Fear Of A Black Planet

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

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

This was immensely enjoyable.

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

Gotta love classic dj rap

I liked it. Bunch of good stuff in thete

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

No puedo parar de mover la cabeza!

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.

Deze vond ik leuk, de naam kwam me bekend voor maar wat een leuke old school vibe

Das oldschool baby, waarbij den dj nog belangrijk was. Ik vind het niet het beste beste dat ik ooit gehoord heb maar je hoort wel dat modernere hiphop hiervan veel heeft genomen

Really good listen. I find it more accessible than Millions, but with no song as immediately bracing as Don't Forget the Hype. I don't know how to judge good hip hop vs.not so good. UT I know what I like and I like this album 4 stars

Fantastic sampling and classic 90s rapping. Plus that cover just rules.

Fantastic Hip-Hop / Rap album. Strong lyrically and musically. As relevant today as it was back in 1990.

Really solid, personally find it to be a lot more upbeat and energetic than n.w.a and contemporaries, the beats are more creative and social issues are also better explored in this album

The background opening puts the song at 4- right at the start. Kudos for the lyrics being unproblematic and while keeping flow and still talking about issues. Pollywanacraka is Lyrical hilarity, same for can't do nuttin for you man. The mixes are new to me, love this. Fight the Power. 4/5

.

Good album, long to listen to all at once

The album that ushered in the new hip-hop tracks of the 90's! This was a snippet of the evolution of hip-hop music during this time. This album features a collage of samples, scratches, high-tempo beats, and lyrical genius within their rhymes. Public Enemy's most famous album was a joy to listen to.

Whoa! Loving this. I honestly don’t know much about Public Enemy - but Chuck D spits fire; and I also have more respect from Flava Flav.

I like it a little less than I used to -- over the course of the runtime it just wears me out a little bit. Feels like there's not quite enough variety in the production to sustain a full hour of this. Without that fatigue it's good though. I actually really like 911 is a Joke, goofy as it is, cause it stands out compared to a lot of the other music. It's a 3.5 that's hard to round off either direction, but I like Chuck D enough to push it to a 4 I guess.

Excellent - poignant lyrics and great tunes.

Black power

This will be interesting b/c rap isn't really my thing. Great listen. Love the flow.

Fight the power

All time classic. This was a formative album of my childhood, when I thought I was the most woke revolutionary kid in my southwestern Ontario farming community.

Este disco me recuerda el bombazo que fue la película "Do the right thing". Hipo-Hop que se hizo popular en los 90 y saltó a primer plano mundial. "Brothers gonna work it out", "911 is a joke", "Welcome to the Terrordome" y por supuesto "Fight the power".

Less Flava Flav is a big plus, liked this one much better than "it takes a nation of millions".

cool

Commanding, authoritative, and sadly every bit as relevant today as it was when it was released. Fave track - I really like "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" but it feels slightly wrong to pick the goofiest track on the album, so I'll go with "Burn Hollywood Burn" instead!

Classic west coast hip hop, better lyricism than I expected

I like Chuck D. This album is varied, strongly written, and is a blast to play loud. Flavor gets on my nerves a bit, but he lets it loose in the right places.

Solid album, still relevant, still sounds fresh.

I wanted to give this five stars. This was an iconic album of my youth. Probably the most anticipated one. But you can’t separate the people from the music. The homophobic and anti-Semitic lyrics and comments by Griff… I can’t see past them. The fact that this still gets 4 stars is a testament to how bloody good this album actually is.

Favourite so far of albums. Can see why this is important album, was relatable then and still relatable. Fav song - burn Hollywood burn - completely correct about black film roles

fittyleven samples coheres into one funk groove

Fight the power!

Better than expected

Powerful

BRING THE NOISE

It’s no nation of millions

Enjoyable rap album! I am not a very avid rap listener (although I am a huge fan of Kendrick Lamar and Eminem), but I found the suggested album to be a very nice surprise.

Fedt album men kunne godt være lidt kortere

I've seen Public Enemy and always thought of them as slightly preachy. This album makes me think less "preachy", more "passionate". At certain points, the songs can run kind of long, but the instrumentals are fucking awesome and the energy truly never dies. Favorite tracks: "Fear of a Black Planet", "Burn Hollywood Burn", "911 Is a Joke"

wasn't expecting all the instrumental/light lyrical content, classic tenant in hip hop, fight the power indeed

Classic slice of hip hop! Political stuff that resonates today.

Good album. Really liked the rapping parts and the lyrics. I didn't like how much sampling there was in the songs; feels like it breaks up the songs too much.

Of the most rythmic hip hop rap a true classic

no comment.

Bomb squad production carries hard would give a 3.5 if I could

forgot to rate them - A for effort, instrumental in their endeavors to make sure voices are heard - not my go to for hip hop but Chuck D is killaaaa

Seems so much better than modern rap - but maybe I'm just old fat fossil.

Another one which I'm sure is fine. But not for me

Wel oke. Leuke rap

Belongs on the list. Not my favourite thing though

I enjoyed this. It had some interesting samples. I like the song Fight the Power. That was the only song I knew. I liked how socially conscious this was.

Fight the power!

Kaip ir praeitas jų albumas, solidus.

Fear Of A Black Planet is a rap album with a message and a throwback to a time when rap music had something to say. At times it may feel dated and a little bloated but it's an okay album and the messages and themes throughout cause you to look around and think for yourself.

It's okay, the samples are pretty funky though

Boom bap, boom boom bap. I like it better than most modern hip hop, all the scratching is really cool. They should do more of that. Adjacent to the music, the dancing and fashion associated with this is also really cool. It's very evocative, a really great album, but is evocative of an era and a culture that I am not a part of. Wick wick wick wickky wick wick wick

This sounds very angry and loud, I like it but I wouldn’t listen to it again. I enjoyed the lyrics and the message as it is very powerful and still very real unfortunately. It’s not my usual listen but I enjoyed it for sure

I ought to love this, I fully expected to love this. It certainly has its gems, and it is a good album, but good lord is it too long, the production quality is also hit-or-miss, really ruining many tracks that could be awesome. Fight the power is an all-timer (truly, motherf*ck Elvis *and* John Wayne) and I'm glad they left it for last, ending on a strong note. 3.5/5

Heel vet. Wel wat rauw en de beats zijn net te weinig melodieus voor mij

Repetitivo pero los instrumentales los salvan

Overall: 6/10 Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I was hoping. The beats are good, and Chuck's voice and lyrics are great, but for some reason it just didn't click for me. Fav Song: Fight the Power

Sampling was crazy on this. Wildly influential on modern rap. Highly politically charged.

not my vibe

Consider this album within the political climate f the 1990's.

Great sampling, cool album

Some strong points but this is more of a blueprint for current rap than something to return to, imp

Too many fillers. If you good shorten this to like 10 songs, this would be a classic.

Not my alley, but an essential album from a historic perspective

It brings you in their world, I will not listen to it a second time but it was cool !

As always, I can get with this, but my white ass can't pass judgment on what constitutes good rap/hiphop.

Overrated to me

I like Public Enemy and enjoyed this album. Not my favorite album of theirs, but definitely something I could find myself going back to.

Maybe by the end of this I'll have heard enough rap and hip-hop to have a better framework for forming opinions with it. Genuinely I haven't heard a whole lot. It's funny because this is the exact kind of record my parents would've hated me to have had in the house when I was young but listening to it now... I imagine there's people in the US for whom this album would be shocking, and those people suck. Today it's not very shocking to me but in the 90s probably, yeah. Anyway, Chuck D's voice is really good, huh? Favorite Song: Who Stole the Soul?

911 is a Joke has me torn between liking the message and having to listen to Flav's flow. But getting back to chuck right after makes it easy enough to forget at least. Getting that brief bit of 1990 AIDS homophobia made me double-take lol. I respect this a lot as an answer to the cultural response they were getting. I know already there is Public Enemy material I enjoy more though.

Some Public Enemy is better than no Public Enemy, and Chuck D's voice is one of the greatest things ever recorded. But there's too much nonsense here. As great as Nation of Millions is, this falls way short as a follow up. Aside from Fight the Power and Burn Hollywood Burn there's not a lot that stands out. I've always wanted to like this more than I do, but I've never come around on it. I guess I got a rip in my couch. 2.5⭐️

3 stars Some great traffics with political lyrics that have clearly been influential on artists in the years that followed. However, it suffers from some of the issues of early hip hop such as overly repetitive beats that make the tracks blend together over time and the album being a bit longer than necessary at over an hour. The combination of these factors can make listening to the whole album feel a bit tedious, which I’ll admit is what has kept me from revisiting it over the years.

Kewl

Flaaaavvaaa flaaaaaav

👍

The soundtrack for Black History class

An okay album, I liked Brothers gotta Work It Out the most.

Seda isegi täitsa kuulaks. Albun on tund pikk tho ja hakkab juba vaikselt aju lahustama.

fight the power

3/5. Ben geen hiphop guy (totaal niet) maar dit heeft wel wat, mooi in de tijdsgeest van toen ook, nog steeds relevant politiek activisme. Als je ff tijd hebt, check de film Do the Right Thing van Spike Lee, laatste nummer van dit album is daarvan de soundtrack. Goeie film in hetzelfde thema als dit album.

Good but not as amazing as their earlier work I feel

Good but overstimulating

Rv

Aged better than I thought

Me gusta más el otro, pero es una buena escucha

Sounds a lot like sir mix a lot. Would have to listen again to see if any I like particularly

Chuck D's flow reminds of a preacher & considering that fact that he's spitting truth about the struggles of the Black man. It's quite fitting. 3

Fight the power! Old school hip hop putting the civil rights front and centre.

Just had their previous album “It takes a Nation…” less than 2 weeks ago (having none for 830 days), and this was quite similar. Pretty sample/loop heavy, I liked the old-school feel, probably enjoyed this a bit less than the last but overall 3.25/5

Contract On The World Love Jam - 2.5/5 Brothers Gonna Work It Out - 3.5/5 911 Is A Joke - 4/5 Incident At 66.6 FM - 2.5/5 Welcome To The Terrordome - 3/5 Meet The G That Killed Me - 3/5 Pollywanacracka - 2.5/5 Machine - 3/5 Burn Hollywood Burn - 3/5 Power To The People - 3/5 Who Stole The Soul? - 3/5 Fear Of A Black Planet - 3/5 Revolutionary Generation - 3/5 Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya, Man! - 2.5/5 Reggie Jax - 3/5 Leave This Off You Fu*Kin Charts - 2/5 B Side Wins Again - 2/5 War At 33 1/3 - 3/5 Final Count Of The Collision Between Us And The Demand - 3/5 Fight The Power - 3.5/5

Beats were dope. Wild that they had an anti-race-mixing song. How do you do, fellow grand wizards?

5/10

pretty cool 👍

Like the stereo mix but this isn't the music of my people

When this first came out, I couldn't get enough of it, especially 'Welcome to the Terrordome', 'Burn Hollywood Burn', 'Can't do Nuttin' for ya Man' and 'Fight the Power'. The Spike Lee film 'Do the Right Thing' was my favourite film at the time with Radio Raheem playing the last song on the album on repeat. Great film. But the album went on the back burner when 'Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black' came out. That album is still my favourite for the actual tracks but this album takes me back to a time when I was discovering lots of new things in music, film and literature. A classic hip hop album.

My rating 3.3. Liked their first album better but this still rocks

I enjoyed this for the most part, but some of the samples got to be a bit irritating.

"As a person who likes protest music, this is ok. If you're into sample-heavy stuff, you'll like this. The best songs on this one have chuck and flav rapping together (Fight The Power, for instance). Personal fan of Fight The Power. 6/10 Probably in my collection"

Crazy beats

One of the sickest album covers!! Super relevant themes and cutting lyrics. I think the production is kinda messy, and I think I prefer It Takes a Nation of Millions, but this album definitely has room to grow on me. Favorite song on first listen was maybe Burn Hollywood Burn, probably because the image of an LA on fire is one of the most salient, enrapturing, and one of my most favorite political motifs.

I will never be a fan of the genre but I can tolerate Public Enemy for longer than most artists under the Hip-hop/Rap banner. There's something about their sound and style that sets them aside - I can't put my finger on what it is and I really don't want to spend too much time thinking about it, but, yes - tolerable.

this was a great time. hell yeah ✊🏼

Fight the power!!! Felt a bit repetitive at times, but solid 3.3

Better than It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, less crowded

Aclarando de antemano que no termine de escuchar el álbum, el mismo me pareció muy bueno, juega demasiado con coros, voces femeninas, samplings. Son canciones energéticas y divertidas. Le puse 3 estrellas por el hecho de q no es un género que consumo todos los días, pero me encantó.

Flavaaa Flavvvv

not a fan

Raw and unfiltered. Fight the power

For some reason this took me a few days to get through. No fault of the tunes. Just wasn’t vibing with it.

Public Enemy er kult, men de er også en one trick pony. Beaten går hardt & monotont mens Chuck D rapper over med sin karakteristiske, lite varierte flow. Noen tracks stikker seg ut. På denne skiva er det Welcome to the Terrordome og Fight the Power – begge bestående av en usannsynelig mengde samples.

Public Enemy er kult, men de er også en one trick pony. Beaten går hardt & monotont mens Chuck D rapper over med sin karakteristiske, lite varierte flow. Noen tracks stikker seg ut. På denne skiva er det Welcome to the Terrordome og Fight the Power – begge bestående av en usannsynelig mengde samples.

Holds up and still sounds good. Favorite songs: Brothers Gonna Work It Out, Fight The Power

Quite intense black hip/hop rap. Sings about very controversial things but in a good way. Very good music but maybe not for public use.

3.25

J'étais hype pour cet album, J'ai été un peu laissé sur ma faim. Je comprends l'aspect social (racial) du moment et ils ont été en quelque sorte les pionniers du style de mélange ''média, sample. radio, loop''. Bien que ce soit le meilleur album de hip to the top selon moi, j'ai beaucoup d'admiration pour le fait qu'ils ont été précurseurs dans ce golden age de ce style musical.

This was good. I listened while away from keyboard, but I generally approve, without having a ton more to say. Simple solid stuff. 3.5 rounding down because I'm self conscious of how high my ratings are

6/10 - some strong lyrics but the music just meddles into the same thing, could've used more variety

Were it not for all the interludes, I might have given this 4.

This is a good album and they have a good vibe. Strong 3, weak 4. Can't think of a lot else to say.

Feeling better this time

in yo face! da truth! political.

Solid follow up to It Takes a Nation of Millions, but like a lot of rap albums, it’s just too long.

Something my uncle would listen to (in a good way) my head was banging. Such a good era of music

It slaps, but I might not ever get into this type of 90s hip hop much more

It was pretty good, but I think I just like West Coast hip-hop better.

“The counterattack on world supremacy” aspect is five out of five….turns out I don’t like a hype man though. On another day I could give this a four.

Big fan of political music

Leuke provocative og hiphop. Niet echt iets waar ik vaak in volledigheid naar zou willen luisteren door alle scènes tussendoor, maar zitten wel bangers in

I think is in the Rage Against the Machine lane. I recognize the quality and I think I liked this more than It Takes a Nation but it's just not for me at my present stage of life. I am afraid of the black planet.

This might be the most impressive sample collage I've ever heard.

i haven’t heard this album before. i like some rap. i’m very very picky with rap, im even pickier with rap from the 90s. here’s hoping i fuck with this one. it does somewhat worry me that there’s 20 tracks on this thing and it’s over an hour long. i’m going to go in with an open mind though. i like this intro quite a bit :D i’m on brothers gonna work it out. it sounds old, but it doesn’t sound obnoxiously outdated for me yet. i’m still a little sick, maybe this was a bad album for me to get today. just bc it’s a genre i’ve never really been into. i like the message of 911 is a joke. the song is cool. it’s definitely better than a lot of old school rap i’ve heard. okay yea this album is neat. i like the fuck you attitude. it’s very punk. the beats are mixed dark as hell. it’s a sweet vibe. this is good. i’m very tired. burn hollywood burn is my favorite song so far. i took a long break after burn hollywood burn. took a long nap. the takeout at the start of it power to the people is really funny. i think this is an album i’ll have to revisit. i generally have to listen to rap albums a ton to get really into them. the chopped vocals can get really grating at times. i am liking this more after the break :) it is kind of a lot though. because of the dark sounding beats and the very aggressive tone and how long it is, this album is kind of a marathon. i do like it though. okay i finished it. i think it kinda drags near the end, fight the power is good though.

This was ok. A little too chaotic to my taste from time to time but the samplings of speeches worked really well. Also the beats made me nod to the groove with out my notice so plus from that. 2,5/5 and I round to 3 as this was another rap album that had something else than genitals and what to do with them on the lyrics.

So I heard the album before this, It Takes A Nation, and it didn't sit well with me. I'm glad I tuned into this one with an open mind because they doubled down on the production and it paid off. The music and the lyrics provide a similar quality and aggression, yet they play off each other really well. It's still a little outside of my comfort zone as far as cadence goes, I can't imagine I'd put this on regularly, but I'd buy this record. 3.3/5

Cool but not my style

This is a good album but it always paled in comparison to PE’s first two. FOABP is enjoyable but definitely on a lesser scale to those. After Apocalypse 91… they really took a downturn for me (until Muse Sick…) Some good songs on here though, and every now and then I enjoy it. I find it a little patchy, but a solid 3.

Lowkey deep lyrics and a vibe for any 90s hip hop/rap kid.

It was long and loud and went on a bit - Still good

with this one i know that i have issues with this era/style of hip-hop. this bombastic style, that is so charged and energetic, can get so fucking distracting. it's ironic that i'm used to expect more complexity/musicality on modern hip-hop, but this it's like the monkey paw result of that. To say something, it felt like listening to some kind of Trout Mask Replica of Hip-hop, with how chaotic it was. Aside from that, it's lyrically interesting, but i would lie if i said anything more. It was really convoluted

3/5

Cool, but I'm not really into rap

I hadn't heard much of this before. The parts I had heard were sampled all over the place, and of course this album samples a fair amount itself. Not really my genre, it was an OK listen but about twice as long as I needed.

Favourite Track: 1. Who Stole The Soul?

Not my genre but it was very good!

Reminds me of something mom would listen to when she was younger

The social commentary is the real star of this album. This rating is based solely on the apt social exposition. Huge credit for cultural, social, and political relevance. However I don’t think I’ll be listening to this album again any time soon.

I'm in a record shop in 1990 and they're playing Welcome to the Terrordrome. I belatedly realised that hip-hop could be as exciting as the rock I mainly listened to, so I will always be grateful for that. I don't think this has aged quite as well as It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back as there is more filler but Fight the Power is still great

Eh ... its Public Enemy, so its fun! But not anything I would gravitate to or probably ever listen to again.

I know what time it is

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: 911 Is A Joke, Pollywanacraka This album is both prescient and as politically and socially relevant today as it was when it came out 35 years ago. I am glad that Flava Flav toned down the "Yaaaa Boyyyys" significantly. He's still a little grating - not to mention this album is quite noisy - but it's still an awesome full of original samples have been used dozens if not hundreds of times since its debut. This album falls into the same category as Beastie Boys for me. I recognize its cultural significance, but the music both loud and it can be obnoxious; its something I can enjoy, but only every once in a blue moon. It's not an album that I can binge for hours on end. 3.5

Fear of a Black Planet is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was released on April 10, 1990, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. A commercial and critical hit, Fear of a Black Planet sold two million copies in the United States and received rave reviews from critics, many of whom named it one of the year's best albums. In 2005, the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry. In 2020, Fear of a Black Planet was ranked number 176 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Legal mas não é mto meu estilo de hip-hop. Tem que ouvir no momento certo pra curtir mesmo

Not as good as I remember it. I prefer it takes a nation, but that is personal preference

Loving what they did in "It takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" I was very excited to listen to this one, but the more listens I gave it, the more tame it felt compared to the other. I'll start with my biggest complaint. I think this album has a lot of interludes and short songs that don't really add anything. These particular tracks can be found in two sections of the album: before and after the middle part. Basically, from "Incident at 66.6 FM" to "Anti-N****r Machine" and "Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man" to "Final Count of the Collision Between Us and the Damned", with the exclusion of "Welcome to the Terrordome" and "War at 33 1/3". Not considering these last two songs, I believe all of them have very weak beats, performances and lack any strong messages. The rest of the songs are what brings the essence to the album. They are the two first songs (not counting "Contract On the World Love Jam"), "Welcome to the Terrordome", the section between "Burn Hollywood Burn" to "Revolutionary Generation", "War at 33 1/3" and "Fight the Power". These are the tracks which contain all the social commentaries that made this group so relevant, and the energetic beats and flows. However, I do have another but smaller complaint. I think this album is not as powerful, angry and loud as their previous one, which were the aspects I was really looking for. Not saying it is bland, but it definitely pales in comparison. They do have a great frenetic feeling, but is not the same. So yes, I do think this is a weaker release from them, but still has some great highlights.

Hip-hop is not my thing but this is the better end of the spectrum. Political and sharp.

Fear of a Black Planet was my first proper listen to Public Enemy. I had known the name for years, but I don’t usually listen to hip-hop. To my surprise, it was more within my taste than I expected. That said, the album feels quite long to me, which may be one reason I’ve never fully connected with hip-hop, especially since I tend to prefer the brevity and speed of punk.

𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 is a forceful, sharply produced album, but it doesn’t carry the same explosive impact as 𝘐𝘵 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. The Bomb Squad’s dense, sample-saturated sound is still impressive, yet the record feels a bit less focused and less urgent. It’s strong, no doubt — just not the knockout its predecessor was.

It sounds funky but dated heavily. Aggressive lyrics, I like some of their word play and directness. Dancy, but not as great as Paul's boutique for samples.

Definitely a step up production-wise from “It Takes a Nation of Millions…” and Flavor Flav is more sidelined on this album. I like the bombast of it all, though it is a bit long. Ice Cube being on that track about Hollywood and how it flattens black characters is pretty funny in retrospect. I’ll save my thesis on Conscious Rap seeming to be a psy-op inhibiting class consciousness for another day.

This was kinda boring ngl.

muy largo pero de alguna manera me gusta

Fight the Power a 5-star song, despite my overall rating.

Right down memory lane. Great stuff. Love the incredible samples.

This isn't nearly as good as It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. The highs are just as good I would say (Burn Hollywood Burn, Fight The Power) and Flavor Flav's track is better, but it feels like half of the album is just interludes where everyone just goes "yes y'all" for a few minutes. There's too much filler in here, and it's a lot less cohesive for it. It Takes a Nation just relentlessly blasts you in the face for an hour and doesn't really have any weak spots. Man, the integer ratings are really making me take some bold stances.

One thing I noticed is how much more I liked this album when I was listening on headphones versus speakers. Part of that might be production value but there’s a lot of discordant sounds that just hit the wrong way u less I was fully plugged in. Anyway, good beats, Fight the Power obviously a known standout on the album, and Incident on 66.6FM was absolutely an insane encapsulation of the racism at the time. Definitely enjoyed it, but maybe it’s just too soon after the first Public Enemy record on the list, so was torn between 3 and 4.

Very good. Maybe a bit too long, and the beats started to sound the same, but I enjoyed listening to it.

appreciate the signifiance, but does little for me.

Public Enemy is great but I can't stay hype for an hour straight.

a solid 6-7/10 it was good but not amazing Better than I expected it to be by a solid bit

Funky

Enjoy the hits, but would probably rate higher if I was younger. 3.5 stars

I liked it a lot better than I thought I would. Hip Hop / Rap is still not my favorite genre, and I'll never be arriving home and thinking "Man I want to put on that Hip Hop album...", but I guess I have learned to tolerate it more as I've grown old.

6/18,

DNF

Good sampling, good energy, stylistically maybe feels a little dated

it was alright

Still not a fan of the genre, but this wasn't terrible.

5/10 Best songs: Welcome to the Terrordome I always enjoy political rap/hiphop so I'm happy to hear this album. This album is very loud: deep bass, loud drums, shrill whistles, forceful vocals, samples and lyrics that very clearly scream "this album is about the Black experience." It becomes overwhelming, which is honestly the entire point: one can argue that much of the Black experience is tied to anger and fury, and this album makes that very clear. That being said, a little bit goes a long way, and this level of anger for over an hour is waaay too much for me. I also don't really like some of the gender views expressed, but y'know, time and place matters, I guess. I understand the significance of the album, but I think a little tightening (particularly in the second half) would have made it stronger. Overall it's not for me.

I have suffered the indignity of the Beastie Boys, Queen Latifah, and a host of late 80s / early-to-mid 90s rap albums that I have put out of my mind so poor were they as part of this generator, so I was wary when this one popped up. However, I quite liked it. There is something inherently listenable to it, much like there was when Run DMC came up. I liked a lot of the samples, and had fun picking them out - hello Vincent Price’s “Thriller” laugh - and the interludes were less about women and money (see Notorious BIG), and more about racism faced by the likes of Public Enemy. If I could give it 3.5* I would, but I don’t think I enjoyed it as thoroughly as I did a 4* album.

I continue to be surprised by how much I appreciate a lot of late 80s/early 90s hiphop, and this was no exception. I enjoyed this album, even... and this really is a surprise given how much I've whinged about them on other albums... the skit-adjacent bits! Fight the Power is obviously the standout here, but I liked a lot of this album. The style of sampling on albums like this is just so impressive to me and I appreciate that Public Enemy were outspoken about their politics and experiences. Probably a 3.5, but on balance I'm rounding down not up. It was a close run thing though. 3/5

ein track glost

unexpectedly enjoyed

Another solid album. Early 90s hip hop at its absolute best. Not an album I would have on repeat but definitely some songs to add to the favorites list.

Dated raps with very important messages over a ton of very fun instrumentals.

Very early hip hop in a fun way. Brought to mind how inflammatory the content would have been at the time.

Very average, don't understand the hype around these guys at all, the 90s shout all the bars style rapping isn't my favourite

Solid thought I would know more songs, I did hear certain parts of certain songs that were sampled in some of my favorite rap songs. Also amazing ending with "Fight the Power"

Lots of sampling, can see why it’s a classic but got a bit tired of the same formula over each song

Only knew Fight the Power before listening !

- kyä 90s hiphop toimittelee edelleen - hullun pitkiä nää albumit ollu kyl, kavereilla ollu asiaa

Hip hop is not my jam, but this wasn't a terrible listen.

Abrasive, heroic, stylish; but lacks the songwriting to back it up. I prefer their first album. It’s a lot hookier and I think conveys similarly important messages, though perhaps not as directly.

It’s ok. I just don’t love rap

Classic. Sick beats and the vibe is great, I've outgrown it though.

pretty good, interesting artists a bit too psychedelic

Decent - really enjoyed, solid 7/10 for me - however the fact the Musical Youth sampling was the bit that grabbed me most is a reflection of me and the fact I’m not really either a fan or indeed target audience

I like a handful of PE songs. But they weren’t written for me, and I get that.

Im happy Im finally getting a hip hop album😌 This one sounded good and classic 90s hiphop. But most of it sounding good was just the beat. For a lot of the songs, they werent even rapping, just yelling into the mic. Its cool when you do it at the end of the song or just a little bit, but not for most of the song. Im loving the beats tho and DJing. Just too much of hearing just that and not hearing rap for me to add these songs Saved: Burn Hollywood Burn 6/10

I'm well aware I am not the target audience for this album, and this is not my usual genre. But I did enjoy this album. I don't know that I see myself replaying this album much in the future, but it was a engaging listen. Three stars. (Favorite track: Welcome to the Terrordome.)

Enjoyed the vibes - felt too same same for me to really love it on first listen, but parts of it really grabbed me. Will definetly revisit & give it a closer listen. I expect it will grow on me.

I want to love Public Enemy but honestly there's just too much where it's just a repetitive drum sections and there's no raps just dudes making noise. I enjoy the rapping and style. Just wish there were more bars.

*1990. New York. *Fun standard 90s hip hop, but like most early 90s hip hop, it's too long. RATING - 6/10

M'ha agradat menys que "The Score" by Fugees.

Classic hip hop w/ real social commentaries.

Some of the tracks boasted impressive flows and lyrics while others only dated record scratches and random voice samples. Anyway, some good points were being made along the way, ultimately!

The highlights of this album were the samples, and the creative soundscapes they made behind the rappers. The message of the album is extremely important, but it really beats you over the head with it over its hour-long run time, leaving you exhausted by the repetition at the end.

Du rap comme on en a déjà beaucoup entendu, rien de transcendant.

Anstrengend

It cannot go unsaid how important Public Enemy is to hip hop, especially pertaining to their sonically dense and innovative production. These dudes were absolutely fearless in every way. Nothing but utmost respect to Chuck D, Flava Flav, and the Bomb Squad. That said, this is not a record I'd put on with any frequency, Fear Of A Black Planet is simultaneously timeless as it is dated, the aural barrage of sound is something I typically have to be in the mood for, and even still It Takes A Nation... is my preferred Public Enemy record.

This was much more tolerable than most of the other rap/hip hop on this list.

lofi hip hops cool ass older brother fun samples and sounds meet solid drum loops with an almost minimalist/steve reich influence

Not as good as I remember.

Chuck D. has got a cool voice and everything sounds interesting. Rap isn't really my thing, though.

I’m quite pleased this one has come up. It’s an album I’ve always intended to listen to but never got round to. I know a couple of the songs but am looking forward to hearing the entire album. Overall I quite enjoyed it, but it did begin to blend together a bit. Ideally I’d like to give it some more listens, and probably will do later when I have some more time. As mentioned at the start, glad this one came up.

Yet again nothing something I'd have listened to but enjoyed.

it was good but not really my thing

There's a strong message of anger at the system, but the music itself lacks some of the power of other hip hop with a similar message I've listened to so far. It's good, but for me, not great.

Overstayed its welcome a little. But pretty solid otherwise.

Se me ha hecho largo. De hecho no pude terminar el disco. Me recuerda al rap de Will Smith, pero supongo que tiene más que ver la década. Bastante harta de tanto hombre e inglés.

Se me ha hecho largo. De hecho no pude terminar el disco. Me recuerda al rap de Will Smith, pero supongo que tiene más que ver la década. Bastante harta de tanto hombre e inglés.

Not my typical genre but this was a solid listen! I think some tracks could have been cut in the interest of run time.

I love the energy of it, though the genre isn't quite my favorite.

Not my usual (def) Jam as hip hop has never really been a thing for me. I knew some of the tracks and found that on the whole I quite enjoyed it. I think I would give it another listen in the future.

I liked the beats and the feel of this album more than most similar albums from the time.

Dang this was good

The vibes of 90s rap are so nice. The beats are pretty simple, and most of the album feels like some dudes just messing around. A lot of the tracks take aim at institutionalized racism, in hollywood, in the music industry, in day to day life. The title of the album means the status quo fears black people in power, black people having success. It's okay having them be participants in society, but not leaders. Pretty clever with the space theming on the cover. Some of the tracks are just beats. Just vibes on those tracks, not as much substance. The album is a bit too long. The title track isn't what the album is known for - it's the final song "Fight the Power," you know it.

Not quite my style but definitely a good, listenable album

Definitely an important album, but not the most listenable. Still crazy to think that Chuck D paired with Flava Flav makes one of the most important b ratio duls of all time.

Good stuff

It was good, I can see how it was groundbreaking. Just not really my cup of tea.

A few of PE best songs on an ok LP

Some cool tracks, and overall quite enjoyable hiphop album. 3.5 stars

Though there's some great tracks on this, I think it's definitely more uneven than It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. "Fight the Power", "911 is a Joke", "Brothers Gonna Work it Out", and "Welcome to the Terrordome" are all pretty awesome, but there's a lot of tracks here that feel sort of half-baked. I do think the production is really ahead of it's time though -- there's samples here that are still getting used today. 3.5 stars.

3.5

Not a hip hop fan, but a good deal of this was worth listening to. Pleased it wasn't all about money and hoes and N words.

Coming during a time where the ability of rapping was improving and songs were reflecting the life of crime especially seen in groups such as NWA, this album sits an interesting space, very politically charged but reflecting the rap style of the 80s with it being very much on beat and the emphasis of the rhyme being the last word. The sampling is very fun and suits the songs. The main downside is as I already mentioned that it’s very stuck in its time, you can tell that this is an 80s group while if you look at someone like Rakim or ice cube their flows sound very fresh and don’t feel out of place in modern rap. Still fun to listen to and great to see where rap came from, but definitely not as timeless as other artists

Não sou fã do estilo mas o contexto histórico e social do album é bem legal então deu uma subidinha no conceito. As instrumentais me lembraram o apito da freakout kkkkkkkkkk e tem várias musicas bem parecidas entre si, o que deixou um pouco cansativo. As que mais gostei além da que imagino que seja a principal (fight the power) foram 911 is a joke e who stole the soul.

Legalzinho, mas não escutaria novamente.

Uma vibe bem hip hop clássico No início achei as músicas meio similares, as vezes não percebia quando trocava de uma pra outra. Mas no meio veio umas músicas mais diferentes, senti que o álbum foi melhorando pra mim Ouvir o álbum de fone foi interessante, tave um diálogo que ficou um em cada lado do fone (pollywanacracka) e músicas que ficavam mudando o lado Eu não paro tanto para ficar refletindo a letra quando é em inglês mas as partes que prestei atenção parecia ser uma forma de protesto anti racista muito foda, imagino que no cenário de 90 dos EUA tenha sido bem relevante Não dou mais nota pois as músicas não me pegaram tanto, mas daria 3,5 se tivesse como

bom álbum, um pouco repetitivo, samples muito bons. mas, pra mim, essa pegada de rap pioneiro (tal qual 'the sugarhill gang' por exemplo) é escutada apenas num mood muito específico. não escutei completo, mas até então: melhor: fight the power pior: pollywannacraka

fell asleep to this last night but had a good vibe

This one is tough for me because I don't love 90s rap music, like the actual music. It's a little too manic for me. But the lyrics? The social commentary? I fucking love it. If I could rate just the lyrics, 5/5. If I were to guess the impact of this album? Probably a 5/5. For me, on a personal, I'm gonna give it a 3/5.

Would have blown my mind when it was new

Not my thing. Stronger conceptually than musically. Goes on too long.

This was an enjoyable listen, especially considering the historical context. The production is unique and progressive, and the lyrics are impressive. I do feel like it's a little long, hitting an hour+. I also think though, in 1990, it would have been great to buy this CD and have this many songs. It never felt repetitive. Today, I don't think I would put this album on all that often; it is simply just a little too far outside of my personal taste. I'm glad to have listened to it though.

It’s OK. Always had a feeling that Public Enemy were one of the weaker “golden age” artists but get outsized attention.

Not bad. Just not really for me.

Not sure whether to go 2 or 3. It isn't terrible but there's no chance I'll listen to this again.

Classic hip-hop. Impressive for its time. Not feeling it in 2025

Pre: chuck d is the man Post: solid

I always start by saying hip-hop and rap aren't really my areas and always feel a bit like an imposter when I say things like "I enjoyed the albums beats and the rapping really flows". But that's what I'm saying. There's a real angry undercurrent here, a lot of the words are delivered like political statements of intent. I loved the loops and sampling, like a rapper with ADHD flicking through TV station channels. Some cool bars "I'll check out a move / but it'll take a black one to move me" which I think was talking about Hollywood's portrayal of black actors. This is never going to be my main listening genre (I always feel incredibly white listening to it) but this list has really broadened my knowledge. This album gets a strong 3.8 from me. "Your Mother's got Gold Nipples"

For some reason, every song feels different. I like the slow-paced songs that have those unique voices in the background more than others. Transitioning between songs with the ones that are a mix of many different things gives it more meaning to the more unique ones afterward. Not a hip-hop fan, and I would not have listened to one out of my own will, but this one sounds really good.

hard

I was slightly familiar with a couple of tracks: 911 is a Joke, Fight The Power. But I didn't know the album as a whole. I had assumed that the setup on all tracks is that Chuck D raps and Flava hypes, so it was interesting to see that Flava and others do some rapping too. Also, I had kind of pegged Public Enemy as more of a mid-80's group, so 1990 feels kind of late. Anyhow, decent album altogether.

This is what John Connor listens to

Weirdly some of the hip-hop albums have aged the least well for me. 3.

Yeah it might be political, hard-edged and full of mad beats, but it’s also surprisingly melodic

Cool vibe, I sometimes found the amount of sampling a bit too much.

Brothers gonna work it out - 6/10 911 is a joke - 7/10 Welcome to the terrordome - 7/10 pollywanacracka - 4/10 Anti-N machine - 5/10 Burn hollywood burn - 7/10 power to the people - 6/10 who stole the soul? - 7/10 fear of a black planet - 5/10 revolutionary generation -6/10 cant do nuttin for ya man! - 7/10 reggie jax - 6/10 b side wins again - 5/10 war at 331/3 - 6/10 fight the power - 7/10 Was really hoping this would be better because it was just a few years before Wu Tang but its a lot of yelling, ad lips from flava flav (lol), and yelling. I do think the skits were clever but I dont include those in the ratings.

Chuck D and Flavor Flav’s voices pair so well together. When they’re going back and forth on the same track, it absolutely rules. There were some misses on this album for me, and at times I felt like the samples were a little too hectic and cluttered. Best Track: Revolutionary Generation

That classic boom-bap hip-hop sound. It's good, but I couldn't help but think that most of the record sounds the same throughout when I was listening to it. Favourite Track(s): Welcome To The Terrordome Least Favourite Track(s): Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya, Man!

It’s a vibe!

I enjoyed more that Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black. The samples and production felt pretty on point, although personally I'm not always in love with Chuck D's rapping. Last track is an obvious standout. Probably wouldn't listen to it from start to end. Although I find the album very compelling thematically.

It's OK. There are way too many repeats of like 1 to 2 second clips for a minute+ straight which is just annoying in every other song

Very very strong 3* almost a 4 but just too many songs that were not hitting like the best ones on here

Great early 90s rap with a LOT of substance. 3.5/5

Dense, sample-heavy production and Chuck D’s stentorian delivery about various social issues, some of which were pretty controversial at the time. Cool I guess, but not really my kind of thing.

I liked the lo fi sound. Overall it was okay

It's good. It's OK.

Not a hiphop/rap guy but this is a nostalgic album for me as it reminds me of a time when rap was actually interesting. So much of modern rap is far less musically diverse and creative, and lyrically self-absorbed, whereas Public Enemy have so much going on in each song that it's consistently interesting. Though it couldn't sound more of its time if it tried, its message is just as relevant in 2025 as it was in 1990. Best Tracks = Brothers Gonna Work it Out, Fight the Power & Welcome to the Terrordome.

Do Fear of a Blank Planet- ok yup

Yeah that was cool.

Not my usual genre but it was an educational trip back in time. I liked it

I’m not from the right country for this album to hit so hard as it should do.

Não é o meu estilo mas tem bons Beats

2,7/5

Fear Of An Overly Long Album.

All over the place!

Crack is whack Just say no.... The same goes for the album....it's fun but 20 songs is excessive. Too much of a good thing, isn't always positive.

Hectic. Greatness, confusion, and many points in between.

Good enough for a while, but it gets pretty tiresome at some point… and then it goes on for another 30 minutes… 3/5 Highlights: Brothers Gonna Work It Out Power To The People Fight The Power

Well... It's been long since the last hiphop album. So, here we have the next challenge. Public Enemy was really big in my defining years in my circles. Surprisingly - or not - teens like me, metalhead, started listening Public Enemy and even wearing their shirts. Music press in the Netherlands was pushing them. To a certain extent, I can understand this. Public Enemy to me is a bit the heavy metal-act among the hiphop I've listened this far. (Unfortunately) Not because they use a lot of metal-samples, but because of the nature, rather overpowering, of the music. What I like best is definitely the voice of Chuck D: that is one hell of a voice to start rapping. What I like least is that the album as a whole is first of all waaaaaay too long (it's 1990...), well over an hour, and secondly that there aren't that many highlights. Very few of the songs really stand out. Surprisingly, the most streamed songs are also the ones I like best: 'Fight the power' and most of all 'Welcome to the terrordome'.

Nice samples, nice flow, a good mix of experimental stuff whilst also being a smooth listen. Will always FW political commentary albums loads.

Understand why this album was made, and why I was made to listen to this. But it does not mesh well with me. The issues that they discuss were prevalent in their community; however, not all of their views hold well... Not bad but not brilliant.

No termina de ser mi rollo, pero aprecio ciertos ritmos y ciertos mensajes.

Some bangers on here to kick off, just slows down too much for my tastes.

While it may have gravity and impact, I’ve grown tired of justifying a connection to classic hip hop. It’s not worth it for me.

I don’t know how to explain it but this was good enough but some of the production and song structure just doesn’t age well. Some good tracks on here though. Didn’t blow me away or anything. It’s a product of the early 90’s speaking on topics very much still relevant but not as easily digestible as something like Straight Outta Compton

Great album! I haven't really listened to Public Enemy before now but the sampling and beats are great.

Complex samples collection from the golden age of Hip-Hop.

Nowhere near a mid album, but really not for me. I just couldn't get attached and it was a bit too long. 3 Stars.