk det till en fyra efter några fler låtar. Landar på en trea allt som allt. Långt och jävligt album. Segt att lyssna igenom. Många gobitar där i men inte bra som album i sin helhet.
Just good, very good music.
Æ hørte ikke godt nok på tekstan til å faktisk få et innblikk i samfunnskritikken, men æ likte det, det va et gøyalt innblikk i historisk hiphop.
It had its moments, for sure. 911 is a joke in your town!
Classic
Solid
Lyrically, this album is awesome. Musically, I love the production, awesome mend of noise, rock, and heavy beats. It’s in your face, abrasive, noisy, and funky. But personally, it’s not my thing. I get why this is a masterpiece but it doesn’t stand the test of time for me.
Loved this, really interesting production.
The only rap I knew in high school was the Sugar Hill Gang and I never really jumped on the train. This may be the first time I ever LISTENED to this album front to back. I missed out.
Extraordinary sampling and song composition. This is a heavyweight, landmark album.
Terrordome Jamz
Not for me, a bit simple and too old school. Not enough to keep me captivated.
honestly sooooo vibey, perfect summer listening.
2.5, not my style
Flavor
Loud, packed, full of hooks, none of them friendly. Tight and overloaded on purpose. Still makes everything else sound mild.
The squeaking became monotonous and annoying. It started to sound like a smoke detector. Really enjoyed three songs though and the masterful use of recordings.
This is still not really my thing, but it’s ten times better than any of the other rap albums I’ve heard from the same era.
Hard hitting, abrasive, polished, excellent. There's a reason these guys are still seen as masters of their genre.
An album that I've never heard before. Sonically very good. Noisy. Great production. Interesting samples. Hip-hop and rap aren't really a 'go to' for me, and with 20 tracks I though this wouldn't hold my attention, but it did. Some good, to very good songs, with a few excellent songs. 4* Would I listen again? Not as a whole album Would I buy this album? No. 1 "Contract on the World Love Jam" (Intro) 01:44 - I like this. I like the audio samples and the groove. - 4* 2 "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" 05:07 - Lively. Toe tapping. - 4* 3 "911 Is a Joke" 03:17 - The pace so far is good. There's an urgency. Vocally good. - 4* 4 "Incident at 66.6 FM" (Interlude) 01:37 - Albums with interludes. Very Frank Zappa! - 4* 5 "Welcome to the Terrordome" 05:25 - Funky. - 4* 6 "Meet the G That Killed Me" (Skit) 00:44 - 3* 7 "Pollywanacraka" 03:52 - Great title. Nice laid back vocals. - 3* 8 "Anti-Nigger Machine" 03:17 - Just as this song was getting dull and repetitive, they switch it up. - 3* 9 "Burn Hollywood Burn" (featuring Ice Cube & Big Daddy Kane) - 02:47 - 4* 10 "Power to the People" 03:50 - Best track so far. The backing vocals are excellent. "Power to the people". Play loud. Woolfie Smith would approve 😉 - 5* 11 "Who Stole the Soul?" 03:49 - Good vocal hook. Rolling percussion is good. - 4* 12 "Fear of a Black Planet" 03:45 - Funky again. That's good. - 4* 13 "Revolutionary Generation" 05:43 - And they up the funk. - 5* 14 "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" 02:46 - Almost a pop song - 3* 15 "Reggie Jax" (Freestyle) 01:35 - 3* 16 "Leave This Off Your Fuckin' Charts" (Interlude) 02:31 - The title is brilliant. The funkier tunes are appealing to me on this album. The audio samples fit really well. - 4* 17 "B Side Wins Again" (Remix) 03:45 - oooh a guitar sample! 4* 18 "War at 33⅓" 02:07 - Faster paced. - 4* 19 "Final Count of the Collision Between Us and the Damned" (Outro) 00:48 - 3* 20 "Fight the Power" 04:42 Excellent song. Just brilliant. 5 Total - 77 Average - 3.85
Samples go crazy
Fight the power!
Loved it
I am not a huge 90s rap fan but this album wasn’t bad I enjoyed it for what it was and thought it was interesting but wouldn’t listen to it on the regular it’s just not my vibe overall
Honestly this was a breath of fresh air after the recent string of boring albums. However, not one of my favorite hip hop albums on this project.
3+
Angry, on the nose political shouting. The music constatly surprises. Exuberant and thrilling. Unlike anything else. Just a tad too long.
Not for me
Je n'ai pas du tout accorché...
Repetitive. But really good production for the time. Also, I hope flava flave woke up and thanked Chuck d every day of his life
After 35+ years Chuck D’s lyrics have only gotten more prescient. While I personally prefer Nation of Millions, this is a near flawless record and shows the best group in rap history firing on all cylinders. 9/10
Not for me
Ok album
Not horrible but just couldn't make it through - too much just hyping up and not enough song
Boy this scared our parents.
damn, I didn't expect the very first rap album I reviewed to be such an iconic one. I mean, this is the album with "fight the power" on it, which rolling stone once called the second-best song literally ever made, not to mention everything else on it. the whole album bashes institutional racism and the failure of the police, and just like most of this era of hip-hop, it absolutely slaps - it has a lot of energy and the flows are catchy and satisfying. also a lot of the songs have heavy metal guitars layered under the rapping which is a really nice touch. favorite song: "911 is a joke" absolutely slaps overall: 9/10
This is so awesome.
20 track one hour album :'( Very good.
Fun.
I mean, come on, it's Public Enemy. they made two of the most powerful and influential rap albums of the 80s and this is one of them. Every song is great and they really did want to dig in their point in the most "we don't really care if you think the title '911 Is a Joke' is offensive" kind of way possible, deserving of all 5 stars.
Pretty great.
Absolute hip-hop classic. Maybe not my favorite hip-hop album, even by Public Enemy, but there's a lot of brilliant songs on it and the influence is undeniable. I've owned a copy for years now, and always appreciate any occasion to revisit it. I'll give it full marks on here, but if we could do halves it's a high 4.5 for me.
Really like this! Classic beats, great flow overall, really nice. Doesn't let up either, strong for the entirety of the album.
I'm afraid Rap has never done anything for me
Good and stuff just a bit too proto for me
I enjoyed this one, politically conscious rap with great production somewhere between the old school 80s style and the 90s.
Chuck D sure has a lot of grievances.
Ta bien
Appropriate album to get the day before a big protest. Not my usual style but I'm enjoying the funky 90s musical backing.
The author loves the late 80s to early 90s era of hip hop. There’s THREE public enemy albums on the list, and no MF doom. This album is fine but the list is just a deep dive into one man’s taste, it’s horrendous.
Скажите мне кто-нибудь, ну почему практически каждый посредственный исполнитель, возомнивший себя звездой, делает такие длинные альбомы? Я устал это слушать, всё во мне протестовало. Плевать, что говорят критики и мне совершенно до лампочки, сколько у этого НЕмузыкального "шедевра" продаж. С каждым новым рэп-альбомом я всё больше ненавижу этот жанр и не вижу в нём ну ничегошеньки привлекательного. И точка.
Rankkaa shittiä! Muistan kun ostin tän vinyylin ja meinas kyl tulla paskat housuun. 4/5
Erinomaista sämpläystä ja hyvää kannanottoa. Tasapainoinen ja kiinnostava levy. 4/5
Chaos op kunstzinnig niveau. Eerste paar nummers waren even inkomen. Voelde als een koortsdroom.
Paar leuke nummers maar zou het album niet vaker luisteren
What a banger, best instrumentals I’ve heard since starting this project
While not a big fan of hip hop, there are some significant songs on this album. Fight the Power is the star on this one.
Hated Public Enemy back in the day. Felt like noise. Just took me a couple of decades to catch up I guess. Who knew Flavor Flav would be a beloved figure now? Seeing them live is so fun too.
I've listened to this album before, can't say that I'm the most familiar with it though. It's good, it has some hits. Despite not flowing super well, it hits flows between a few songs at a time and then segues with skits. I like conscious rap, but I know it's not for everyone. I think "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" is a better album, so hopefully it's coming on the list.
Ahead of its time.
I don't love 80s hip hop. This albums pretty cool though. The production was way ahead of its time 7/10 Favourite: Fight the Power Least Favourite: Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man
Listened to before: Partially I tried, I promise. Every few years I try to listen to PE, because I know of their musical and political significance. But they are not for me. I find their music exhausting and that does not seem to change with multiple spins. Sorry PE
non è il mio genere però..
3+ Stars (9/15)
I prefer It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold us Back, but this is still a great fucking album.
Pretty good album. Aggressive, oppressive, rowdy. But not any standout tracks personally. As an album tied together
One of the best, and most important, hip hop records of all time 9/10
just not my style :)
Nahhhh
I’m not sure i was the intended audience for this, but i was able to enjoy it anyways.
Very dense. Sometimes almost overwhelming. About 5 tracks in it started to make sense. Very clever song concepts. It’s both familiar and other worldly. Artists I could the influence over: Sublime, 311, RATM, Cold World, El-P
Maybe their second best the first album is what I’d rate higher, but this ain’t at all bad.
Oh cRap... I am not into hip-hop, and I don't really understand why are these "stories" from radio recordings or so in the songs... Or other "side sounds". I wish I could understand more lyrics on the fly. Cause the music is not interesting for me
This sucked. 1.5*
Open to listening to this, but quickly finding it too much. Too aggressive. Not enough melody.
I appreciate and respect the social commentary and its impact, but in terms of the music itself it’s just not really my thing. A 2.5, rounded up to 3.
Love some “fight the power” vibes. Solid old school record.
Segundo disco (si no es que tercero) que toca de Public Enemy. Tiene un gran comienzo y se mantiene bien arriba. Lo recomiendo para amenizar una jornada laboral. Sin más para agregar, me despido hasta mañana.
Another hour long record. It’s not bad but noisy and repetitive! All the songs sound the same. Wouldn’t listen again.
Excellent ! J'ai vraiment aimé, mais les sons sont un peu trop longs parfois, faut pas tout écouter d'un coup. Ça se répète quand même pas mal, mais super découverte.
I mean just sonically remarkable. This much sampling in the 1990s when sampling was more difficult. Also more varied topics. Just an excellent listen.
My ears are bleeding
My last album - 1089! Jesus what a journey. Not too bad for a last one - this is a hell of a hectic mad rush of Afro-futurist hip hop - a genre I've grown to like thanks to this list. Termintor X is pushing all the buttons on his Akai and 808 - while twiddling the Pan knob like there is no tomorrow - and it just adds to the organised chaos. 'It takes a nation to hold us back...' is a rather angry record - cutting and meaningful, but not a walk in the park to listen to. This still retains poignancy, but it's clearly they're having a lot of fun doing it. Public Enemy is quite an interesting slice of hip hop - highly politically charged - nerds with machines and just making music in their own sound - sadly not many have try to pick this up stylistically - but in a way it shows how trail blazing Chuck D, Flav and Terminator X were. And hats off to Gunnar - so long, good bye, and thanks for all the fish!
Lo dicho: Public Enemy convence hasta al menos fan del hip hop. Qué letras, qué poder, qué apasionado es cada uno de sus tracks. Buen descubrimiento, seguiré escuchándolos con gusto.
The second album release from Public Enemy. I am more familiar with their first. This is comfort territory for me. Boom Bap rap with solid DJ backing. The rapping is better than most similar efforts from the time (1988 to 1990!) Chuck D and Flavor Flav combining well Interesting music fact all the excerpts from Incident at 66.6 FM are real. It came from a phone in interview with Chuck D and the radio station.
This one was good, just a little too weird for my taste. I like the guitar a lot. My favorite was Jeepster. Rating - 7.5
Idm
I liked it more than I thought I would.
Not really my thing
I do enjoy politically charged music and I understood some of the cultural impact of Public Enemy prior to listening to this album but this was my first proper delve. The influence is apparent and many artists I enjoy use the same aggression and chaotic mixing as well as over the top sample layering that is so prevalent in this album and was easily my favourite part about it. The messages still hold up however I can't help but feel like Chuck D's vocals are a bit dated and sound all too much the same on majority of the tracks which is what will stop me from revisiting their music all that often.
Listen, I get it. This record was leaps and bound ahead of its time, but I'm not going to review this favourably because of such. Other genres are reviewed partially with respect to how well they hold up, so why does old (with a capital O) school Hip Hop get special treatment? The production is solid, the rhymes are clean but ultimately this album, be it culturally significant at the time doesn't cut the mustard anymore. It's fatiguing listening to a busy boom-bap beat over and over with different herbs and spices added each track. Best Track: Revolutionary Generation Worst Track: Reggie Jax... dude...
I understand the importance of this one, but I just don't care enough for it. It sucks to say, because this is up there in top 5 most important albums to the hip-hop genre. I can't even force myself to like this one. I like Public Enemy, but 60 minutes of them as it turns out is really jading to me. Chuck D is such a one trick pony flow wise, he really doesn't hold his weight across an entire album. Individual songs yes, a whole album? No. Most of the songs were a carbon copy of the previous, with DJ scratching, repeating samples of the same nonsensical shit (usually some radio jockey voice), and then the same drum machine pumping out the same drum pattern over and over. I hope there's another Public Enemy record on here, because I really do like them, this album just sucks to me. Also, Pollywanacraka was really annoying. I had to skip it.
While I think there are a few odd or repetitive tracks on here that drag the overall rating down a tad for me, on the tracks where everything comes together it has to be one of my favourite combinations of style and skill. plenty of grit but also not afraid to be cheeky
this is literally the last of it's kind as an album and i'm not exaggerating. there was a lawsuit over rappers using samples in 1991, and now it's basically impossible to ever make another album like this again. the chaotic funk mixes of a million different samples will never be matched again, the trve art of the MC forever lost, and fear of a black planet was one of the last and the best to do it. fear somehow manages to embrace the chaos that so many used to stereotype rap in the late 80s and 90s as 'just noise' while also having a unique, clear and succinct sound. the blend of funk, soul and rap is unmatched and i can't really do it justice by trying to explain it with my white boy ass terminology. and then all the instrumentals including blends of criticisms on their prior albums is the icing on the cake only a 4 because i still think that they did it it better on it takes a nation of millions to hold us back highlights: 911 is a joke, fight the power, pollywannacracka
The fact that this album, and public enemy generally, was considered controversial enough that people would call into a radio show to tell Chuck D to go back to Africa really just shows how much Americans are soft cocks
Everything I'll say is probably the same as others. Good album with some absolute classics. But the gimmick gets old. Controversially I enjoyed this more than it takes a nation. 7/10
The production style here would have been groundbreaking at the time, sampling and musique concrète would have blown my fucking mind if I were alive when this came out. However, the 'right about now' sampling at the very end of Power to the People on Side A genuinely felt like being in a multiplayer lobby where someone is spamming something on their soundboard and all you can do is sit there and listen because you're too focused on being bad at video games. However, the lyricism and musicality here really shines. People who say politics and music don't mix should be pelted with rocks. The significance of this album cannot be understated in terms of what it did for music at large. In terms of music, this had far-reaching impacts on a lot of artists that I love across a lot of genres (couldn't imagine NIN being a thing if not for this album). I am certain this is like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey in terms of hip hop music, but I must confess again that it's not a genre I am as familiar with as I am with lily-white milquetoast 70s easy listening slop so I can't speak to its exact significance for the genre. Despite my very idiosyncratic issues with the production, I enjoyed this album. The second side is preferable as I find that I enjoyed the production more (or I got used to it?). As an album it's a well-curated experience and clearly something that the artists had great pride in creating. Whether you like hip hop or not, you can't deny the influence this has had, and you cannot look me in the eye and honestly tell me you listened to all of this and didn't thoroughly enjoy yourself. Highlights: Burn Hollywood Burn, Fear of a Black Planet, Fight The Power
I appreciated this album as an important piece of history, so I was glad to have listened to it, but I think 90s rap just isn’t my thing!
Got a lot going on and a very formative hip-hop album. Unfortunately, we didn't really vibe with it that well.
Often "hugely influential" albums are a bit average, but are important for what they started. This album stands on its own, the variety of samples, the lyrics (which are as relevant today as in 1990), and the overall production are fantastic.
Super fun, super loud album. This is the original “scaring the hoes” type of album. It’s made to piss off the right people for the right reasons. Honestly I was super on the fence about this album at first (not if it’s bad or good, but if it’s good or great). I listened to this album quite a few times before deciding how I felt cause like a lot of rap music, sometimes it might take several listens before I can really follow the lyrics. And that obviously could be taken as a positive or a negative thing depending on how you look at it. But in this case I think it’s less of a case of them not annunciating enough and more so that there’s so much noise and speed to this album that makes it feel full of energy. The samples and beats are really the highlight on this album. And that’s not an anomaly, I think terminator x is one of the most under appreciated djs ever, and he is at the top of his game on this album. Seriously everyday I think this album ages alittle better and better. Definitely go check this album out if you have never heard Public Enemy cause this is a great jumping off point.
Not as good as Fear of a Blank Planet. 1.5/5.0: Bad
chuck d is fun to listen even if the messages are heavy. album itself is a bit long for what it is
Shrug
Might have scored slightly higher but in one song they mugged off Elvis calling him a racist. I ain’t having that!
Great Album! Classic from my youth. The message is really great. Chuck D is great and Flavor FLAV!!
Wow what a dense psychedelic album, love all the samples and can see it growing on me over time but one listen probably isn't enough for this one.
No soy negro, no entiendo inglés. No
In the best possible way, this album pummels you into submission. Is it too long? Probably, but Public Enemy never give you time to think about it because they're too busy hitting you with their righteous racket. They even save the best track for the last, that's how committed they are to never letting up.
Some bangers on here. Love the concept. Sadly it’s way too fluffy for my 1001 album speedrun
It took a long time to accept the production for what it is. There are times where the sampling and instrumentals really take away from the album. It may be a limitation of the time but the collages feel very purposeful so idk. Otherwise, very good and I’m sure very historically important. It’s definitely as punk as any of the punk rock at the time. Fight the power rules.
I'm glad to have received some Public Enemy material as I really haven't spent enough time digging into them. The sampling is great. Beats are phat. Synths are synthy. Lyrics and storytelling were harmonized. I really got into many of the songs on this record. The two things that I didn't love about this album were: 1. These 90s hip hop records are always entirely too long. 2. Although I do love when musicians add "conversational" parts to songs/albums, but I think this record was too full of them. 4/5
Very very strong record. Beats are slapping, Chuck D's lyrics are just as relevant (oops), and Flavor is cold lampin his way around this bad boy. Soft 5/5 only because I think "It takes a nation..." is a little better