Reviews (page 11 of 12)
Just more rap.
Not bad, but not really my thing
This was ultimately a bit of a meh album in my opinion. Another rap album that wasn’t dreadful nor overly profane but it went on SO long. It honestly took me about 3 attempts to get through and has put me behind in this grand album exercise. I just feel like they have one speed/style and it’s not for me but I’m sure others would enjoy.
Yeah Boyz...Another example of something I cant help but think is excellent music. Just wrong target (me). Least it didnt make my ears bleed like some examples which are literally torture. I can listen to this without being on edge so I commend them for that against a tough audiance.
For any fans of hip-hop I can see the value in listening to the early albums of the genre. I always find with these early hip-hop albums that they now sound quite simplistic and very repetitive. That said, the energy and lyrics are great and it's interesting to hear how far rap music has come since this sound of the late 80's. Also, this album is just more fun and positive sounding music than a lot of it's derivatives. A fun listen but not an album I'd listen to for anything other than academic reasons.
Not my style of hiphop. Appreciate what it did for the culture and the movement of hiphop, but I am bored. The old school flow, and production, mixed with the anger and message of young men from the hood is surely a time piece, but not one ill revisit often.
Just not that great, sorry.
Don’t believe the hype! Lolz One star for the activism, but I do not enjoy listening to this. The mixing in the live concert intros was cool.
Sometimes I wonder, if you added it all up, what would the total real world impact of all the world’s great ‘political art’ be? Feels like anti-communist art produced in Russia or the eastern bloc countries probably gets the most bang for your buck. Gulag archipelago, darkness at noon. Or maybe the American anti-war movement - apocalypse now, Bob Dylan. Or actually, it was probably the abolition era w the most impactful art. Those guys really did some damage. Anyway, this sucked.
Thinking that if you mention Flavor Flav to a random millennial, their cold association will be with Flavor of Love, and not with Public Enemy. The vibe and hits on here are somewhere between tolerable and fun - Bring the Noise, Louder than a Bomb - but an hour of this is definitely way too much. Other than Beach Boys, feel like we're in a bit of a slump.
The opening intro track was very obnoxious and I bet it’s supposed to instill a feeling of fear in you but it just wasn’t for me and it really stressed me out ha ha. The song “don’t believe the hype” has a really annoying sound effect in the background that sounds like a squawking bird that’s really obnoxious in my opinion. “She watch Channel zero?!” Reminds me of a black version of this Suicidal Tendencies song I know from high school. There is some other weird noise in the background of “night of the living Baseheads” that I cannot get past. I can hear nothing else unfortunately.
Ass tbh, two good tracks
p604. 1988. 2 stars. Rap, so wrong audience. Seems well done of its type though.
Louder than a bomb and she watch channel zero - quite good. Chuck D - super blowhard.
It all sounds very similar and I found none of it particularly galvanizing, unfortunately…
just feels deflated and weak
Going in to this I knew that Public Enemy is not really my thing, I listened though and heard a Queen "Flash's Theme" sample which reminded me that I have a pretty great Queen Favorites playlist I made. I promptly put that on when the album was over - yes this is much better!
Lyrically it's great, but musically this just isn't good. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing
This lowkey gave me a headache to much repetition in the songs, I did not like one song to put on my playlist. Just not my album but I'm sure its someone's.
Tried to appreciate it as someone in the late 80's hearing this for the first time, but simply couldn't get into it. Not a fan of the vocal delivery, felt dated unfortunately
Black
Except for a cool backing track on one of the tracks this was a pathetic album.
Je vibais bien au début, me pensais un homme nouveau, un véritable papillon mélomane émergeant d'un cocon de rock archaïque et de funk usé. L'ennemi publique a eu raison de moi et de ma patience à la longue, m'écœurant à la longue à coup de «YEEEAAAAAAH BOI» et de beats des plus basic. Ils ont tués le papillon en moi, les monstres.
106/1089 - Take out the repeated sax/trumpet/nails-on-chalkboard/tea-kettle sample and all the interludes with absolutely nothing going on and it goes up a star or two. Annoying as fuck to listen to.
This album was hard to listen to, because both the beats and the rapping felt far too abrasive and in-your-face. While I understand that this is kind of the point of the album and that it’s not *supposed* to be easy to listen to, but it does raise the question: at what point have you gone too far in trading listenability in service of a political statement. Favorite Track: Party For Your Right To Fight
kann man machen, bisschen monoton
I thought it would be hard to take this seriously (because Flavor Flav is to me a goofy vh1 personality), but actually it wasn't. He hardly even says "Flavor Flav" (although he does say it)! The worst part for me is the frequent noise that sounds like a squeaky toy making an ambulance siren. What is that? A record scratch? A modulated kazoo? I don't know, but I hate it passionately. The actual lyrics are fine, but the beats are, imho, wack. Speaking of beats, "Beat is for Sonny Bono (Beat is for Yoko Ono)" is a line that holds multitudes. 'Don't Believe the Hype' was inspired by Noam Chomsky, but I don't think it was "Syntactic Structures" that did it. Slur count here is low (just one carefully deployed n-word, by my estimate). Fun wordplay in the song titles too. I didn't at all enjoy listening to this but I can respect it! But, this isn't a respect ranking, so it's a 2 from me.
I'm just not into Public Enemy.
Some groovy backgrounds but just cannot enjoy the 80s rap style; too goofy.
Whatever. Hip-hop's not my thing. Some of these tracks are pretentious and self-important, some sound okay.
Terminator X go go go go ! Black steel in the hour of chaos got me moving my head ! I enjoyed more the last part of the album, first songs weren't for me
Not my cup of tea. Got interesting towards the end.
Ну репчик не мое, хотя вроде все качественно, и атмосфера таких вечеринок из фильмов начала 90х. В качестве исследования пойдет
I like rap even but this wasn’t for me.
It's cool and better than the other Public Enemy record I've had from this, but it's dated.
Don’t think I was in the right mood for this.
Boring
Those repetitive horn and whistle sounds are excruciating
Ummm....I really wanted to like this and I did enjoy it more than most of the genre, but in the end, it's hip hop, so for me, no.
Decent. I know that this album was much more influential than I am giving it credit for, but I just wasn't feeling it necessarily.
this pmo just a little idk
classic hip hop, too long
2 out of 5. Solid album just not for me.
Maso
Glad this is over.
I like Chuck D and think he has an excellent, distinctive voice. I just feel he'd be better outside of the gangsta rap stuff. The Flavor Ice dude's voice annoys the shit out of me. Just not a fan of this stuff. There were a couple tunes with some good rock backgrounds music, Channel Zero comes to mind, but just couldn't get into this and the more I heard the flavor dude, the more I wanted to punch him in the face. Chuck D is very good. He's the only reason I can go as high as a 2. 2
Man.. The lyrics.. "You wanna hike get a back pack, get out the whack sack." What a burn, if someone said that to me I'd probably cry. I'm pretty predisposed to disliking this era of rap. Only a few artists were doing it at this time where I feel it doesn't strike me as corny. The production is exceptional, especially when you consider how they had to use samples back in the day, so I will give them that. I doubt there will be any pulls for this project. Man, I really wish I liked this more. I do think that seeing this live in their prime was probably wicked. It's just not translating for me.
I respect the lyrics very cool social and political commentary and such. Cool aggressive beats and cool mix of sound. The singer guy is not holding back bro means business which I respect very confrontational type singing yknow. However for me personally this all gets old before the halfway point of the album and it was a chore for me to finish the rest. LOWWWWW TAPERRRRR
While is not totally my thing, I appreciate this music and what PE did for music. Chuck D was and is a force. That being said, much of these songs sound very similar.
Not a fan of this era. It’s not held up well at all
This album cemented Public Enemy’s place in hip-hop history, but I’m realizing that their sound just doesn’t work for me. Chuck D’s delivery is solid and commanding, but Flava Flav’s nasal tone remains a constant irritant, making it difficult for me to connect with the music. The sampling, while groundbreaking for its time, feels repetitive to my ears, which further detracts from the experience. I can appreciate their influence and the significance of their message, but ultimately, Public Enemy’s style isn’t one I enjoy. Score: 2/5
Songs seem nothing special. Plain Rap
Outstayed its welcome by track 3. A time capsule made not for me … moments of brilliance almost utterly lost in the tones of the time.
More of a historical interest than a fun listen for me. Sampling and effects were pretty basic. Flavor Flav got tiresome. Rapping was good though. The Slayer sample took me by pleasant surprise. I don't see myself returning to this album.
No lo terminé de escuchar
These dudes were MC's. The style was fresh and the DJing was something to behold at the time. These guys were political, tough, but not the braggarts about women and drugs. MCs with a purpose. But out of the context of the times it's tired. The album sprawls and doesn't have the original bombast.
I don't think I'll ever consider RAP as legitimate music.
I’m sure this was groundbreaking at the time but doesn’t really hold up in my opinion.
Not my thing but I didn’t hate it.
Sounds really dated now.
15. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) I appreciate the commentary but I found this quite irritating to listen to. Maybe the background samples were groundbreaking (I'm guessing because it sounds futuristic) but they are tough on the ears and mind. Sounds coming all the time and some very annoying choices for those sounds. I find the rapping better than most old-school rap albums I've heard though. I liked the heavier guitar in "She Watch Channel Zero" but that chours was rough. I thought the "Flash, saviour of the universe!" sample was funny. 2.5 stars.
Ei meinaan ropissut juuri yhtään. Lajissaan varma klasari, mutta se laji ei ole minun laji.
I’m not into rap that much tbh. At least not this kind of rap
поставлю двоечку хоть и тречки неплохие и некоторые акапелла читки меня удивили, но я что-то ничего себе не добавила и опять же сложно с языком
Not really the type of music I normally chose to listen to, but I appreciate how this album was new and significant when it was released.
I think this album has the disadvantage of being the third rap album from the same time period I've listened to in the last 10 albums. Everyone's flow and production sounds the same! This isn't bad, but I find myself zoning out. Also, some of the slang is so out of date its hilarious.
YEAHHH BOIII
Rap. It’s ok but not go to for me. Not as bad as ithooight
This album feels very long, and a little samey with generic sounding beats while he raps. Many songs are also repetitive which I did not like at all.
I don't like Public Enemy I've learned. Maybe it was crazy at the time but it's like not good at all
A pioneering and classic rap album , sounds dated on maybe the other side of raps peak. still, chuck D grabs your attention and the production is interesting. Not a fan of Flav, his solo track is a hard skip A few listens got me used to the sound and made it enjoyable but i don’t see a lot of replay value here , not in 2024 … i bet if it was 88 though id have this on repeat
I'm sure in the development of rap, this album stands out as important and groundbreaking in context. But it doesn't have the musical production and artistry of modern hip hop so without context, the value must be in the lyrics. But I don't have time to analyze the lyrics although I will say that it is easier to hear what they are saying than usual. So i did listen to some lyrics and I appreciate its not the pure dickswinging and uber shock of other more recent hip hop I've heard.
I'm a big hip hop fan, but these guys just don't do it for me. Not interested in listening again.
Don’t really get it, loved their version of Bring the Noise with Anthrax though.
Ok. So this sounds like a parody of 80s rap. I mean I guess that shows that it's super representative of the genre at the time, but it is really dated. That's not a bad thing though - I still contend that hip hop is pretty much all terrible and has just gotten progressively worse since the inception of the genre. So while this is not great music (to my ears) it's not as bad as almost any hip hop record that came after. Absolutely the best thing about this is Flavor Flav in the background making nonsensical and random rhymes or else throwing in the 'yeeeah boyyyee' at every opportunity, it's sort of endearing. Plus one star just for that. But don't get me wrong, this music is still bad. I appreciate the politics behind this, the social commentary, the perspective that they bring, but I just can't get on with hip hop at all. 2/5
I can't say that I like this album, but it is less annoying than most of the rap albums so far. 2 stars or D is my rating.
La misma base repetida una y otra vez. Al no entender las letras se queda en nada.
Not my cup of tea...
Some of the tracks blended for me. There were aspects I really appreciate especially in context of its time but not very memorable for me and I wouldn’t return to listen.
Didn’t finish but who can forget cold lampin’?
Another never ending hour of hip hop without anything remarkable.
I like Chuck D but this album is almost exclusively incredibly obnoxious beats over even more insufferable ad-libs from the worst to ever do it.
Flavor Flavs voice is grating, his rapping sucks, and he’s an annoying hype man. Chuck D was great though.
The music doesn't really suit my taste.
I as a rule do not have a closed mind to rap, if it's done intelligently, and with a good backing track. I saw this come up and thought oh dear. Public enemy were certainly at the beginning of, if not the ones who who started it all off, as social commentary on the lives of young blacks in America. And I have to say they did a good job of it. The more modern exponents of what is now known as gangster rap could learn a listen or two here, but mainly, that it is more powerful, and people when you use words like fuck and nigger sparingly, rather than every other word. I find myself wanting to give this a 3, but as my acid test for scores is would I buy it, and as much as I can appreciate this a very competent piece of work. No, I wouldn't buy it. So it has to go down as a 2.
#281. Don't worry, I don't believe the hype. This shit is terrible. Flavor Flav is just as annoying as you'd expect, and almost all of the songs have some annoying high pitched squal as part of the beat. No fucking thanks all round. 2/5: noon, boi
Dated
1. armageddon - 0 2. noize - 1.5 3. hype - 1.5 4. flavor - 1 5. terminator - 1 6. terrorizt - 0 7. bomb - 1 8. uuitnezz - 1.5 9. got - 2 10. zero - 0 11. night - 0 12. chaoz - 1 13 firzt uuorld - 14. rebel - 1 15 prophetz - 1.5 16. party - 0
3/10 - I did not enjoy don't believe the hype, the background moaning like thing was just so bad (huheheah). The intro to terminator X and Mind terrorist were both kinda cool but the rest of the songs I did not enjoy. The screaming sample in caught can we get a witness was not very enjoyable. Night of the living baseheads had a part that I enjoyed. I can't tell if party for your right to fight inspired fight for your right to party by beastie boys but i feel like it did. Overall an album I did not enjoy listening to
Some good
Yeaaaaaaaaa boiiiiiiiiii That ab lib was used ad nauseum. Overall the beats are nothing special. The skits on this album don't add much but at least they aren't too drawn out. It's a mix of crowd work (odd for a non-live album) and brief setups for upcoming songs. Most of the songs are really similar. Standouts for me are Bring the Noise and She Watch Channel Zero for the sick guitar. This album comes in an era of hip-hop where the bar for originality is still set pretty low. Between NWA, Cypress Hill, and Public Enemy would the untrained ear really be able to tell the difference? It's high energy, in your face rhymes with an emphasis on violence and rebellion against white America. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did but I really don't think this album stood up to the test of time.
-YEAH BOIIIIIIII -80s rap feels prehistoric to me, I can’t say I’ve listened to much -Admittedly not really my thing but I really like the political commentary and experimental sampling -Favorite is Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos
Scratchin & Sniffin
Not my genre…
Flava flav just gets annoying as a hype man after a whole album 2.5 stars
I understand why this makes the list. Very influential on the hip-hop scene. Chuck D speaks of revolution and social turmoil while Flava Flav keeps the hype going. Problem is, It just sounds corny and Terminator-X beats aren't that engaging...a bit annoying in fact. Although poignant lyrically, Chucks rhymes a bit weak and Flav jumps around like a crack addict. I respect it's place (and Public Enemy) in music history but I just don't really like 80's hip-hop. So a Naaaaahh Boooyyyiiee from me...1.7.
Found the constant use of those shrill squeaky noises in the background and all the record scratches very annoying, and I found it hard to focus on anything else once I noticed them. Sampling songs like Flash just made me wish I was listening to something better, which is not to say that Flash is particularly good. The social commentary is commendable and the album is interesting as a piece of musical history; it’s just wasn’t enjoyable for me.
un pò troppe canzoni uguali
2.5 yeah boi
While I'm glad to have listened to this from a culture/music history standpoint, this wasn't overly my thing. I did like a couple songs but found myself to be glad when it was over.
This was unbearable but Public Enemy's influence was huge.
Not the worst hop hop I've had, but this just bored me.
Als 57 minütiges Album ist es mir zu viel. In kleineren Portionen ist dieser Hip Hop sicherlich geniessbar.
I love old school hip hop, but this album was so bland. It feels like it uses the same 3 or 4 beats for different songs and there's a lot of phrase repetition. Sad to say because I like some other Public Enemy content, but this was a stinker. 2/5
Not bad, I remember my buddy in junior high listening to this all the time. I didn't get it then, but can understand and respect it a little now.
>Yo, man, what do you mean by suckers, man? :( Laughed out loud Good old old-school hip-hop. Probably as good as it gets Nvm too long
Got old fast
58 minutes of headache inducing beats and Flava Flav ocassionally shouting YEAH BOIII
i hate flav a flav’s voice
We’re gonna get that Beastie Boys album, right?
It was a mistake listening to this in the car because I couldn’t tell if it was the music or my windshield wipers
Classic but didn't touch my soul
Public Enemy certainly had a lot to say on this album. I didn't delve too deeply into the lyrics but it sounds like they had some interesting points especially on political and social commentary. I am giving this album a rating of 2 stars based on my personal enjoyment, not because I believe it is a bad album. To me the style of rapping and the production just sounded very dated and I didn't find enjoyable to listen to. I would probably like this album better if I heard it in 1988, but from a 2024 perspective I found that it aged poorly.
first listen in entirety. i know its a very good and influential album in general but at the end of the day i don't think I'll come back to it.
a solid rap album, but i think i just like experimental hip hop more?
I postponed listening to this for two days (it showed up on a Friday) because it's an hour of basically the same type of music. I am not old but this is not really my type of music. I know that this was very popular for its time but I was listening to the rap music that came out 15 years after this. It sounds alright but it's definitely not something distinctive.
Ok
Revolutionary and original. Normally I like 'original' but rap has always repelled me.... even rap as brilliant as this.
Eh…very old school hip hop. Iconic for the time but very boring to my ears.
it's fine, just not my taste
I have nothing good to say about this.
just no
dost naporno mi je ovo bilo iako volim hip hop
Not for me.
Hip hop has never been my preferred genre, but I gave it a try again with this album. For me, it's too repetitive. After I listened to half of it, I had the strong feeling that I already knew all of it. That didn't change in the second half …
Tracks I already knew = None Tracks I liked = None Best I can say about this album is that it didn't suck as bad as most of the Hip Hop crap that was produced... which incidentally is another point about this album, the production is really poor, and that repetitive chalkboard screech that they play throughout every track gets to be extremely annoying.
Not my jam, fear of a black planet was more enjoyable imo
Definitely not my cup of tea. Very repetitive and frankly annoying songs
Alright, but didn't really like the Flava.
Jyeiiiirrr boooii.. She watch channel zero car et højdepunkt. Her mangler jeg teksterne, og tiden til at følge dem for at kunne nyde det, for selve musikken, beats, tempo, og flow siger mig ikke meget. Tydeligt at det er i hip hoppens spæde start.
que le hago si no me mola este estilo
Flava Flav pisses me off
I like chuck d’s flow & delivery. While I respect the groundbreaking status of the album and what the political lyrics might mean to some, I can’t say I actually enjoyed listening to it. Probably would be a 2 ⭐️ if it weren’t for that talentless hack flava flav interjecting his annoying “yeah boiii”s enough that it made me want to turn it off. EDIT 8/19/26: upgrading to a 2 as this was only my 9th album generated and i hadn't calibrated my system yet. graded too harshly compared to other legit 1s.
This album grew on me. It reminds me of the rap I used to listen to as a little kid or the songs my dad would tell me about. I was bopping my head at points 2/5
Energy
Me aburrí.
it was pretty good!
Sicherlich ein hörenswertes Album. Aber nur bedingt mein Geschmack.
Standout Tracks- "Cold Lampin with Flavor," "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic," "Mind Terrorist," "Louder Than a Bomb," "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos," "Party for Your Right to Fight" Lyrics/Vocals- 5/5 Instrumentals- 2/5 Vibes- 1/5 Overall- 2/5 As another review mentioned, this album is really a product of its time and does a lot better with context. I highly recommend reading that review as I will not be going into it, but reiterating one of their main points: This album is heavy on the lyrics. When just listening to the album I felt very disinterested and did not care for it. But watching the lyrics and taking in the message that they are trying to convey is truly the best way to listen to this album. In terms of its sound, I was not overly impressed. The mixing and tracks were good, production as well, but it didn't feel outstanding. As I said earlier though, this is a product of its time. This album, and Public Enemy in general, were extremely influential to many hip hop groups and musicians over the years, and that influence cannot be understated and you can really see that in this album. Overall it was a good listen and I understand why it is on this list, but it wasn't really for me.
Yeah boi
Aftur. Rapp. Ekki eitthvað sem ég fíla en mér finnst þetta samt áhlustanlegra en margt annað rapp sem ég hef hlustað á. Nær pínulítið betur til mín en ég ætla seint að segjast vera aðdáandi né hlusta á plötuna aftur.
No
Cooler Rap, leider ziemlich nervöser Hintergrund Sound
Las bases utilizan un poco mas de recursos que The Notorious B.I.G. por ejemplo, bases que varían de géneros musicales entre canciones. El RAP me parece malo y SIN FLOW.
Sounds like OG old school rap. Not my thing but the lyrics were a voice for under-represented Blacks in the U.S.
Not my preferred music.
4.5/10 Yeah boyy?
I'm obviously not this albums intended demographic being a middle aged white woman. I can't connect with this being 30 years removed from it's time period. I really only liked Louder Than a Bomb. I can appreciate how this influenced other artists in the genre. At the end of the day, it's just not something I enjoy. Flava Flav really adds nothing to this. Yeah boi.
Another great example of the creative and experimental 80's. Something that influenced us decades into the future through influence, sampling and even modern day memes 'YEAH BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'- Flavor Flav. An interesting use of metrical complexity for sure!
- not super my thing but the message is real
- I appreciated the heavy guitars on some of the beats - definitely some good lyrics but otherwise the album didn’t really stand out
The only thing that sticks out to me is some kettle sound, but thanks for getting me back into Marvin
Terminator X go go go go ! Black steel in the hour of chaos got me moving my head ! I enjoyed more the last part of the album, first songs weren't for me
I like when Chuck D goes off spittin' truths, but not big on the Flavor Flav contributions. Got a lot of respect for Public Enemy, but this isn't one I'm likely to return to.
Must have been a game-changer back in the day, but now it just blends in and feels pretty meh.
Samples sound old and clunky now. It resembled a game of bop-it at times. Might have been influential but we've come a long way.
Alright but of its time and sounds a bit dated now.
Meh, same sound through whole album.
I normally like older rap but this was just kinda meh. They are not making it out of the hood with this one
AJ: talented and angry. Dangerous.
Nmg, casi todo ruido.
I recognize the value of this piece, however it's not my cup of tea. It was fun listening the samples and recognizing a few from Sonic the Hedgehog or Pizza Tower
The name of this album and the intro made me think this was a going to be a very serious, hard hitting album. Then Cold Lampin' with Flavor played... I think Griz has played the saxophone sample from "Show 'Em Whatcha Got" at concerts before. The transitions between songs aren't very great. I had to double check I wasn't on shuffle a couple of times. This album is too long and none of the songs are particularly good. I was ready for it to end about 15 minutes in. This is teetering into the 1 star category.
2.5
2/16, 13%
Was expecting a bit more from such a ‘seminal’ album. Beats were a bit bland and got repetitive. I appreciate the lyrics and the aggressive style, just not my cuppa.
Not my music genre. The tracks sound too repetitive.
Definitely a rating based on my level of enjoyment of the music. This album has important themes related to oppression and violence against black people not calculated in my rating.
Not a fan of some of the instrumentals (whistley-sirens are not my thing, quite prominent in tracks 4 and 5). Pacing is also a touch slow, but this is back from 1988...
kind of hip-hoppy? gen x rap
Meh
A bit too much happening in each song for my taste.
In die tijd waarschijnlijk een vooruitstrevend en toonaangevend hiphop/rap album. Kan prima op de achtergrond aanstaan, maar de beats en raps springen er niet uit. Vaak één urban beat, waar dan een beetje op wordt gerapt en/of geëxperimenteerd met scratchen, MC’en, drops, spoken word etc. Geen nummer waar ik voor zou terugkomen.
2.5/5 - I wasn't the target audience 35 years ago upon release and I'm probably further from the target audience 35 years later. The bar writing on the whole is good but i find a lot of the other musical choices abrasive (which may be the point). I preferred the 2nd half of the album but apart from the odd song (SWCZ & BSitHoC) I cannot see myself relistening.
Lyrically inconsistent but pretty good at it's high points like the track Louder Than a Bomb. The music for me meanders over the line from enjoyable music to just organized sound frequently and many of the audio samples, particular the high pitched horn sounds, were overused to the point of being irritating. I think this album is too much product of it's time, that it is so much in lockstep with the time and place it was conceived that it loses much of what attracted contemporary audiences listening to it today.
Helt ok
Voor de meeste genres vind ik de 80ies altijd de minst luisterbare periode, en hiphop spant hierin wel de kroon. Ik kan begrijpen dat dit album in zijn tijd misschien wel indrukwekkend was, maar het klinkt nu ongeloofelijk gedateerd. Not a fan.
Mér finnst eins og ég ætti að fíla þetta betur, en ég hef bara ekki athygli og þolinmæði til að hlusta sérstaklega eftir textunum. Og þá standa eftir raddir D og Flavs, sem eru fínar, og tónlistin, sem er sundurklippt og nær ekki nægilegu flæði. Grúvin sem ég vil heyra eru ekki til staðar.
Lyssnade inte klart
What can I say, I’m not into hiphop, but happy to listen to something different. Didn’t enjoy much though.
Heittämällä ulos mukavuusalueelta. Muutamia tuttuja sampleja, molempiin suuntiin (joo, mulla oli muksuna ABC:n eka levy). Tämä meni taustameluna kun kuvitteli pelaavansa Tony Hawkin skeittipelejä. ps. El Scorcho on hieno biisi.
Biiseillä on hienoja nimiä ja tykkään boiiiiista. Hyvin edelläkävijä aikanaan. Nykykorvilla vain itseään toistavaa ja raskas kuunnella tunnin verran.
Just sound the same on every track 2.5
Piti nopeesti kuunnella - 1 h 40 min myöhemmin tajuan kuuntelevani jotain deluxe-editionii, missä puolet kappaleista ei oo orggis albumis. 2/5.
not for me
Yeahhhh boy
I enjoyed it but need to revisit it before bumping my rating up. Nothing really caught in my head but that might be just because I had a rough day at work.
Eh
Not my type in general.
I love Chuck D's voice and flow. For about two songs. I love Flava Flav's energy. But he's annoying. I love the way Public Enemy pull diverse musical influences in to push rap music forward, wrapped in a bow of rage and discontent. But I can't do a whole album of it.
it's mostly bad but i enjoyed it the same as peter gabriel and more than reggae and common. Louder than a bomb has mildly relatable lyrics, She watch channel zero has nice instrumentals.
idk nothing special tbh
I don't think I was in the right mood for this one as it just didn't hit right.
This will be the second Public Enemy album I’ve listened to. I enjoyed Fear Of A Black Planet, so I’m hoping for more of the same today! Let’s listen and find out. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Prophets Of Rage I can’t but my fingers on why, but this just didn’t really click for me. There were a few songs that I enjoyed, but for the most part I would find my attention drifting elsewhere because most of the songs just didn’t hook me in. The lyrics and the rapping was good, and the beats were mostly fine, although I did find Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic to sound quite annoying. Overall, this album was fine, but it’s not one I’ll be returning to.
Didn't listen to much of this one, just skimmed through a few songs. This genre of music (I think especially in this era) is overwhelmingly lyrically driven and I don't have the bandwidth right now to comb through lyrics. I heard some good beats and sampling from some tight 70's era brass, and I liked that. If I had grown up with this, it would probably have been a jam but I don't have any emotional connection to it.
I like some of this but that squealing technique they do in a lot of songs gets old fast.
This PE album isn't as good as the one we had a few weeks ago. There's just too much going on in every song and it loses coherence because of it. Lots of droning repetitive accents over the beats that range from distracting to annoying and draw too much focus away from the lyrics, which are generally strong from PE, though a couple of tracks are just nonsense.
Yeaaaaahhh boiiiiiii. Just didn’t hook me. Ground breaking none the less
Unfortunately this was not for me 😭
Alright, I could do some rap today. Feeling in that mood! Lets get this. Once again, an album I've never heard. Heard of them obviously. And maybe I'll recognize a song here and there. We'll see. Meh
Not my preferred kind of genre but it is certainly head-bobbing inducing.
2/5
Creo que el contexto de este álbum es muy importante a la hora de escucharlo, especialmente las letras, pero a veces el sonido tan hip hop 80/90 es demasiado para mi
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Not at all. Very repetitive and I almost stopped listening because of the constant use of ‘yeahhh boiii’ which almost became infuriating. I’m of course open to all their music and won’t judge harshly but yeah, very repetitive Favourite song: didn’t have one
Ces petits trous du cul de Public Enemy nous ont offert 1h de rap des plus originales: en effet, le beatmaker du groupe, en panne d'inspiration, a décidé d'utiliser exclusivement sa théière pour produire cet album. On peut donc entendre tout du long de l'"oeuvre" une théière en ebulltion accompagner les flows absolument ringards de Public Enemy.
There was a song about different milk shake flavors and I'm like what the fuck is this shit and I looked closely at the album cover and noticed the big clock chain. Is that flavor Flav! From flavor of love?! Terminator x and the production were decent, but flavor Flav made it dumb
This album gave me anxiety in a lot of spots
I didn't listen to this in the 80s despite knowing the singles. Listening to it again 34 years later I'm reminded why.
Not my thing
No logro acostumbrarme al Rap todavia
Not my favorite type of music. If I do have to listen to rap or hip hop, I do prefer this old school stuff, but I just don't enjoy it overall. 2 stars.
doesn't really hold up against. the beats are neat but the flows are one-note. and flav's voice is pretty grating. 2.
Tika INTE på mig för denna… de va int så bra
Ohhh man I remember liking this album forever ago but struggle to get through it now... Mainly cuz Flav and the high-pitched, grating, repetitive samples of sirens, whistles, fireworks, and helium being released from a balloon. Maybe I’m just getting old but overall this was kinda headache fuel
How bout “No Boyeee”.
This style of old school hip hop is definitely not my favorite genre. But I did enjoy certain elements. 2.4/5
Public Enemy is erg bekend, zelfs bij iemand die geen liefhebber van rap is. Veel lyrics komen terug in andere muziekstromingen. Dit album zelf? Toch weer niet mijn ding, al kan ik "Bring The Noise" wel luisteren. **
I get the cultural significance of this album and how important it was at the time but the production is so shit. There isn't a single beat on this album that I enjoyed. I am a fan of Public Enemy's rapping but the production completely ruins this album for me. 4/10
Enjoyed the mixing, too much flavor flav
Profound lyrics delivered with anger and emotion, hidden behind some funky tracks - that's the coolest thing about this record. This might be one of the better hip-hop albums I've gotten on this list. Still not entirely my thing to be frank, but I can definitely appreciate.
The music in this left something to be desired for me, but the poetic lyrics were spot on; I definitely felt like this album succeeded in making strong political commentary. That said, I think this project has ultimately taught me that I'm not a big fan of classic hip-hop and rap, because I tend not to be too crazy about any albums that fit into that bucket. No doubt this album is impactful and important, though!
Worked for me way less so than the last Public Enemy album. Production veered toward annoying, Flavor Flav veered toward annoying, and it went on too long.
I can appreciate the historical and musical significance of this album for fans of rap, but I am not one of them, unfortunately…
Meh
1988. Don't Believe The Hype, Rebel Without A Pause, Bring The Noise
Ahh yes, Public Enemy's first masterpiece. Hip-hop's blueprint ever since its release. Not as dizzyingly full of samples like "Fear of a Black Planet" and not as slick as "Apocalypse 91... thr Enemy Strikes Back". This is raw, chaotic, and just monotonous. I mean, I get that the main appeal of this is the lyrics and that the samples are intentionally used to make the tracks more messy. It probably represents the present state of black Americans in their country. That being said, everybody knows how revolutionary is this. Socially conscious rap album that launched hip-hop into the ears of the public and the critics. But listening to it is a bit exhausting. It's not as enjoyable as the next two albums, which of course are just albums built upon this gem. Hell, almost every hip-hop album after this is built upon it.
Chuck had some memorable bars and the overall message of the album was great. I also liked the incorporation of the live sound bits. But oh my god, so many of these beats have the most obnoxious sounds I've ever heard. I also find Flav very annoying, so while I enjoyed parts of the album, other parts were almost unlistenable for me.
i liked some of this which is new for me
Sadly, I couldn’t get into it.
Not for me.
Yeeeeeeah booooooi? Naaaaaaaa maaaaaaaan!
Cool but not my sound
Demasiado rap para mi. Perdió mi atención en repetidas ocasiones y el sonsonete de la base llegó a ser bastante molesto y repetitivo.
La neta es que fue un poco desafortunado que nos tocaran dos de estos discos seguidos porque me cuesta trabajo distinguir bien entre ellos. Sí, ya sé, n00b. Dejando eso de lado, ahora sé de dónde salio Flavor Flav o eso. Y pos ya, no me dio más.
un peu relou crari y a des sonorites un peu chiant on comprends pas trop les paroles fin c’est bien old school quoi
Difficult for me to appreciate
It's eighties hip-hop, you can imagine the sound of the whole album just from that descriptor.
Ahh.. wonder what the big clock is about..hmm
Intéressant mais redondant, c'est assez rough quand même, le bout du dj est sympa mais on en reviens du sample de sax qui couine à chaque mesure Cela dit c'est plus lefun que Sheryl crow pour la culture musicale
Nope
Vraiment pas facile d'accrocher
Historically interesting but not really my style.
Nope
La músiica es parecida al sonido de LL Cool J, pero no terminó de gustarme.
Very late 80s. The rhymes and some of the lyrics hold up, but the beats and flow are exceedingly dated at best, not good at worst.
I see this album's significance in the history of rap music, I see their influence in rap music as the 90s, 2000s and 2010s have progressed. But it wasn't for me, and will not be an album I will be revisiting.
cool but not for me 2.25
once again, 47 white male. Not the target. but I can see how it would be good
Couldn’t get on with it 2*
Not really doing it for me. The 'She Watches Channel Zero' is a banger though.
While there are some great themes explored here, the production is way too busy and at times overwhelms the bars.
two
This one's not for me, boooiii
A bit more tolerable than most of the other rap so far on this list.
Its alright, though not for me. Will give another listen soon
Not to my taste, only listened to the first half.
The beats are all annoying. I didn’t finish.
Никакого негатива, просто скучная устаревшая музыка. На удивление, среди всех жанров, представленных в списке, именно рэп состаривается быстрее. Возможно, из-за столь стремительного развития. В данном случае я будто чувствую, насколько новой, смелой и интересной могла казаться эта музыка на момент выхода и насколько необязательным представляется прослушивание её сейчас. Как исторический экспонат, возможно, заслуживает внимания в рамках темы. Но слушать не намерен и никому не советую. Не единица, конечно, отдельные моменты даже ныне кажутся интересными, как, например, альтернативный взгляд на Angel of Death от Slayer в She Watch Channel Zero?!
никогда не любил этот брейкбитовый старый реп. да спасибо что дали дорогу все дела но сейчас уже вообще неслушабельно. да и сам альбом как один длинный трек
yeeaahhh boooiiiiiiiiiiii. its alright, its a bit samey. that first track is fucking nonsense.
I'm not a fan of rap/hip hop so this was really hard for me. I get the importance of the political message but I just couldn't get into it. Too many strident repetitive sounds/beats/yeah boy. My ears hurt :(
Just okay, hate the 80’s style beats, scratching and music.
Meestal kan ik ze wel hebben, maar nu te veel achter elkaar gehoord. Hoewel ik wel moet opmerken dat dit natuurlijk briljant was voor 1988!
Een paar nummers is dit nog wel aardig, maar al gauw wordt het best wel irritant. Neuh, Public Enemy en ik zullen nooit dikke vrienden worden
Genoeg hiervan!
Better than the Kendrick Lamar album but i'm just not a rap fan. Think i prefer classic stuff to newer stuff though.
Hip hop. Coñazo. Largo.
No Boi! I would have given this a much higher rating if I didn't find Flava Flav so annoying. His hype man schtick didn't age well.
I've listened to better albums, I've listened to worst
Was that the original YEAH BOI? Takes me back to Groove Street. Good times indeed.
Not my cup of tea, but it sounds good
Not bad, but rap ain't my jam.
yeeeeeeee boyyyyyyy
I'm not really a rap guy, so this is not in my wheelhouse. That said, I did sort of like it, at least some of it, mostly because it made me laugh. Don't Believe the Hype was my favorite. I've just seen Flavor Flave as a clown of sorts, and it was interesting to hear his stuff. I did think the contstant self-references were kind of dumb.
me puso muy nerviosa no sé
Good message, bad music.
no
Revolutionary perhaps, but not easy to listen to.
Too much repeating of words and annoying sounds.
no ty!
"yea boiii"
Not for me
I'm not looking forward to the project ending in around 3 months time, but I am looking forward to the day I never get given pure garbage like this to listen to. I get that gangster hip hop has its place in the world but it's not for me at all. This is filth.
la misma canción la misma canción la misma canción la misma canción la misma canción la misma canción la misma canción la misma canción la misma canción
The bbc is responsible for bringing a lot of shit stuff to the radio and this is right up there at the top of that list right now. I have decided I am not a fan of public enemy period. Worst track- almost all Of them! Best track ‘bring the noise instrumental’ 0.5/10
Just cannot listen to this! Squealing sax or whatever it is just does my head in!
Hab ich jetzt nicht so mit gevibed... Beats und sounds auch bisschen anstrengend
bad?
Enemy to my ears.
Well... I mean, it's not that horrible... well, yes, it is. I've tried many times to listen to it more open-minded, but I feel like I've forced myself to like something that I can't find the least interesting or good. Yes, there are some nice ideas in here, but all sounds very dated and uninteresting. And, to be honest, I prefer this kind of hip-hop than more current things, but it's very bland, very insipid, and, honestly, a waste of time. I can understand the appeal, but I can't find it; this is not for me at all, it's been such a horrible time and listening experience.
oooh you used a looping sample and yapped over it for 4 minutes 1
I would rather listen to fingernails on a blackboard than one more second of this.
Utterly dreadful
favs: she watch channel zero?! party for your right to fight rating 0.6/5
Die New Yorker Hip-Hop-Gruppe Public Enemy nahm ihr zweites Studioalbum zwischen Herbst 1987 und Frühjahr 1988 in den Chung King Studios, den Greene St. Recording Studios sowie den Sabella Studios auf und veröffentlichte es im Juni 1988 über Def Jam Recordings. Hinter den Reglern stand das Produzententeam The Bomb Squad um Hank Shocklee und Eric Sadler, das einen Sound entwickelte, der dichte Schichtungen von Samples, Free Jazz, schwerem Funk und musique concrète zu einem nahezu orchestralen Klangteppich verwob – und dabei alle paar Takte die Textur wechselte. Was dieses Album von allem zuvor Gehörten unterschied, war die Konsequenz, mit der Chuck D Hip-Hop zur politischen Waffe machte. Tracks wie „Don't Believe the Hype" und „Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" verbanden rhetorische Schärfe mit Produktionsgewalt; „Bring the Noise" und „Night of the Living Baseheads" setzten Maßstäbe für Tempo und Textverdichtung, die das Genre für Jahre prägten. Flavor Flavs Exzentrik wirkte dabei nicht als komisches Gegengewicht, sondern als destabilisierendes Element, das die Botschaft noch schärfer hervortreten ließ. Kein anderes Album aus dem Jahr 1988 hat Hip-Hop so nachhaltig verändert. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back demonstrierte, dass das Genre intellektuelle Tiefe, politische Dringlichkeit und handwerkliche Radikalität gleichzeitig tragen konnte – ein Standard, der bis heute Gültigkeit hat. Dieses Album ist kein historisches Dokument, sondern ein Angriff, der auch heute noch trifft.
No es lo mio.
Bruh, give me something that I can actually listen pleaseeee.
no es mi onda
Boring. Same beat ovet and over. May have had social messages back in its day.
Just not that into it