Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black

Do you like rap music? If you do then this album is for you.¨Can´t trust it its decent it has a great beat but the lyrics I don´t really like it. They just need better lyrics so the songs can be good. I would not recommend this album because there way better hip hop out there.

Do you like political rapp? If so then this is the album for you! It has a really good beat, and the dj keeps the beat well. Also I really don't like how it is going so fast that I can't hear the lyrics. Also they talk about politics, and I don't like that. So that is why I recommend that you don't listen to this album.

I think this album is okay. The beat can be much at some points but if you like rap, this album is for you.

Eh i get it’s importance but it kinda sucks

This music is not for everyone! it’s certainly not for me. With that being said. You can hear rhythms and musicality in these songs. It is in your face and full of anger. I give it 2 stars for listenability, 3 stars for its importance in music history. And overall, be cause I will never put it on again, back to 2 stars. I like the idea that I can at least talk about public Enemy now from a place of knowledge instead of disliking them out of ignorance. I may not always like the on of these 1001 albums, but I can appreciate that they might belong on the list after seeing that some people love this. Just not me.

First I admit this album was not created for me, but honestly I felt that this, for good copyright sample reasons, was not as enjoyable as their previous album. I was familiar with the Anthrax cover of "Bring the Noise" before hearing this album so I enjoyed that track, and less so everything else on this album.

Das ist leider nicht meine Musik.

I don't think I like rap anymore.

I can see the appeal, but old hip hop isn’t my fav

It was ok. Nothing very special to me, but ok.

this was very repetitive

Can see why it's on the list. Didn't like it though, the Antrax collab the high point.

I enjoyed that there was more music & less sampling. just not my style. it is a window into early 90's culture tho

It’s a classic. But not for me.

1. lozt - 1 2. rebirth - 0 3. train - 1.5 4. truzz - 1.5 5. nigga - 0 6. kill - 1.5 7. arizona - 1 8. move - 1.5 9. million - 1.5 10. neuuz - 1 11. douun - 1 12. neuu york - 1.5 13. dodge - 1.5 14. noize - 1

Rating: 5/10 Meh. Choice cut: Bring Tha Noize

Not for me

There is too much rap on this list. Not as terrible as some of the others but not my thing.

I just don't think early 90s hip hop is for me. Sounds so dated now.

not for me

Just not my type of music

I can see the historical importance, but the rap feels very outdated. The metal/rap version of being the noise with Anthrax is the cherry on top

Throwback to a time where - saying "yo", - rhyming "yo" with "dough", - AABB rhyme schemes in general (e.g., "I was watching the TV screen; Can't believe what I seen; Three guys tried to rob a store; Got more than what they bargained for") were very cool. Frosted-tips-cool. All in all, the beats are too repetitive and stripped back for me and the rap style feels a bit clumsy and dated, but this album serves as an insightful link between funk and soul, and rap as we've come to know it since. PS: OOOH YEAH Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2!

Nighttrain Can't Truss It By the Time I Get to Arizona Shut 'Em Down Bring tha Noize

Allora, non sono riuscita a terminarlo, dopo un po' diventa ripetitivo e mi ha stancata. Peccato, ero partita carica a alla fine più di tanto non posso dargli (sarebbe 2,5).

Ho sentito che nel nostro gruppo sta serpeggiando un po’ di rock fatigue. Ecco, io invece penso proprio di avere la hip-hop fatigue.

Ñie

Sorry i dont think I like it, its too much nooooise

Not my cup of java.

not for me

Hip hop ist nicht so meins aber Public Enemy und dann diese kritischen Texte, das ist schon gut

Old school rap is great but this one wasnt a favourite of mine from their albums

Not my favorite. I get it's important but it feels dates today.

Sounds basically the same as the other public enemy album.

Ok

Não curti muito

After the back-to-back genre-defining works of “It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” and “Fear of a Black Planet”, hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy struggle to reach the same level on their fourth full-length record. The passion and the fury remains in spades, but the listenability takes a bit of a nosedive. I was intrigued to hear that this would showcase a more “stripped back” sound to the group, after they lost the disks holding most of their mix and production data and had to rush-release the album. But in fact, “Apocalypse 91” sounds just as dense and loaded as the previous “classic” Public Enemy records. What’s missing is the pacing, or the craft in layering all the sound together: too often this literally sounds like 91 apocalypses squashed on top of each other, struggling to breathe while being scratched all over the shop. Much of “Apocalypse 91” is given over to repetitive beats, loops, scratching and vocals at the exact same level of intensity until it loses its impact. Opening “Lost at Birth” is enough to drive anybody insane: a groaning electronic loop and a single bar of drums stretching across four minutes, with two lines of vocals repeated for half the song like an angry broken computer. The same effect returns in the endless squalling brass of “Can’t Truss It”, the backing “shouts” in “Move”, the sample in “More New at 11”. There are very few prominent basslines, ear-grabbing hooks or intricate, textured samples. So naturally, the highlights of “Apocalypse 91” are when Public Enemy wander slightly from their one-track minds. “By the Time I Get to Arizona” is the best example of this, with its slowed down breakbeat, funky grinding synth bass and featured gospel choir: very inventive arrangement of sound. “Bring Tha Noize” is another example, as the group bring in heavy metal band Anthrax for a unique and intriguing collaboration (albeit one that gave me a massive headache). And the bouncing bassline of “More News at 11” is a welcome, distinguishable hook. The inspiration is still there lyrically, too, as tracks like “I Don’t Wanna Be Called Yo N*ga”, the anti-corporation “Shut Em Down” and “By the Time I Get to Arizona” attest. But musically, it’s really difficult to get through for me and has the feel of a group running out of ideas.

Dated

Souvent répétitif écoutable mais pas incroyable, la 2nde partie de l'album était mieux

This album is very important, and many hip hop songs would not exist without this album. But MY GOD is this annoying. Tough to listen to, the rap isn't really bad, its the horrible backing track. It's really repetitive and annoying. Just straight up annoying. + 1 star just because it's a very influential album.

Old school hip hop

Yeah, this isn't for me.

Bad albums can inspire great albums too.

Nul mais attendu

Not totally against this type of music. There are rap and hip hop bands I like but these generally also have music, something that was completely missing from the first few tracks here. Also my personal feelings are that there should be no place in music for politics.

Loved Being the Noise back in the day, the rest? Ok in places. A low 2

ok 6.5/10

HL: "Can't Truss It", "By the Time I Get to Arizona", "Bring The Noise (feat. Anthrax)" Public Enemy No. 1 (No. 2) Some bands demand some historical context, and I feel that growing up in a Canadian suburb in the 2000s means that I still lack context listening to Public Enemy. What now happened in Arizona in 1991? Who are the S1Ws? I’m learning, but ignoring all that, I didn’t enjoy this album like 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back'. I’m not sure why yet. One of my favourite songs here is the Anthrax version of "Bring the Noise" from that earlier album. And I'm not even sure I like Anthrax. The beats in "Shut 'Em Down" and "Lost at Birth" are some of the heaviest I've heard in a hip-hop album. The skits were actually interesting, like the Harry Allen, media assassin stuff & the KKK advert that comes out of nowhere. Overall, having 2 plus hours with this album (had to give some tracks an extra shot) was draining August 12, 2023

I just couldn’t get into it. Sure it was revolutionary at the time of its release, but not for me.

This was tough. A lot of the samples were grating. This ended up being a DNF for me. It sounds like there's some good messaging in there and I liked a couple of the songs like Can't Truss It (although it irritated me that they were clearly saying trust instead of truss) Overall, not my jam.

Good energy but like most rap albums, I wish it had more varied instrumentals, not loops.

Ilahdutti lopun Anthrax-fiitti niin paljon, että yksi tähti tulee siitä. Tykkäsin myös läpi levyn teemasta ja sopivasta määrästä huumoria. Yllättävän monipuolinen taustoilta vaikka ei kokeileva ole. Mutta teki tiukkaa kuunnella koko levy

Erityisesti kitarataustat toimivat ja, mikä tärkeintä, kiinnittävät huomion. Valitettavasti aika suuri prosentti menee yhdestä paikasta sisään ja toisesta ulos.

Had to skip a few tracks due to high levels of annoyingness.

Alright, good bars and beats but just couldn’t get into it

Didn't get a great chance to listen to this. Superficial impression only was that I could easily pass on it.

In 91, we had NWA, Beastie Boys, Run DMC already rolling and Wu-Tang was only 2 years away. The public Enemy live shows were a blast but this recording doesn't do it for me.

Some old school rap, let's go! Never heard it before but this was during my montana years, and I wanted to be a black mun, lol the time of cross colors. I would pick old school rap over new rap any day. Rap now is weird. Wow, the intro to Bring the Noize surprised me. It's metal, and the vocals are similar to Limp Biskit. It's Anthrax in the background

Not their best

Not a Public Enemy album for me this.

Lots of filler tracks that are pretty mediocre.

Talking about monotone music...

Old people rap

I mean, it's public enemy. Political, making a point. This feels a bit more raw than what I know of their work. I can appreciate why they are so influential, but this isn't really my vibe.

2.5 es decente pero me aburrí rapidísimo, probablemente porque no es algo que suelo escuchar y un disco entero era demasiado para mí

It was fine, very dated as far as hip hop goes and not in the “The Message” way. Sounded like a beat mixtape with mostly adlibs over it. Bring the noise is goated though, worth it entirely for that finale.

Nighttrain is good. Bring the noise is a classic.

I thought I would hate this but I didn't. So what does that say about society.

Is anyone else uncomfortable with how racially charged these songs are? Extra star because Black Lives Matter ✊🏿

Public Enemy walked so the Brookline Public School System could run.

Not their best lp Fight The Power was much better

Not my kind

It's a bit long. I appreciate when the bears switch up, but the boom-bap style eventually gets warn out. Hard to keep the energy up this long. Favorite track: "Nighttrain"

Classic Album. Nevertheless does not compare to 2Pac. Songs are way too similar. All is in the text.

A decent hip hop record but not their best and overstays it welcome a little

The intro/first song was not rly my style and I think neither is most of the album. However I did enjoy the energy of the album I rly liked nighttrain and the activist music. By the time I get to Arizona has a nice blues-y feel to it which I really like, and the rock feel on bring the noise made these two my favorite. After listening through more of it I started to really like the album. The end of the middle of the album probably had my favorite songs.

Je sais que je dois écouté les paroles attentitvement pour bien aimé le concept etc. mais pour moi le Rythm and poetry n'est pas la pour un album de rap. Il n'y a pas de flow et les beats on dirait que c'est toujours le meme. Peut-etre a cause du fast pace de l'album. Je n'ai pas aimé mon écoute. 2.

I had a hard time with the repetitiveness of the sample/beat in each song.

Not my kind of music (also, thanks but no thanks for destroying a nice streak of albums here)

I’ve put this on hoping it would incentivise me and I want to inject a little impetus. What it did was make me hunker down and not wanna move. The lyrics still have pertinence, but I found this very repetitive. I hankered for other public enemy songs. Bring the noize – no thank you.

Most late 80s/early 90s rap hasn't aged well. This album is perhaps a quinessential example of that statement. While I'm sure Public Enemy is important to annals of rap history, this album just isn't good. The beats are super lame often verging on annoying. The rapping is just whatever. And though lyrically it's interesting, it's not profound or anything...just dated. Really did not enjoy this one.

Classic hip hop house party music. I have to be in the right space to enjoy these tunes. Since I'm not, it just sounds like every '90s hip hop record except none of my favorite songs or artists. I have zero nostalgic connections to this record. Public Enemy had better songs on other albums... "Fight The Power".

2.5

I know I’m wrong. I just don’t enjoy it.

Why this PE album? Not good. Bring the noize is pretty much the only good song.

Meh 90s RAP

not a huge fan honestly

Nope

I did not like this album of them also

Public Enemy porte extrêmement bien son nom, on ne souhaite plus jamais revoir ce groupe infect sur notre écran de générateur.

p665. 1991. 2 stars Hip hop/rap. Well done of its kind but not my thing at all hence 2 stars.

This album is the fourth by American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was critically acclaimed at release - being called better than a "classic" - and was certified platinum in the US after just 2 months. This is one of the great albums of the golden age of hip hop. The hip hop music was good & funky, and the lyrics were interesting as they set a sociopolitical agenda for the black community.

nope

Eigentlich 4 aber weil es NOI Trottel sind nur 2.

Definitely not the worst rap - but I don't like rap at all.

Nah, you’re alright.

Old vibes on the first couple songs. Like reaaallllllly old. Got way better after 4 or 5 songs. Shut em down great song i have no idea how i know that song though. Not a essential listen at all 4/10

I don't like this music , sorry.

Fun listen and cutting edge at the time it was released. Chuck D solid. Flava gimmicky at times. It can get repetitive.

Not my favorite genre of music. Just can’t get into it. 2 stars.

Not a fan of the language.

I actually strongly disliked this album. It was mostly annoying repetitive beats with no entertaining qualities at all. I just wanted to skip through most of it. 2 stars only because I was able to finish it all.

Not really my jam, but not too bad either.

Not my thing

Meh

The beats are heavy but repetitive. I found myself getting bored with this album somehow. I will not however take away from the fact this album is a foundation of hip hop.

I knew "Bring the noise!" (Thanks tony hawk). Anyway, I'm really not a fan of early 90s hip hop.

Hip hop. Coñazo, como todo el hip hop

Meh. Not awful but would not listen again.

Nog steeds niet mijn smaak. De samenwerking met Anthrax op het laatste nummer vond ik dan wel weer geslaagd

Wel geinig album, maar zal het niet nogeens luisteren

Some good beats and social commentary, but it just never clicked properly for me. I'm just not a big fan of this kind of hip hop/rap.

Well, if the title doesn’t warn you of the approaching storm that is Public Enemy then the air raid drill-sounding siren that opens up this LP sure will. The prophets of rage are back in black, P.E.’s in the house once again. Firstly, this ‘white devil’ (P.E.’s words, not mine) is actually a fan of P.E.’s first three LPs, which I found to be not only an important voice to be heard from a segment of the African American community, but also an enjoyable genre of music in its right. I’m a fan. I like their sound. I appreciate and sometimes even agree with their expose of racial injustice in America, the roots and consequences. On a purely musical level, Chuck D’s authoritative, passionate bass voice only makes the listener listen even more carefully. Likewise, Terminator X scritch scratches the records on his turntable with the deftness of any skilled instrumentalist. Flavor Flav? Eh, a little goes a long way; but, he’s not overdone. And, his goofy ass does add a certain humorous counterpoint to the intense seriousness of Chuck D’s rapping. My concern is that the first three LPs were so strong, so tight, that in comparison, 'Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black' was just ok. Even Chuck D seemed to be off his rhyming game. According to The Bomb Squad’s Hank Shoklee (producer), the original recordings were stolen and never recovered. In retrospect, he believed the loss ‘stunted [Public Enemy's] growth. We never really recovered after that. We was on a roll—I was on a roll, and to lose that material set me back so hard.’ And, I’m sorry, the collaborative re-recording of ‘Bring the Noize’ (originally on the searing, 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’) with thrash metal’s Anthrax was just awful. Peanut butter and anchovies do not work well together. Rather than complimenting one another, they just clash to the extent that neither one can be appreciated. Anthrax’s thrash metal beat just doesn’t match Chuck D’s funky groove. Its too fast, for one thing. (In fact, much of the LP sounded too fast, as if the music reflected P.E.’s rush to make up for all the lost time redoing everything after the unfortunate loss of the originals.) ‘Bring the Noize’ also sounded too ‘straight’ 4/4, if that makes sense. Chuck D’s 4/4 is more funky. Anthrax just threw his whole meter off. Lyrically, though, it’s still P.E., whether you agree or not with their assessment of Black America: that everything wrong about America’s race relations is the direct result of slavery. And after much thought over many years, I’m not so sure they’re wrong. ‘Can’t Truss It’ is the best number on this LP, and speaks to this very thing. Two things though, Chuck- and remember, I’m pretty much agreeing with your premise- it’s not helpful to refer to me and all white Americans as ‘crackers’ and ‘devils.’ Some of us hold similar opinions to yours regarding racial injustice. And secondly, I think Jews would take great exception to your suggestion that Blacks are still being persecuted, while post-holocaust Jews are not! You can’t tell me that in your hometown of NYC you do not see daily evidence of anti semitism continuing to abound. Jews and African Americans should be uniting to combat white supremacy rather than fighting one another about who’s been treated worse. I think everything one needs to know about Public Enemy’s sincere evangelism for racial justice (again, whether you agree with it or not) can be summed up in the sample from Malcom X at the very beginning of ‘Can’t Truss It’: ‘Being non-violent in the face of the violence we’ve been experiencing for the past 400 years is actually doing our people a disservice. In fact, it’s a crime.’ There is hard truth there for whites to just take in while resisting the immediate need for rebuttal. Non-reactive listening often assists in healing. It wouldn’t hurt for us (whites) to show a little more humility with regards to both the history and the ongoing present unjust suffering and prejudice that beats down our black brothers and sisters right here in America, where it is professed that ‘all are created equal… (and) endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.’ But Chuck, from the bottom of my heart, I hope you’re also making room in your heart to consider that other Black American, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who before both his and Malcom X’s assassinations, were actually beginning to find common ground in their previously incompatible core values and identities. Rev King, adding to the conversation said, ‘Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.’ I want to be your friend, P.E. Help me to be your friend.

Fear of a Black Planet was peak for PE. A91 lacks the excitement of the previous album the loops and beats are hard loops that grate on you, they're stale and the album lacks a musical focus. I believe this was recorded after Professor Griff was kicked out of PE for his stand on Jews and gays. And could've been hastily put together to capitalize on their successes of FoaBP. I bought this when it came out and really tried liking it, but the two standout songs (Bring tha Noise, Shut 'em Down) didn't hold a candle to the magic that FoaBP provided.

Listened to 2 tracks, even then I didn’t listen to the end. Not for me

Nojoo, menee ehkä tonne wutangclan-kastiin, virassa biisissä oli kyllä ihan ainesta.

I loved 'It takes a Nation" but this is pretty much a continuation of the whole sound and nothing new? It just made me want to switch to the earlier album.

bis auf ein paar tracks vollkommen an mir vorbeigegangen, öde

Bin leider kein großer Public Enemy fan, die sitzen für mich immer bisschen zu sehr zwischen den 80ern und den 90ern ohne wirklich die stärken von einem von beiden zu haben. War damals bestimmt krass aber gibt mir iwie heut nicht mehr so viel

Listened to on 2/10/22 2/5 Favorite song: Can’t Truss It My earlier statement that I might like hip hop was questioned in this album. While Public Enemy paved the way for later albums, I didn’t really enjoy any of the songs individually. The overall beats and social commentary were great though

Not for me

I've picked up a trend with a lot of the artists that make it onto this list 3+ times: All their albums sound exactly the same. I don't dislike public enemy. A lot of their rhymes are great, and their social commentary still feels prescient 30 years later. But, gun to my head, I could not identify a single song from a single album even if you played me a 30 second clip and gave me liner notes. Like, why is this album also worthy of inclusion in addition to It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back? How do these two albums differentiate themselves from each other, as well as the other 999 album? Why are they both so representative of the last 70 years of Western Music?

Suffers from some of the same problems as other 90s albums like this, but the skits here aren't as in your face as some. Kinda boring samples and I don't think the rap sections carry it.

Bring the noise is great.

Not bad

It was okay. Not really my style though.

An extra star because Anthrax.

Spicy hiphop. Grooves og alt muligt skørt.

2/5 naaaah

2/5

Again not my preference. Some interesting lyrics / stories

Aged terribly, the skits especially. Shoulda skipped.

Very dated and only a couple of tracks stood out. Not quite sure what I see to see in this album as a struggle to make it to their song that anthrax covered ;)

Ust uste guzel albumlerin bedeli mi bunlar

Definitely sounds like it came out around the time I was born. Lyrical content shows that not much has changed in 30 years.

Old school hip-hop. Important album but it does sound dated. Best Tracks: Nighttrain; I Don't Wanna Be Yo Niga; Bring Tha Noize

Może jeszcze z pół gwiazdki za Bring The Noise z Anthraxem

Ich seh, warum das hier ist, aber kann sowas kaum hören…

It has a couple bangers, but also some downright unlistenable tracks.

Not great

Classico prodotto anni '90 con lo stesso loop portato avanti per minuti, disc scratching e "yo!" random. Musicalmente li ho trovati pesanti e ripetitivi, ma credo che in questi casi il messaggio acquisisca il valore più importante.. Che però per me non basta. È un 1.5 che arriva a 2 solo perché sotto certi aspetti mi hanno ricordato i RATM e perché c'è persino una collaborazione con gli Anthrax che mi stanno simpatici.

1 1/2

Hiphop is probably my favorite and most listened to genre so I was quite excited for this one. Sadly, I found it kinda boring and repetetive.

Not my thing, and it was weird hearing Flava Flav

No es de mi agrado

Beats were ok, definitely early 90s. I liked it but not the strongest from then

It's like the one song is good (Bring the noise) even though the rest of the songs messages are great. It was OK

A mensagem é interessante, mas o som... A música é algo completamente fora do meu espectro musical, tudo muito sujo e tremido com pessoas a cuspir palavras por cima. Nota:3/10

1 to 3 public enemy tracks is a good number 4-7 is pushing it, a full album and the enjoyment of public enemys MO is lost completely and you start thinking its shit. well in to the homemade low budget album cover.

Mwha, leuk weer eens te horen maar het klinkt wat te gedateerd.

After starting with a track that I thought was full of energy, it then became a linear decline of listenability. Flavor Flav is a musical genius, just don’t give him a mic.

Musicaa que no esta hecha para mi.

Hartes Stück Rap, elequente Wut, schwarzer Punk und so auch etwas gleichbleibend knüppelig. Nicht was ich mir je gerne aus musikalischen Gründen anwerfen mag. Extra Punkt für politisch klare Haltung. Beat up 2.2

I'm good.

not my style

Love the political nature. Weak repetitive beats. Decent lyricism

quite funky but not for me

This is not my thing. I don't have the patience for this type of rap I am sorry. I do like the bit where it goes 'night train!'

Assez redondant avec des flows similaires sur quasi la totalité, des rythmes peu variés Lyrics contestataires mais assez balourds Samples et prods quelques fois intéressants Album trop marqué dans son époque ce qui n'est pas un défaut en soi mais qui en fait un disque peu intéressant et ennuyant à découvrir en 2021

☆ Not my choice

Meh

I'm starting to feel like I need a macro to type "This is just not my jam."

Oof so dull and monotonous. It’s even more boring than the last one of theirs I heard here. One star.

I didn't like my first public enemy album so let's see how I feel about this. Yeah I don't think this is my cup of tea but I can appreciate this. I enjoy it it's just not something I would add to my playlists at the moment. Who knows how my music tastes will develop. I'm rocking with this. Me when I shut em down. Favourite: Rebirth Least favourite: dunno

Another hip hop album to endure. I guess in the 1990s the lyrics meant something to many. For me there are big sections of repeated lyrics which just add to the boredom.

Why is it possible to be one of the albums you should hear before you die with 14 (almost - the Anthrax song is different) identical songs. Oh, of course, that is probably the reason - there aren't many albums out there, which were able to sell much with identical albums. So, congratulations, you really are marketing geniuses and the album worth being in this list.

Even worse than the last album of theirs. The only good thing here was an Anthrax song but that doesn't save the album. Hell nah.

Lame and corny

Not for me

0.6/5 The only half decent song was bring the noise and that's only because anthrax played on the track. The rest hurt my ears.

Hip Hop ist nicht meins 1/5

Flavor Flav has got to be the worst rapper of all time

Was klingt wie ein Google Translate-Unfall, hört sich leider auch so an. Zwischen wirren Beats und Texten wie aus einem Fiebertraum bleibt nur eine Frage: Warum? Wer hier Musik erwartet, bekommt eher eine akustische Nasendusche.

Not my thing

Same thoughts I have on most early hip hop. I love what hip hop became in the late 90s and early 2000s, and I'm forever grateful to early hip hop for paving the way, but I just don't enjoy people talking simple rhymes on basic beats. Most of the tracks were just eh. Nighttrain had some good rap in it though. Best song: Nighttrain

The last track doesn’t suck. Good luck making it that far.

Wow for me that was horrible.

Hip Hop, 45eme album =>1/5

That's not really my type of rap music, as it is not as melodic as I'd like it to be. Overall, didn't really enjoy this album as much, although I know that this kind of music was huge back in the day.

Oh good, a lesser album by one of those groups you're "supposed to" like. Of course, when you get into what their politics actually are, they aren't the worthy group that patronising left wing NME readers wanted them to be, but nearly an hour of irritating record-scratching and Chuck D's dull hectoring voice is unbearable. Like Led Zeppelin, it's music for virgin boys who like to pontificate about their interests to give themselves a sense of superiority. I'm supposed to think this is better than the Geto Boys because it's "intelligent"? Fuck off.

Hiphop er ikke lige mig

Not looking forward to this. Ok… here goes… Can’t get past what a blowhard Chuck D is. His voice works my last nerve. Dear god, it’s a double album?!?!

Never liked them, much better rap out there

What hateful music. Well not music really. Techno spoken word. No music exists.

Sadly one of those albums I just don't like

Third album on this list I’ve been served up by this lot. The 1001 Gods really do try your tolerance. Thank goodness it’s the last. 1/5 14/8/25

one tune album. such awaste

Yipes

Eigenlijk wil ik dit halverwege track 1 al afzetten. Het is precies wat ik verwacht en ik weet al dat ik hier niet van hou. Hoe belangrijk het album misschien ook is geweest voor hiphop en rap, ik kom niet goed door die vermoeiende herrie beats heen. Ontzettend veel irritante geluiden: Van die wesp-achtige blazers die in je trommelvliezen steken, gillende wijven, agressieve en vervelende scratches, veel fluittonen en allerhande alarmen. De laatste track kent iedereen van één van de Tony Hawk games, maar zelfs dat momentje van herkenning kan dit album voor mij niet redden. 1 ster. Ik luister serieus liever een Suzan en Freek album dan dit.

Ei

Schrott! Nicht hörbar! Furchtbares Gestammel: -10

Unfortunately just not my thing, but I can appreciate the groundbreaking aspect of this

Oh, no thanks.

Not my taste

I hated the first Public Enemy album I received on this list, let's see how this one goes. Song 1: Lost At Birth. Same annoying droning sound. I'm pretty sure this might be the exact same album. 7 songs in and they all sound like this. Maybe it was better live, you had to be there at the time, or have to be able to resonate with the messages better. Bring the Noize baked by Anthrax was slightly manageable but still not great.

Amazing, I've rarely heard such a pile of shit in three briefly played tracks. Hip-hop just isn't my thing. 1/5

Have not heard much, if any, hip hop or rap music that I like. This one included.

Nope

Once again, Public Enemy demonstrates that sounding rebellious does not equate to sounding good. Sometimes musical molds are good to break away from, as seen with the rampant experimentation in the 60s and 70s. Other times, when melody is rejected in favour of bellowing about how much your life sucks while swimming in cash from your previous album releases, I think you should stick to convention. This kind of 90s hip-hop sound is very dated and I'm convinced the 5-star ratings are primarily nostalgia-driven rather than a reflection of how good the music sounds. Apocalypse 91 is even worse than its big brothers, It Takes a Nation of Millions and Fear of a Black Planet, because there's a stark lack of radio-friendly (and consequently better-sounding) tracks. Instead, the listener experiences 52 minutes of monotonous noise and near-identical beats (most of which are artificial, further removing any humanity or relatability) with a few moments of fresh air to remind the listener that this group is capable of making good art... they just don't particularly want to. The fresh air in question are the tracks Can't Truss It (debatably), By The Time I Get To Arizona, and Bring Tha Noize. The former would normally be a soulless throwaway on most R&B/hip-hop records, but it comes with a vaguely good brass riff that makes it stand out slightly from the pack. Kind of a dorian-mode feel. But the fact that it doesn't vary throughout the song, even slightly, demonstrates the level of quality we're dealing with here. By The Time I Get To Arizona has a shockingly complex synth line that sounds like a different artist entirely until the vocals come in. Ignoring the vocals, it's actually a darn good track. Sounds sci-fi-esque. Bring Tha Noize brings in the electric guitar and (judging by Spotify listening numbers) once again demonstrates that rock influence will make just about any music sound better. I wish Public Enemy would experiment more with a rock sound, maybe add some interesting melodies to replace the agonising loops. Because, despite their obvious influence in the 90s, they've got very little going for them. Public Enemy is a musical dead end. 1/5 Key tracks: Can't Truss It, By The Time I Get To Arizona, Bring Tha Noize

Had absolutely no interest in listening to a 90s rap album for the third day in a row

Just as I thought we may have seen the last of the Hip-Hop albums, we another one which is largely indistinguishable from all the other Hip-Hop albums in this list.

Rap, 1991 -> 1

No. PE is not worthy of a third album on the 1001 List. Take an annoying smoke alarm or siren or squelch as your baseline, take seven oppressed, angry black men rappin’ ‘bout their ghetto lives over that baseline and you have just made another couple Mil and a (0.4*s) album. This one sux, G. Really, really hoping PE doesn’t make the list again.

I'm pretty over Public Enemy and I don't think this album belongs on the list. There's no stand out song, most of them sound the same, and it feels like a money grab. It's an uninspired cash out because the formula worked so why not squeak another out. Apocalypse is full of annoying sound effects and cheap beats. It sounds dated and a lot of the lyrics are for shock value (ex: track 5 "I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo N" repeat 50 times). The screeching sound on "1 Million Bottlebags" is absolutely a game ender, I couldn't wait for it to stop. Closing out with "Bring Tha Noize" was a good choice, but unfortunately this one is annoying as well. I don't need to hear anything from this album ever again. Barely a 1.0 only because Anthrax.

This will be a new one. Yeah, it's just not my thing.

I really don't like rap music. Glad this could confirm it for me.

Hard core hiphop which felt quite repetitive in the sample/beat in each song marking it hard to listen to.

Easy decision for me: The album starts with a sucker and consistently holds the level.

Well, I listened to it, although I believe that I could've died a happy man had I never.

ruidoso, molesto, mal mal

Didn’t like it at all. The album was really irritating.

*Does NOT deserve even one star! No music, just rap and noise

It just wasn’t my style. I understand what they were campaigning for and the overall importance that have. Overall, it just wasn’t pleasant.

Rap just not my thing

Not a rap fan

God, I can’t stand this. It will be a blessed day when I discover an album that opens my ears to American hip hop in a positive way. It's certainly not going to come from Public Enemy.

first listen. usually i love old school rap but this list made me realize that i do not like Public Enemy like at all.

it just sucks. never heard that many n-words in a hiphop album before either NNN

I don’t like rap. It’s repetitive

I don't have the energy today to even try to listen to this. Ugh, ok, I'll turn it on and see what happens... So this feels like drill sergeant rhythms and cheers for some rebel army to train for war with. Pass. Doesn't feel like music to me at all. Sorry.

Imagine what Bring Tha Noize could be if they were any good

bad

Just No

Horrible. No me gusto

Who hurt these men?

Rap is not music

Have never understood the hype of public enemy. Did not enjoy.

This album is just tedious. Each song is very repetitive and there’s not much that’s interesting happening in the music besides the lyrics. Obviously this group was culturally important. But there’s little that’s impressive to me about looping a 2-second beat for 4 minutes and rapping about race in America, and then doing that for 14 songs in a row

When asked about the significance of the clock on his neck, Flav responded: "The reason why I wear this clock is because, you know, time is the most important element, and when we stop, time keeps going." profound words indeed

Thanks I hate it

There’s bits of this I like, but it’s all a bit too much in one album.

It has now been 5 days in a row that the generator has given me an album from an over-represented artist (3+ albums on a list when 1 at most should be satisfactory). Of course, the history of hip hop, the history of modern music even can not be told without mentioning Public Enemy, but in mentioning them, do we really need to mention this past their prime release where they demonstrate just how quickly they ran out of fresh ideas, and just how reliant they are on a sound that is best exhibited in their earler works anyway? One glass of expired milk out of five 🥛

If I never hear another Public Enemy album...

I'm gonna hate this

Something about this album feels claustrophobic. All the songs have the same flow. All the beats are barely 2 second long loops. The songs that aren't boring are downright annoying. Hype men are pointless and Flav's voice is grating. Gonna be a no from me.

C-rap Beats me how this genre exists

Couldn't get through this one. Did not like it...

"There's no place for gays. When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was for that sort of behaviour" "If the Palestinians took up arms, went into Israel and killed all the Jews, it'd be all right." "Jews are responsible for the majority of the wickedness in the world" "I told him about the history of him and his people about the Ashkenazi, the Ashke-Nazis, and when I laid it on him he couldn't handle it and I'm like, all right, which is common knowledge today everybody talking about it, you understand what I'm saying people are making books about it." Fuck you professor Griff you antisemitic piece of dogshit. Fuck you public enemy for being spineless cowards. Talking about your own struggle while stomping on the struggle of others'. Proceeding to have your "minister of information" (you goofy assholes have the same group organization skills of the klan) spread more misinformation than trump did during the election and biden did during one of his sundowning speeches is actually the best thing you could've ever done, discrediting your dumbasses. Oh, let's mention the fact that y'all are "unified" and tried to bring the group back together with prof. griff but the people rejected your racist asshole friend and you ditched him and proceeded to make bank whilst publicly distancing yourself from him when in reality we all know he was chillin with y'all at every chance he could. Go fuck yourselves.

I can’t say this was fun to listen to. An assault on the senses.

Nooooooo… This is horrible! Listened through the whole album with no skips, and I can definitely still determine that I really don’t like hip hop. Normally when I listen to music, time passes faster.… When listening to this album, time went by so slow…

Listened to about half of the album before turning it off as I really wasn’t liking it. Hiphop/rap is just not a genre for me and while I prefer an album with a political message over gansta rap, a quick google search for Public Enemy gives me results of antisemitism, domestic violence and homophobia. Which at times is reflected in the lyrics. So while I appreciate (part of) their political & social message, I'm left with a bad after taste.

Hip Hop. 1/5

Don't even want to listen. Yes, you're angry and you might have dope beats, but life is too short

Alla som känner mig vet vilket betyg jag kommer att ge. Varför terroriseras jag med sådant skit. Ge mig Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Einstürzende Neubauten......

Not my thing

The songs kind of blend together and sound similar. Have that old style beat that is just boring to me Gets a little more varied but didn’t really want to finish this album

- old school rap - now i will go back to the beatles

Kann und will ich nicht hören, hatte schon nach 10 Sekunden kein Bock mehr. Habe der Unlust gerne nachgegeben.

I couldn't listen to the entire first cut - nothing really musical about this. Did skip through the rest trying to find something worthwhile to listen to but not really successful.

it's so bad I couldn't go past 4 tracks. records like this remind me I couldn't be a music journalist.

I don't really like Public Enemy. Maybe it's the annoying horns and high pitch bullshit they loop for all eternity on a lot of their tracks

no.

Ekki minn tebolli.

Not a fan

I'm just not a big fan of 90's rap and hip-hop, and this album doesn't really do it for me. I really dislike the samples and repetitive nature of the songs. The lyrics are great, but I also feel like I'm getting preached at when I listen to this album. It also feels a little bit weird when the songs sound like "That's How I Beat Shaq" but the lyrics are telling me about oppression, but that's probably just a product of time.

I feel like Public Enemy aged a lot harder than other classics. There hooks weren't hooking, and the bars weren't hitting either. It acts like it has a lot to say, but that impact is really lost on me. The only redeeming song on this album is the one with Anthrax. Should have done a whole album like this.

Really didn't age super well, not as good as the wutang one

No thanks

Noisy beats, repetitive drums and vocal loops and questionable quality of audio overall a make this a hip-hop record that does not impress me at all. I find the sampling and deep synthesizer sounds grating at times, the lyrics uninspiring, and most tracks downright annoying. A 1/5 is deserved.

ouvi 4 de 14, não é meu estilo

nel

wat