It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Excellent stuff from the fathers of Rap.

There's something about Public Enemy. Their rhymes really sound important, even when it's Flavor Flav being goofy. And they are. I mean, even when they give props to Terminator X (which they do a lot here). I dug this album a lot, it was more serious than Cypress Hill, a bit refreshing. It's weird, knowing that B-Real and Chuck D would be working together in the disappointing "Prophets of Rage." I remember hearing "Party For Your Right To Fight" back in college. I didn't get it back then, but I understand it more now.

Chuck D is a legend. Flavor Flav is a fool. Most of the time, hearing Flavor Flav was like hearing that annoying sidekick in a movie or Newton saying "Herc Herc" in the old, terrible Hercules cartoon. You just want to punch him in the mouth because he has nothing important to say - he's just squeaking. As a sidekick, he's useful on Don't Believe the Hype (and maybe a bit on She Watch Channel Zero) but wasteful on Bring the Noise, Caught Can We Get a Witness, and Rebel Without a Pause. I can barely listen to his lead efforts (e.g., Cold Lampin'). Still, there's plenty of Chuck D and when he's on lead, it's gold. You better listen and get an education. Louder than a Bomb, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, and Party for Your Right to Fight are brilliant. There's also a lot of cool beats from Terminator X, though some get a bit repetitive across the whole album.

I can definitely hear the roots of later rappers intertwined in Public Enemy.

05/29/22 Dope as fuck.

This album was a lot of fun and would be great to spin at a house party.

My co judge is a huge fan of this album and reminded me that when it came out it revolutionized rap (we thought it did anyway) with its sophisticated use of samples, political stance and Farrakhan references. Many of their samples and original vocals e.g. “Yeah Boy” have been sampled in turn, many times over the 35 years since its release. The energy level is through the roof, the beat is infectious and it’s chock full of still-classic tracks, including “Don’t Believe the Hype” and “Rebel Without a Cause”, though I must admit I prefer Tricky’s punk-metal version of “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”. Modern rappers looking for high-impact lyrics without dropping F-bombs every three seconds should check out “She Watch Channel Zero”.

Such a great album, so many influences on bands that I love and I do enjoy socio political rap. Fave: Black Steel

this is one of the best rap albums of all time and i love the lyrics, but it also isnt the most relistenable album.

I actually recognised a lot more songs than I would have expected from myself and had a blast while listening

There's a bit of filler here and there, but the ones that hit are some of the most vital, iconic and just damn impressive hip-hop songs of all time

This was my first ever hip hop / rap album and still perhaps my favoeite. like most albums of this genres i wish it were 10 minutes shorter, but its got great tunes. It does sound a bit samey throughout but it still manages to keep me interested to the end. 4.5 ⭐️

Due to copyright law changes albums like this are hard to find. Massive amount of samples with great beats and energy. A classic for sure. Would get a 5 but it suffers from a few too many tracks breaking up the tempo a bit.

It's aight

Heavy hitting but flavour flav remains extraneous

This is an all out celebration of who they are - loved it. The double bill of Bring the Noise and Don't Believe the Hype starts it out strong, and it keeps that level all the way through.

Still a great album. The original hype man "yeah Boy!.

A classic 80's hip hop sound, the beats and samples are awesome. Lyrically masterful, almost like a kind of poetry. Extremely fun to listen to, I really enjoyed this one!

I think I mentioned this in the RUN-DMC review, but this production style seems cliche now. To the point that I can't really get past it and review objectively. But this is a good record. There is so much pomp and circumstance and these guys obviously are tackling some themes that I'm sure the 1980s moderates thought were "solved." Just like we thought were solved again in the 2010s. Also, I love Flava Flave. Or however that's spelled. Overall, I liked hearing this more than RUN-DMC. Seemed to have more of a point.

4.25

Muito bom.

Controversial opinion: This album walked so Apocalypse 91 could run.

This was my first time listening to a full Public Enemy album and I really enjoyed. Sick beats and lyrics, it was also the first time I heard the original "Bring The Noise". For some tracks it sounded a little repetitive for me (Cold Lampin' With Flavor), but nothing that really bothered. Still an awesome album. Favorite tracks: * Bring The Noise * She Watches Channel Zero?! (super cool guitar riff) * Prophets Of Rage

Yeahh Booiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Absolutely groundbreaking hip hop album! 4.5/5 stars

turns out I like public enemy and I didn't know it

Chuck D is always on point, I enjoyed this album. Falls down a bit the 100th time Flavor Flav says "yea boy!" That is to say it could have been shorter.

This is not an album you review in one day - this is an album that forms you and you grow up with - unfortunately I didn’t - I am going to need more time with it I guess - but so far I can see the specialness of it

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOI 4/5

Some of these tracks sound like demos that were never updated. It still slaps, though. Best track: Bring the Noise

Great original material for the time. Hit tracks are the ones for a reason. Semi repetitive sound but still good.

8/10 goes very hard

7/10. Sounded a bit like the Beastie Boys but taking themselves a bit more seriously. Which makes it sound like it was bad, but I quite liked it. May return to this for a more thorough listening/rating.

Birthplace of bands like RATM - high speed, energetic hip-hop. Just a sick listen!

Brilliant. Lots of clever samples, lyrically magnificent, great flow, politically engaged, clear purpose and aims. I loved it.

It's a politically and socially charged album that is fast paced with a dense and chaotic production style that relied on found sounds and avant-garde noise as much as it did on old-school funk. Listening to it today, it still sounds fresh and relevant. Best: Bring the Noise Worst: Mind Terrorist 3.5 Stars

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Cold Lampin' With Flavor, Show 'Em Whatcha Got, She Watch Channel Zero?!, Party For Your Right To Fight Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: I fuck with the bars and Terminator X certainly brings the noise to a brain busting degree. Not for casual listening and there's not a thing wrong with that.

i liked the themes of social justice :) it wasn't my type of music but i def wouldn't be pretentious enough to claim that it's objectively bad for that reason. the refrain of "burn Hollywood!" reminds me of "burn babylon!" in playing with fire by kings kaleidoscope... although i guess since playing with fire came afterwards, it should be the other way around. UNRELATED BUT JUST A FRIEND BY BIZ MARKIE PLAYED AS PART OF THE RADIO FOR THIS ALBUM AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE?? I KNEW THE VERSION BY AUSTIN MAHONE BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WOAH

First time listening- album is great! Beats are powerful and well mixed. Great rhymes and strong delivery. Will listen to again

Great lyrics, can see why they pioneered conscious rap.

Good stuff

Innovative. 4/5

Very enjoyable. First time hearing the whole album. Lots of sampled bits and pieces, callbacks and references that I have heard in other work relating back to this album.

U 3 dana dva Public Enemy-a? Ma mora da se šališ. Nego, ovo je kultni klasik hip hopa, pogotovo krajem 80ih. Ako ovo nisi poslušao dosad, ne znam šta se čeka? Definitivno najdraži hip hop album 80ih.

A great listen! That intro makes it sound like Public Enemy puts on one hell of a live show... I love Tricky's version of "Black Steel" so it was great hearing the original. Fave track - "Prophets of Rage", maybe, or "Louder Than a Bomb". "Don't Believe The Hype" is a massive tune too, of course...

33. It Takes a Nation of Millions - Public Enemy 16 tracks. This was a real blast from the past and other than the memories it triggered, I could hear the influence from this in lots of stuff since. I don't love rap, but there is no doubting how good this is. I really enjoyed it. 4/5

A huge part of the foundation of hip hop, this inspired pretty much everything that came after. I didn't realize Flava Flav could rap but his track is actually pretty good.

11th October 2021 Listened on the sleepy drive back from Cadiz on Saturday. 80s hip hop! Love it!

Good listen. Favorite track is Louder than a Bomb

Fast and hard af… did anyone read that “black supremacy” review? Bruh you write quite well but quite inputting that boomer frustration energy in here

Listen to this album these days sounds a little bit old, but keeping in mind the importance of public enemy for hip-hop history, it's very easy to note the importance of it. I liked to note how much rock samples were used in these early hip-hop songs. For sure, I'm biased, but I believe that more modern hip-hop songs lost this link with rock songs.

For the love of Flavour

YyyyeaaaaahBuoiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Very nice, will get the album. Quite cool to discover stuff like this

Heard this once or twice before, and I'd heard the metal version of bring the noise first. It's weird listening to it without guitars. Rest of the album is about the same, pretty cool beats and rhymes etc. Doesn't drop off or get old, good album. Flava Flav sure does like talking about himself though lol. Apparently he's a musical genius, like can play any instrument etc. 4/5.

I think if I was judging this album according to its lyrical content alone, I might have a less favorable impression than I do. Rap lyricism has changed so much since this album was released that it can't help but sound dated. It's good, but it sounds very much of its time. The music, however, still feels revolutionary. It's dated in certain ways because of the technology, but they made so many cool, bold choices in making this album. A true classic 4/5

pure raw energy

Party for your right to 4 stars

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Party for your right to fight

Great, amazing sampling. The way each sample really mushes together is great. I recognized some from other songs, so when i went to genius to check i was surprised to see how much each track from this album was sampled. I was a bit underwhelmed by the rappers but they were still good. I liked Chuck D but not too much. Flav had a lot of moments too, like in Cold Lampin With The Flavor. They both have very unique and contrasting voices which i do like. Overall it was as much as 80s hiphop as 80s hiphop can get, which I admittedly like but don't listen to a lot of. 7/10 As of July 12th 2021 Best Tracks: Bring The Noise, Don't Believe The Hype, Cold Lampin With The Flavor, She Watch Channel Zero?!, Rebel Without a Pause, Party For Your Right To Fight Worst Track: Mind Terrorist

boppy

Great beats, great rapping by Chuck D, and Flavor Flav adds the flavor that makes it all go down nicely! There's no filler on this album every track is good to great.

Great old school Hip-Hop

I like this album so really good songs however a few songs I didn’t like, that stop it being 5 stars it’s an album that keeps your attention from start to finish 4/5

Still awesome.

Классные биты, интересный текст, немного не понравилось сведение и биты однообразные

This was very much one of those albums where I went "oh that's where that came from." Truthfully, didn't do this one justice but generally liked what I heard. Their voices pair great together and seem to lay the foundation for rap dues like Run the Jewels that follow.

This was far more familiar than expected, not what I'd normally listen to, but enjoyable.

Yeeeaaaaaaaa Boooiiiii! Loved this

A good upbeat listen.

Never really loved public enemy, that said, a respectable album nonetheless

Had a great time nodding along to this

Public Enemy are always reliably ace

Good album. Bored by the end though.

Niet geluisterd, maar ken dit album goed. Buiten dat het een classic is, klinkt het nog altijd tijdloos. En die mix tussen Chuck D., Flavor Flave en al die samples zijn te gek.

Bring the Noise was actually not as engaging as I would have liked but the other tracks are really good.

Gran disco. No tenía idea de la existencia de Public Enemy. Canciones que más me gustaron: Don't believe the hype porque qué coro pegajoso y Show 'em Whatcha Got porque los beats y loops están del uno. Como siempre con el rap, me falta siempre algo de variedad y yo casi nunca le pongo atención a las letras, de ahí que no le dé las 5 estrellas.

Old school hip hop masterpiece... but not that masterpiece imo... a handful of untouchable classics in any case

Really good, still holds up despite some of the production sounding a little rudimentary by today's post-Rockwilder standards. The lyrics still pack a wallop, and Chuck D's voice simply one of those things I like to listen to. Cool!

Respeito, mas não é noooossa coisas que amo ouvir não

Great record. I don't know if i ever got deep enough into this one before to notice Slayer's Angel of Death sampled in one of the songs

8/10

Numbly piece this album together as one of the greats. Another I grew up with surrounded by older brothers.

Public Enemy is rad. Love the metal community crossover with Anthrax they ended up doing for Bring The Noise, and sampling Slayer was sick. Feels quintessentially late 80's hip hop. Love the big beats and big respect they make sure to give the DJ. Chuck D is cool as hell, Flavor Flav is...well, Flavor flav.

Great album, classic hip-hop

don't believe the hype 👌👌

I can't be anything but a tourist in this genre which brings up all kinds of... feelings. I think I can appreciate it and respect the foundations it represents but it's not what I'd choose to listen to in the car.

Very good album. This isn't typically my speed, but I really enjoyed it.

Tony Hawk!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty good rap album

An essential hip hop album that fits nicely in the history of the genre. This album makes strong political statements that are still poignant today. Their new york sound is clearly an influence of major groups like NWA and Wu-tang. -Draper

A solid 4 stars, reminiscent to Run DMC for me, but a little on the long side!

Solid bars and classic beats

Don't Believe The Hype

Good sound. Good Music. 4

Sick

Solid!!

OK, so this is where I first notice "it" in Public Enemy. I had heard it indicated in Apocalypse 91, and believed in it, but didn't clearly see it. This record is what deserves that 4, and my esteem for it might grow as I learn more about this classic era in rap. The centering of the DJ is great, and it's sad that that has mostly died. There are skits that actually make sense, though the live show conceit seems to fade on the second half. The strongest bits are the moments of sonic experimentation, and the cheeky lines and song titles.

Top notch angry political tub thumping musically pioneering rap

Flavor Flav is all over this album. Not a compliment.

Jogs along happily enough

Not quite as good as I'd remembered, but pretty good nonetheless.

1061 - "Here's your juice box and orange slice. Thanks for coming."

Прикольный был рэп, но устарел

5.8

I respect it. This album had an incredible amount of influence on the Hip Hop scene of the 90s. Chuck D - awesome. Flavor Flav - kinda gets annoying tbh. Loved the sampling lyrics but some of record scratches and repetitive beats gets tiring. High of the album - I got a letter from the government the other day I opened and read it, it said they were suckers They wanted me for their army or whatever Picture me givin' a damn, I said "Never" Here is a land that never gave me a damn About a brother like me and myself because they never did I wasn't wit'it, but just that very minute It occured to me, the suckers had authority.

Yeah boiii!

Og hiphoppia. On ollut varmaan aivan omaa luokkaansa ja täysin uutta tuolloin, mut ei uppoa muhun kyllä juurikaan. Samalta vuosikymmeneltä löytyy niin paljon parempaa musiikkia.

My dad went to a Public Enemy concert in the 90s. So this is dad music for me.

1988 political rap, Chuck d and Flavor flay Don't believe the hype Rebel without a pause

Tällä albumilla mainitaan Chuck, Flava ja Terminator X melko monta kertaa 😅 3/5

impactful, but i don't really care too much for it

Ta bueno, buenos beats, la letra tiene pinta de tener sentido y eso, no le di mucha bola. Igualmente no distinguí una canción que digas pa.

Mind Terrorist

No idea if it’s any good because I don’t like rap.

Another good record from Public Enemy. I continue to enjoy Chuck D's voice and find it listenable. But it's not my cup of tea in general, and after a few tracks my interest is lost.

I loved this album when I was young, listening to it in full now it frustrates me, the production shits all over fundamentally good beats and funky samples with the in your face sirens and whistles after more than a dozen tracks it’s exhausting. I get that there whole ethos was being confrontational about issues affecting the black population and maybe the production choices reflect that but I feel it would be a much better album if it had focussed more on being tuneful than abrasive. Still good though 3.4

rateo esto teniendo en cuenta que es hip hop de los ochenta para lo cual me parece una locura el nivel, muchas cosas de 30 años después se les quedan atrás. noto un muy buen balance entre el instrumental orgánico y los mashups tradicionales, es violento pero lo justo y bastante catchy. 7,5/10

I liked this album. I love hearing the original sample (Where the song I know comes from). "Show ’Em Whatcha Got" (which in and of itself is a sample of "Darkest Night" by Lafayette Afro Rock Band in 1974) & Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got"

Public Enema Number One, siltähän se kuulosti. Yeah boy and whatnot. Aivan jees, mutta ei itselle kolahda sen enempää.

Cool

You could merge a lot of these songs and you wouldnt notice the difference. It's the message, not the music, or the vocal why it's applauded by many.

Overall Rating - 3.14/5 (6.29/10). Solid album, even if it's not my style.

Good

Powerful and aggressive but hard for me to find the line where I think an album falls too much into a narrow genre Highlights: "Caught, Can We Get a Witness?", "Show 'Em Whatcha Got", "Party for Your Right to Fight"

High 3. I liked fear of a black planet more, but this still rules

Chuck D's rapping just isn't that good. And Flavor . . . I'm not sure what he brings to the table. I'll round up for the message and the influential-ness.

This came out 3 years before Nevermind and, in comparison, feels so very dated. I just don't like this one from PE...

Boyeeeeeee

Historically significant, and musically quite entertaining. I just have some issues with Flavor Flav's style clashing with the hard rocking production and the otherwise serious blast of lyrics. But yeah, this seems half-way between old school and gangsta.

Who didn’t want to wear a two foot clock around your neck. It reminds me of middle school.

Classic rap album. Heard before

I am slightly familiar with Public Enemy having 8 songs already liked by them on Spotify - with 4 from this album - "Don't Believe The Hype", "She Watch Channel Zero?!", "Security of the First World" and "Prophets of Rage". I actually saw some of these songs performed live when Chuck D was part of the supergroup called Prophets of Rage - along with some of the guys from Rage Against the Machine and B-Real of Cypress Hill. This was in 2106 as part of their "Make America Rage Again Tour". Twas a great show. So I'm excited to find some more songs by going through this whole album. I definitely noticed the influence/sampling of James Brown stuff on some of these songs. I think I generally like the songs where Chuck D is the lead singer/rapper more than the ones there Flavor Flav is the lead. For example, the song "Cold Lampin' with Flavor" is the worst song on this - like how many times does he have to mention his own name?? I also have realized I just don't like the rap songs (in general, from any artist) where they brag about their rap/beat abilities. So, a song like "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" just doesn't do it for me. It just seems like pointless filler to me. Show us, don't tell us. Ok - I ended up liking 6 more songs on this - "Bring the Noise", "Caught, Can we Get a Witness", "Night of the Living Baseheads", "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos", "Rebel Without a Pause", and "Party for Your Right to Fight" This is a new high for me for # of songs liked on a rap/hip hop album! Liked songs on Spotify: 10/16 Rating: 3/5

I like it, but I can't handle the screechy background sounds.

Et helt album med Flavor Flav blir litt mye

Started strong then tailed off a bit

Good album bit compared to other hip hop not sure it is as good

Hit and miss

Liked this more than the later album. A bit less samey

when the beat sounds like a dying mice 😍

So many of these pre-90s hip hop albums are historically important but just sound really dated

What a classic NY sound. I love East Coast hip hop the most, but this album was not addressed to me. I had a hard time relating. If I did I bet the score would be higher

Decent album - enjoyed it - not really my thing a bit embarrassing at my age but decent album

This started as a 4, length dropped it to a 3.

Can't lie I couldn't hear some of the songs over the drone of the motorcycle engine in My Summer Car but this was really good regardless

Likes: Propulsive beats; stand out lyrics; interplay between Flavor Flav and Chuck D; samples that sound fresh and distinct from their sources Dislikes: 80’s hip hop isn’t my favorite sonic aesthetic; Overall, a good jam that’s just not for me

I had a lot of fun with this one

Can’t stomach anything that comes out of Flavor’s mouth. The rest is good.

Very enjoyable. 3.5

88’s hood classic

buen álbum

Idk it was fine ig. Fav track: Louder than a bomb

Nothing about this really blew my face off. It’s 90s rap, slightly different vein, just good enough. Don’t hate, dont love. A perfect three. I will say, some of the samples in there are wild. I know them, I like them, I won’t skip them whenever they come on.

Much better than the last Public Enemy album. Good production, especially the drums. Still not worthy of having two albums on this list when Mobb Deep or J Dilla are snubbed

This is an interesting one, a little dated was my first impression, but as the album went I thought more of it as a good representation of a time period, and the beats were growing on me. Specifically Louder Than A Bomb, Night of the Living Baseheads, Caught - Can We Get A Witness?, and Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

I didn't previously know Flava Flav was in Public Enemy but boy did it become obvious partway through lol. His "yeahhhh boyyyyyy"s eventually started grating on me but I'm glad he was having fun. It was also weird hearing Bring the Noise without Anthrax doing its thing on top of it but I'm glad I know what the original sounds like now. All in all it was a fun listen but I was fine with it being over eventually.

Groovy beats, though somewhat of a consistency between tracks that invites a little dullness

6/10 Very good rap all the way through

Great old school hip hop. Good listen but also didn't blow me away.

Public Enemy - It Takes... Very in your face. Less 'musical' than Fear of a Black Planet, and for that reason, not as engaging and far more repetitive. Still some great tracks here though. Best Track - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos Worst Track - COLD Lampin with Flavor 7/10

oh shit, there were two public enemy albums? wtf bros. Will have to edit this review ffs

I'm not a hip hop head. The closest I got to being in touch with hip hop/rap was a window of time in high school over 12 years ago. That said, this album surely falls squarely in the camp of "old school" I'd have to guess. Maybe I will Google that. Maybe I won't! I enjoyed the song that talks a lot about flavors through out the day. Lunch and dinner and such. I also enjoyed the scratching and the use of samples. And actually oh wow this album really picks up in the second half. The samples become more complex and interesting. Thank you!

I think I may be a bit harsh, but some.of the samples are annoying. I found the political discourse engaging, and it hasn't aged to badly

ja ganz gut aber nh

really good stuff. i had no idea all these names i recognized were in one big group at one point, feels like learning about a cultural pillar that influenced a ton of stuff since i kept recognizing traits of other works in this one

Красотки на капоте прыгающего лоурайдера. Абсолютно весь альбом пропитан нарочитым требованием к поклонению и признанию их превосходства. Впервые почувствовал разницу между рэпом поздних 90-х, который я слушал довольно долго и много с вариантами старше. На удивление разница большая, хотя вполне эта особенность присуща исключительно конкретному исполнителю. Это чрезмерная повторяемость и нулевая изменчивость в читке. Новые исполнители стараются не задерживать один темп и флоу на весь трек, здесь же наоборот музыка и исполнение направлены на "кач" и вводят тебя в транс. Лично мне это показалось скучноватым. Что понравилось чрезмерно это звуки. Настолько живого звука конкретно в рэпе я не слышал ни разу. Как ни странно альбом мне не сильно понравился для внимательного прослушивания или ,например включить часть композиций на вечеринке будет достаточно уместно ,чтобы это сделать, но ожидаемый эффект разобьётся о реальность - композиции очень долгие и монотонные что может подойти только для фоновой музыки. Оценка альбома 5/10.

I mean, it’s PRETTY good but a lot of this is an exercise in “how long can you tolerate this very high pitched sample that plays throughout the WHOLE SONG”

I think I prefer Fear the Black Planet to this one, but I can't deny this is an instrumental early hip hop/rap album that sets the stage for what's to come. I'd never been the biggest fan of 80s rap, but you can see how 90s rap builds off of what is laid out here

some of the sound fx were a bit repetitive it kinda pmo but overall a vibe some of them went hard

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 Bring the Noise og She Watch Channel Zero (å rappe over riffet til Angel of Death er utrolig based). Tror det er flere irriterende momenter her enn på Black Planet? Elementer som den jævla Cypress Hill pipinga på Rebel Without a Pause kunne jeg klart meg uten.

It's good. It's what I want hip hop to sound like. I do not, however, want to listen to hip hop. This is probably as good as it gets

Thumpin

Expected way more given my knowledge of the band and that era, but either the mixing and/or random skits were just too much, best I can give is 3

Helt ok. Något tjatigt att lyssna igenom hela på en och samma gång. Mycket upprepningar. Men Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos är en favorit, Bring the Noise samma sak. En hel del klassiker förstås och politiskt vilket jag gillar. Men som sagt... Lite tjatigt är det.

WAYYYYYY TOO MUCH SCRATCHING ;-;

Liked it generally but at times it felt noisy or as if I was being yelled at.

Definitely unique group among rap of that time.

Take a shot every time he says Flavor Flav. Very cool and apparently historic hip-hop album. The chaotic, funk and jazz inspired backing tracks created with significant sampling sound awesome, abrasive in the coolest and catchiest way. It feels a little repetitive at points, but is mostly just enjoyable. As with many of these albums, I’m sure I can’t grasp the full impact it had, both solely musically as well as culturally amidst the political climate, upon release since I have never experienced 1980s New York. Not an album I’d have likely experienced without this generator. Some tracks feel overly self-referential as someone who had no idea who Chuck D, Terminator X, or the S1Ws were before this (though Flavor Flav unambiguously made himself known…). There are several tracks that center around the racial and anti-institutional themes the album is known for that I can imagine being quite controversially received at the time, especially coming from these established ‘Public Enemies’. Chuck D is a powerful rapper, and Flavor Flav grows on you too. I don’t see it being a lasting favorite, but it’s a great-sounding, cool, and effective album. Rating: ~6.5/10 _____ Album 2 / 1001+

This is not an album built to please you. It is built to overwhelm you, agitate you, and force you to pay attention. That is exactly why it is one of the greatest rap albums ever made.

этот альбом как конфета с твердой оболочкой. понравится не сразу, но по итогу амамам. хотя.. для меня шумновато. троечко

I don't have any formal thoughts on this album. It was kinda just background noise.

A tale of two halves for this album. I didn't connect with the first 30 kins at all, some of the least interesting and under-mixed hip hop I've heard. Dramatically increases in quality after the midpoint, but still misses the mark for me in spots. Solid individual songs, very uneven album. Top tracks: She Watches Channel Zero?!, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, Rebel Without a Pause

this album was actually pretty mid in my opinion. Bring The Noise is forever GOATED from being in tony hawks pro skater, but the rest of the album doesn't hold up to that really fun track. a lot of the rhymes get repeated from song to song, and a few of the beats where folks are screeching on them aren't the most fun to listen to. not sure how much i would come back to this album as a whole, but definitely would cherry pick around on it

I've discovered that I like Public Enemy, but this album got old pretty fast. It might have been my mood, but it felt really repetitive and long. I would say a 3.5 album.

5/10… hip-hop / rap / *1988

quite good, not rly my taste but still groovy. im not 1 2 lisn 2 lyrics, but from what i understood, i do agree w em.

Early Public Enemy is still tuff music even though it was before they went global. Chuck D is dominant on the mic in every song and his authoritative tone demands immediate respect. Flavor Flav keeps things light and adds some grounding power to PE’s music. Bring the Noise is a great track but the collaborative version with Anthrax is much better. Not PE’s best album but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Good ass 80s hip-hop.

Not bad by any means, but definitely not my favorite classic hip-hop record. I really don't find it reaches anywhere near the highs of Wu-Tang or Cypress Hill. Also I find flava flav kind of annoying to be honest.

Good

pretty fun

This may be my preferred album of theirs. Good samples and catchy hooks.

Ts is good, but it ain't peak

6/10 I'm not sure if I just missed it or not, but it felt like the hyper-political lyricism Public Enemy is known for was largely missing from the first half of the album, only to be taken up in a big way in the second half. I found much of the first half to be quite trite, a lot of "Flava!" call outs, and lacking meaning; the second half talks about systemic racism and powerlessness experienced by the Black community. Not quite sure what is up with this dichotomy (was I not paying attention???), but needless to say, I enjoyed the political half far better. The music is typical late 80s hip hop, but the production is a definite standout. Overall good but not great album.

I can appreciate many things about this record. But feel like I can't appreciate the most important thing- the lyrical content. I'm just not in the right mood for that today. The production is really killer, maybe a bit single sounding, but considering it's 35 years old, I appreciate it a lot. The flows sound fire as well. Most of this is great. But I don't know what else can I say now. Sorry about it. Ill come back to it at some point. It's a part of this game, days like this... It'll be a 3 today. It will make me sad at some point I know. Tough day

Me imagino que es icónico

Took me a little bit to embrace because I was resisting its of the timeness sound for some reason, but once Louder Than a Bomb dropped I was in. Not enough “?!” in song titles

Halfway between good and bad

Okay.

I had high hopes for this album and it kinda disappointed me. 3

Liked this a lot more than I thought I would. 3.5

I liked, didn't love

Альбом расцвета рэпа старой школы. Опять же, как мне кажется,у них есть куда более сильные альбомы

Too long but has some great moments

3,0 Highlights: Don't Believe The Hype, Cold Lampin' With Flavor

Didn't like this as much as the others. 3/5

Does it maybe take a nation of millions to make an album that's not the same ad-libs, the same drum loops, and what ultimately feels like the same track over and over again?

I’m not the target audience for hip-hop, but this is an exciting listen and a good ‘80’s rap album. I enjoyed it but wouldn’t necessarily return to it.

M.M?

It was good. I wasn’t disgusted at all

The weakest of their three albums on here. Chuck D was great, so was the Bomb Squad per usual. They were great. But why is Flavor Flav even a part of this group. He does nothing but detract from the album. He sounds like an idiot every time he speaks. If I never hear "yeah, boyeee" again it'll be too soon.

still. not my favorite style of music, but this was much better than several others in this genre. lyrics had depth & meaning. pleasantly surprised

Angry. Beats into the emotion. It gets to me.

Believe the hype. Igual, escuchar más de 5 temas seguidos me queman un poco la gorra

Hippity hop

me gusto bastante, algunos beats son muy pesados en cuanto a la cantidad de sonidos repetidos. Particularmente me gusta el rap, asi que lo volvería a escuchar.

Начуваний про них) Послухаємо) Ну таке)

While "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" is frequently cited for its lyrical depth and social importance, my own appreciation of an album is often driven more by its sonic impact than its message. Take 'Don't Believe the Hype' as an example; I recognise the significant reputation this track holds, but the musical arrangement ultimately feels somewhat underwhelming. It is by no means a poor composition, but it fails to resonate with me on a level that would encourage repeat listens. Much of the record follows a similar pattern. It's a solid effort, but no more than that. Three stars. Side Silver 1 "Countdown to Armageddon" (Intro) (3/5) 2 "Bring the Noise" (4/5) 3 "Don't Believe the Hype" (3/5) 4 "Cold Lampin' with Flavor" (2/5) 5 "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" (2/5) 6 "Mind Terrorist" (Interlude) (2/5) 7 "Louder Than a Bomb" (3/5) 8 "Caught, Can We Get a Witness?" (4/5) Side Black 9 "Show 'Em Whatcha Got" (Interlude) (3/5) 10 "She Watch Channel Zero?!" (4/5) 11 "Night of the Living Baseheads" (2/5) 12 "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (3/5) 13 "Security of the First World" (Interlude) (3/5) 14 "Rebel Without a Pause" (4/5) 15 "Prophets of Rage" (3/5) 16 "Party for Your Right to Fight" (3/5) Total - 48 Average - 3.00 318/1001 172/318 albums reviewed were new to me.

Good album. She watches channel zero was by far my favorite. I’m not a huge fan of 80s rap beats but they’re were some really good ones in there. I like the political messaging inbetween songs.

Je moest er bij geweest zijn

Politically charged fast paced Rap Classic. Chuck D has one of the coolest voices in Rap as far as I am concerned.

2 stars, 2 long. The hits hit, hit or miss for the rest. Three stars tho? Huh?

Not my favorite type of beats but I can see it’s major influence on the genre - produced in ‘88 alongside Rick Rubin and Shocklee. Truly a pivotal record created with intent from its themes and lyrics to production techniques

Any trope of 80’s hip hop can be heard in this album. Entertaining but repetitive. Recognition is due for its lyrical themes rather than its sound.

Yeah booooi

Good.

I appreciate the impact and the message but have never been a fan of the messenger. Flavor Flave just annoys me.

Sounds like an alarm clock going off through most of the songs, I guess that’s how you bring the noize?

Solid album

Not my usual genre to listen to so I’m excited to see what this is like !! So far it’s really great I love the early rap/hip hop sound. They have some sick beats. I love the lyrics too I like how they’re protesting against the backlash rap got at the time.

#? 16th April 2026 heard of public enemy before but never listened to them properly. beats are insanely good, but i think it's something i'd not necessarily listen to on a daily. track mentions; caught, can we get a witness?

“yeah boi haha” y “public enemy” cómo mil veces repartidas en 1 hora

Сара 2 Марко 5

The reviews on this record split almost perfectly between 1s and 5s, which tells you something important — this is music so uncompromising and specific in its vision that it either fully claims you or leaves you at the door. Landing in the middle with a genuine 3 is actually a more nuanced response than either extreme, and it feels like the honest one. The Bomb Squad’s production is unlike anything else in hip-hop history — dense layers of samples, sirens, and scratching stacked so tightly the whole thing sounds like controlled chaos. The disorienting quality is the point. Chuck D isn’t making background music or party records. He’s making arguments, dense and urgent and delivered with a rhetorical force that’s closer to oratory than rap in any traditional sense. The sonic discomfort is the message made physical, and understanding that makes it easier to respect even when it makes the listening experience genuinely unnerving. The honest data point is personal history. Straight Outta Compton — same year, same cultural moment — embedded itself in adolescence in a way this record simply didn’t. NWA’s visceral street-level anger connected where Public Enemy’s more intellectual and political urgency didn’t quite reach. That gap isn’t a judgment about which record is objectively more important. It’s just honest information about where the personal connection actually lives. A strong three that sits close to the four border — fully respectful of the ambition, the politics, and the historical weight, without pretending to a personal connection that isn’t there.

A good album, I don't like a lot of rap but I do enjoy the way Public Enemy raps.

Dober

I think if you hear one you hear them all. classic sample-heavy public enemy.

No es mi tipo de música para nada pero encanto, muy buen disco.

Classic, but I don’t *think* it’s aged the best ever? Loads to rave about, but I don’t think I’ll be coming back

Es bueno

Accessible

soft shock was my fav politically relevant

Absolute classic, super important, but there are musically more interesting versions of all the great songs on here. The old school production just does not offer the kind of variety of sounds and vibes that keep me interested for a whole album.

Lead man has great presence. Another decent entry to the 1001

Synth whistles frying my brain and I'm here for it. This one also has the tracks a mere casual like me recognizes.

Dense!

meh

Yeahhhh boyyyy BASS HOW LOW CAN YOU GO DEATH ROW? WHAT A BROTHER KNOW Also, Slayer sample, hell yeah ANGELLLLLL OF DEATHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoewel ik zelf niet naar OG hiphop zou luisteren is dit wil een legendarisch album en wordt dit album beschouwd als een meesterwerk

🕙

Veel potentie maar verouderde geluiseffecten en samples

YEaaaaasaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh BooooooooooIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Alright album, a little long for my liking. Some of the later beats were a bit irritating, but overall it was alright.

hard with just a hint of jazz

I recognize the greatness, but it's not for me

This was good stuff.

oder der VfL-Jesus reicht auch

The rap I wasn't supposed to listen to as a kid, wasn't all that bad.

Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? Completely unfamiliar How do I feel about this artist? Flavor flavor seems like a cool guy but I don’t really know much about Public Enemy Favorite song(s)? Night of the Living Baseheads, Rebel Without a Pause Overall Thoughts: Parts of this were really fun, other parts of it really dragged on, some parts of it were way too fast and I was running out of breath just listening. But not a bad way to spend an hour at work.

Loved the one sampling Slayer, how is that not as big as the Anthrax one 3.5 rounded down

Number: 80 Date: 03/23/2026 Artist: Public Enemy Album: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back Year: 1988 Genre: Conscious Hip Hop Rating: 3 Notes: Before: The is my second Public Enemy album. It looks like they have three on this list which is 2 too many, imo. They should definately have one album here but I don't think any artist should have more than one unless they are very different from each other and/or masterpieces. I don't see that with Public Enemy's work. They have some great songs but most of their music that I like has pretty much the same sound. During: 3 Countdown To Armageddon 5 Bring The Noise 4 Don't Believe The Hype 4 Cold Lampin With Flavor 3 Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic 3 Mind Terrorist 3 Louder Than A Bomb 3 Caught, Can We Get A Witness? 3 Show 'Em Whatcha Got 4 She Watch Channel Zero?! 4 Night Of The Living Baseheads 3 Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos 3 Security Of The First World 4 Rebel Without A Pause 3 Prophets Of Rage 3 Party For Your Right To Fight ----------------------------------------------------- 3.50 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After: 4 my personal rating 2 suitability for this list 4 impact ----------------------------------------------- 3.3 composite rating

Standouts Bring the Noise Don't Believe the Hype Party for Your Right to Fight

Second Public Enemy album during this project and another album where I got to enjoy playing spot the sample. I particularly enjoyed Fame by Bowie, the Flash Gordon theme and Son of Shaft turning up. And the intro being from a BBC DJ was a surprise. And sampling Slayer! I keep saying it, but sampling is such an impressive skill to me - creating a completely new thing from disparate scraps of other songs and it sounding like it always should have been like that. I really appreciate the topics and Chuck D's style of rapping too. As a whole, I think I liked it a tiny bit less than Fear Of A Black Planet, but it's still very much worth: 3/5

Respect but didn’t care for

drum and sample loops. got it. Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: nah 3.1

Not my cup of tea as a 39 yo white woman, but I can hear that they were ahead of their time.

Not my fav style/era of hip hop but I respect it and appreciate it. A banger or two on here, not a bad album whatsoever!

*1988 *Unfortunately I know Flava Flav exclusively from Flava of Love, which is like only knowing Ozzy from the Osbourne Show and then listening to Black Sabbath for the first time. It’s not pretty. *Many songs sounded vaguely like Rebel Without a Pause, which is the only sound I know. *Way too much silly, distracting late 80s/early 90s noises that were often really annoying. *Chuck D is a talent though, and he carries this as far as he could. RATING- 6.5/10

A little dated but the energy is great.

funky fresh for suresies. not rlly my style of rap. it kind of gives me joey valence & brae vibes but like older school. the og

I enjoyed this for the most part. It got a bit repetitive, but I was expecting that. I was only familiar with a couple of the songs. Chuck D has a great voice, however, Flavor Flav is annoying.

It was an interesting time. Rap went hardcore and political Has lost much of its impact

some high peaks but id take enter the wu tang anyday over it

I can see why it was impactful. Recognized a few samples.

I'm not a rap fan at all, but this early stuff isn't actually too bad. It has a nice beat to it and I can understand what they are saying, so that's nice.

TIL I don’t like Flavor Flav.

Great record

Me encantaron las baterías creo que siempre Creo que en otra epoca hubiese disfrutado mas, me mayo que sea tan largo, bo estaba en el mood, pero esta bueo los samples y eso tambien.

7/10

Solid.

I liked it more than expected. Songs were different from each other w/diff music and patter.

I liked the political messaging

Solid Public Enemy. Exactly what you expect. Upbeat. Kept my attention.

This album sounds like an upgraded version of Run-D.M.C., with very similar production style of early sampling. Just more politcal urgency mixed into the lyrics and Chuck D's authoritave vocal delivery. Beats wise, it's what I expected for an 80's Hip-Hop album with that very distinct whirring sound in some songs. I liked the track "Prophets Of Rage". Great beat composition and vocals lead by Chuck D with Flavour Flav adding nice backing/interjections. I can see why this album is influentinal for its revolutionary production and politcal commentary. However, it isn't something I'd listen to again entirely. Solid album otherwise.

So old school. Definitely an album from a time, looking at roots for sure. Not exactly my thing, but I was head bumping through all of it. Rebel Without a Pause. Solid 3/5.

I really enjoyed the production in this record. Favourite Track(s): Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic, Rebel Without A Pause Least Favourite Track(s): Cold Lampin' With Flavour

I love hip-hop mainly 90s but still some of the 80s stuff, but honestly, they need to cut the high-pitched whirring sound effect, it was really distracting and stole the focus from the vocals and other beats and just didn’t go in my opinion. When it wasn’t playing the music sounded so much cleaner and I could get into it a bit more. This was present in my standout song ‘Louder than a bomb’ it didn’t contain that sound effect. I’m a bit disappointed tbh I expected something better from Public Enemy but maybe it’s just not for me. I can appreciate the lyrics and that they helped paved the way for 90s hip-hop, but just wasn't too keen on this album.

Pretty good

Classic late 80s rap.

høydepunkt: Don't Believe The Hype, Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic, Caught Can We Get A Witness?, She Watch Channel Zero?!

Beats and flows are fine. Too long.

I'm not overly familiar with rap, it's never quite been my thing. I get why this album is important but it definitely feels dated.

Countdown to Armageddon 2/5 Bring the Noise 3/5 Don't Believe the Hype 4/5 Cold Lampin' With Flavor 2/5 Terminator X To The Edge of Panic 4/5 Mind Terrorist 2/5 Louder Than a Bomb 4/5 Caught, Can We Get A Witness 3/5 Show'Em Whatcha Got 2/5 She Watch Channel Zero?! 4/5 Night of the Living Baseheads 4/5 Black Steel In the Hour of Chaos 4/5 Security of the First World 2/5 Rebel Without a Pause 5/5 Prophets of Rage 3/5 Party for You Right To Fight 3/5 Overall Album 3.19

I could see the reason this was so shocking and refreshing at the time but now it kind of feels lost. But I think being one of the first mainstream artists of a genre that is inevitable. I found it quite repetitive as an album but it had some great sample choices, lyrics and sounds.

Enjoyed this, but I found it became a bit repetitive towards the end. Maybe that's the point but it didn't really make for an effective album for me. I probably wouldn't listen again.

very bold and distinctive

The rap verses being exchanged between Chuck and Flavor make this a unique album. Some great samples too. The flash one used in Terminator X was amazing. Will definitely be back to this one

Good

ci sta, nel suo genere è sicuramente un ottimo album

Just a loud and fun album

It's ok