It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

I had no idea I liked Public Enemy this much.

Ok so here’s the thing… it’s rap, so obviously I don’t get it, appreciate it, like it, or have any time for it. But I can tell that the main rapper, Chuck D, has a certain bombastic grandness if you will, that would be appealing to fans who are unlike me. And in that sense, he does sound different from other generic rap acts that pump out the same moody, miserable gangsta shite. So I’ll give him an extra mark for enthusiasm. Despite his hanger-on mates adding I’m not sure what.

Classic

Rebels without a pause will always be one of the hardest beats to have ever been laid, my god!! Terminator X is a fucking legend!

I eat tacos with sour cream. I'm a certified melanin deficient individual. I prefer Fear of a Black Planet. I feel like this record loses some steam in the last third. Still fun though.

Great album loved it, Ill continue listening to some of there song really liked it.

Wichtiges und sicher auch gutes Album nur von Sound nicht ganz meins

The greatest hip hop album of all time

I knew more tracks on this album than I thought I would, and I liked more tracks than I thought I would. Anytime Terminator X is mentioned you know you're going to get a great break down. Also kept hearing Flavor Flav mentioned Cold Medina a lot and thought he got it from Tone Loc, but it turns out Tone Loc got it from him.

pretty good 90s rap album, not a big fan of it as most people but Bring the Noise is legitimately an amazing rap song. feeling a decent 7/10. first listen tracklist ranking: 1. Bring the Noise 2. Caught, Can We Get A Witness? 3. Don’t Believe the Hype 4. She Watch Channel Zero?! 5. Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos 6. Night of the Living Baseheads 7. Louder Than A Bomb 8. Prophets of Rage 9. Rebel Without A Pause 10. Cold Lampin’ with Flavor 11. Party for Your Right to Fight 12. Terminator X To The Edge of Panic 13. Show ‘Em Whatcha Got 14. Countdown to Armageddon 15. Security of the First World 16. Mind Terrorist

I got the letter from the government the other day - I opened, it read it, it said they were suckers

Absolute auditory assault for almost an hour, I'm saying that as a compliment but this album felt very long considering the content

I remember how scared so many white people were when this came out lol

3/5 it's nice to listen to some early rap since that's a genre i haven't heard much of. i appreciate the cultural/political importance of the album but stylistically it wasn't for me. always love when they incorporate snippets of speeches into songs. nice to be reminded that rap is a political art form even though newer artists seem to disregard that (looking right at you drake) fav song: she watch channel zero?!

Public Enemy are pioneers of hip-hop and this album had arguably their greatest tracks. A fun listen.

I know this is objectively good, but I didn’t enjoy the listening experience.

No, not for me

jebo vas public enemy da vas više jebo... evo, ovo je TREĆI album s popisa, kronološki prvi, a meni posljednji, fala bogu. i pogodite šta? zvuči isto kao i preostala dva. ovaj je možda i najbolji, ali i dalje mi ne valja. svakako je utjecajan, ne mogu to nikako poricati, mislim da bih ovaj odabrao kao reprezentativan i uklonio preostala dva (sudeći po prosjecima na ovoj stranici, čini se da se i ostali korisnici načelno slažu da je ovaj najbolji, premda je »fear of a black planet« jedva trunku lošiji po ocjenama, za svega 0,02). no to što je u tako velikoj mjeri utjecao na zvuk većine naredne rep glazbe ne smatram baš dobrom pojavom... još neki komentari uz baš ovaj album: jedan od ovih likova ima toliko nepodnošljiv i krindž glas, ne mogu ga smisliti, drugi je okej. tekstovi su bezvezni na tipični repniški način: ja sam crnac, niga ovo, niga ono itd., mjestimice su prošarani danas dobrano ofucanim političkim porukama. na gotovo svakoj pjesmi uspiju naći neki visok, piskutav zvučak za semplanje (ne znam kako da drugačije opišem) koji se neprestano na pjesmi ponavlja, a koji meni zvuči strašno i iritira me. sve u svemu pjesme mi ne zvuče dobro ni u jednom aspektu i imao sam osjećaj da album traje dva sata, a ne manje od sata... ne mogu svrstati među kečine jer zacijelo nije sranje, moglo se odslušati i sasvim razumijem zašto bi netko ovome dao peticu, drago mi je da se nekima sviđa i da uživaju, al za mene jednostavno nije [odslušao i napisao 29/10/26]

I was going to give this a 2, just too much 80's vibe. But, by the end, and a few nice bangers, it deserves a 3.

Pas aimé

Could you blokes do that again? It was a bit fast for me.

Nearly 40 years old! This album goes hard from the first track and while it sounds a bit dated in parts it still delivers.

Not my bag. Rytmiskt och en massa prat. Men vart är melodierna och refrängen?

I already had to listen "Fear Of A Black Planet" and this album is so simmilar. It's not a bad thing. I enjoyed some songs. It reminds me of a GTA SA and that's a plus. I don't know if any of the Public Enemy song was in the SA radio. 4.8/10

Супер альбом. Слухаю з дитинства.

Pas mal certain que c'est ces gars-là qui ont inventé l'hyperactivité. 3.5 étoiles

Meh. I don’t get the feeling coming through this that I get from more modern rap. Feels a bit soulless but perhaps i lack understanding of the references etc

Of course it should be on the list, but I found it relentless.

First time but a clear classic, I shall definitely be back. I'd always heard it was good but just never thought to give it a go Sampling Slayer for one of those tracks is such an insanely good choice for a hip hop album from 1988 it almost beggars belief Is this the original "YEAAHHHH BOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII"

Don’t believe the hype I honestly think I blame that Lil Yachty video where he’s freestyling with Tyler the creator and does this mock old timey rap, but I just can’t seem to enjoy any hip hop music now that sounds even remotely like that. The beats on here really don’t help either, feel like Terminator X is making the songs as obnoxious and as irritating as possible. Making me say “I’ll (not) be back”. Flavor Flav also just pisses me off lol 1.5

Now I know why Flavor Flav is famous. Really good beats overall. I was pleasantly surprised.

Turn it up… bring the noise!

First rap/hip hop album I didn't hide from my parents largely because of its political content.

Enjoyed this

Great stuff, I loved the vocals and the lyrics. It's great how there wasn't any misogyny to undermine their message (cough cough, Ice Cube, cough cough). The beats weren't really my favorite, but there were some good ones on here. Album #147 Public Enemy album 1/3 Favorite Track: Caught, Can We Get A Witness?

Repeat listen

4/10

If you want influential artists, then you’ll get few more influential in there genre than public enemy… I’m not a big fan of rap and hip hop in general, but I can appreciate how important public enemy are to the genre, and why they were imoortant voices for black culture at the time… an album that screams “we shall be heard” and although some of the beats have aged, the messages barely have

A watershed moment in both sampling and conscious rap. Really great stuff that still holds up today even if the aesthetic is dated. Rating: strong 9/10

Yeah class album. Some fucking shit stuff on here but everything around it cooks 4.5/5.0 Best Song; Bring the noise

It is good, but it might be the most dated album we have had so far i think. Sounds like a parody of 80s hip hop almost. Still some very good songs on here though

First listen for me. Missed it when it came out and I don't listen to much hip hop.

If it feels a bit rough around the edges at times, I think that's because you can tell they're doing something new. On a separate note, it is hilarious coming to this album with only one reference point for Flavor Flav: the dating show Flavor of Love from the 2000s, which I watched as a kid. Hope you found your soulmate Mr. Flav

It was pretty good but I think some of the songs sounded a bit samey. Maybe I’m not appreciating it enough it was influential to later hip hop but think it sounded a bit dated.

Everybody in the house say hell yeah

Seems like every Public Enemy album is gonna be like this. Nothing wrong with the lyrics, but these backing tracks are really grating, it's taking me some effort to not just skip through them.

Solid early hip hop. Good political tilt

Yeah boi

The rage! The fight! Public enemy doesn't hold it back. A milestone for the genre, this is a political claim for power and equality. After almost forty years, this is this as relevant as ever.

Yeahboiiiii

Cool opening, then comes like a run of 8 songs with the exact same beat which is sad because the rap is great. The interludes have great interesting instrumentals on the other hand all through the album. On the back end of the album both instrumentals and rap slap and they slap together finally. Most importantly though: yeah boiiiiii

Dieser Turntable-belastete Hip Hop war noch nie so meins, das hier ist eines der besseren Alben. "Bring the Noize" war auch in irgendeinem Tony-Hawk-Soundtrack, das sitzt also ziemlich tief 😂

Großartig, vor allem der Song mit dem Slayer-Sample.

This is an 80s rap album that definitely guarantees to get your head bopping. Right off the bat it was funny to hear an adlib that I recognized was used in the NWA album, which was the first album I listened to for this project. I found that to be a funny circle moment. I typically love the sounds of older rap albums as you can hear their authentic lyricism and fun background tracks in a way that feels more real than contemporary rap. Where I felt this with this album, I wish there were more serious tracks about the lives of the artists and their experiences. This was a more upbeat, fun album. The use of instrumentals in some of the songs was totally sick, like the guitar in she watch channel zero, it was heavy and went hard. Overall I enjoyed the album but I don’t think it was on par to some of the other rap albums from the 80s that I’ve listened to thus far.

Interesting combination of sounds and beats, and in general sounded good, there were parts where my head felt kinda tired of the beat in some, but sounds like that early gens of hip hop and rap, so good

I get the significance of it, but the songs to me kind of all feel the same

Hell yes! Bass! How low can you go? Death row? What a brutha know Once again, back is the incredible Rhyme animal, the uncannable D! Public Enemy Number One…

4/5. When it comes to early (pre 90’s) hip-hop music, it is my belief that Public Enemy are one of the few groups to really still stand the test of time. Part of that is the way their music is produced, both minimal yet punchy and aggressive. The same can be said for the rapping of Chuck D and Flavor Flave, they might not be the most technically insane rappers but they rap with such conviction that it ends up fully working, which is important for songs as politically charged as theirs. And it all comes together to create a ton of bangers like the first main track here “Bring the Noise.” There’s also “She Watch Channel Zero!?” Which samples Slayer’s Angel or Death of all things. Just great listen all around.

PE's reception history has taken lots of twists and turns, and I think it's time for a reappraisal. Like the critics first noticed, this is completely groundbreaking music and we've heard little since that can produce the same kind of noisy, awe-inspired sublime. Also, the only time I've ever fanned out in my life is when I met Chuck D. But that's a different story for another time.

Вот это такой тебя левый реп, хотя я не любитель такого но первая половина мне зашла. Со второй проблема была в том что поднадоело.

Yeahhhh boyyy this is probably some of the best classic hip-hop out there. Feels like this would be the soundtrack coming out of a JVC boombox during neighbourhood midnight break dance battle in the grimy alleyways of New York City. The 80s were kind of that sweet spot in rap history, where it had already left its Jamaican dancehall origins well behind without fully embracing the machismo gangster conventions that would come a few years later in the 90s. Just some great classic hip-hop that came out of the right place at the right time.

It was fine, just not for me

9/10

I respect the history, but this isn't really my thing.

Absolute pioneer album. There were a lot of 808s in the day with a simple beat. PE sampled and layered their sound to the hilt. Full sound and great lyrics.

Loved the beats, samplings, and rapping. Really solid historical rap

I’d heard of Public Enemy but to my knowledge haven’t heard any of their songs before. I really enjoyed this album overall! It had such a nostalgic feel to it despite never hearing it before. I feel like so many artists today have been inspired by these tunes so maybe that’s what got me. Another album with an intro track which I loved! I thought the overall pacing of the album was good with the live interludes, long and short songs, and the instrumental track. Loved the samples, and was playing “guess where I’ve heard this before” as I’m sure a lot of their tunes have been sampled elsewhere. Bring the Noise was a great introduction to Public Enemy and instantly it was obvious they had a lot to say. What’s devastating is a lot of their social commentary still rings true today and you wonder how the hell things haven’t changed. Show’em Watcha Got felt like a bit of a call to action in that regard and loved the build up of it. Highlights: A lot of banging tunes that would sound awesome turned up in the car! And I love a nostalgic record scratch effect 😉 Lowlights: Some of the tunes were a bit samey in places and at times blurred into each other - I blame the fade outs 😂 Top tunes: Bring The Noise, Terminator X, Show’em Watcha Got Rating: 3.5

An excellent example of the direction Hip Hop was taking from the late 80s into the 90s. Really enjoyable album, with eloquent lyricism and great mixing. She Watch Channnel Zero? probably my top track (excellent guitar, a wee bit Run DMC perhaps—a good thing) 4/5 - great album with enough variety to stay interesting to the end

The great nostalgic sound of rap with a couple of really good songs. There is a lot of filler though and a few which have some kind of annoying production decisions/backing tracks.

Can’t believe this is nearly 40 years old. I knew a couple of the tracks so it was okay to hear them again. Tried hard to listen to the whole record but it’s not really my thing. Didn’t seem to be too much swearing or guns! Hugely influential and talented, but only.. 1.9/5

Hip hop is not my.vibe. I respect the artistry but prefer music that I can let wash over me than that which requires concentration upon lyrics.

I can appreciate this album. I found the siren backing tracks unnerving. Not really my jam. 2.5/5

This isn’t really my genre so I’ve tried to give it a couple of listens and a fair chance. It’s definitely grown on me and I can see how this would have been ground breaking when it came out. A couple of tunes I recognised. Wasn’t keen on the Queen remix but generally it made me want to break out the dodgy dance moves. Raging: 3.0

The backing tracks and loops drove me crazy until I realized it was intentional to make you focus on the songs/lyrics. Flows like honey, stings like a bee

Chuck D, Flava, and Terminator are a force

Probably a 3 but enjoyed it noticeably less than The Score, so suffered by comparison.

Started well but faded.

älterer Hiphop, besserer Hiphop

Sound: Dense, abrasive Lyrics: Aggressive, political Highs: "Bring the Noise," "She Watch Channel Zero?!," "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" Lows: None; every track is a banger

Not gonna bother. Didn’t listen.

#269/1001 🇺🇸 I'm going to go out there and say that this is the best hip-hop record of all time. Chuck D delivers his politically charged lyrics with so much venom, with sidekick Flav dishing out the yeeeeeeeaah boysss and wisecracks on the side. Musically its packed with equally hard hitting beats and immaculate samples. Serious Hip-Hop not like a lot of the sad cartoon stuff that followed it. Best Tracks: Bring The Noise, Don't Believe The Hype, Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos, Rebel Without A Pause, Prophets of Rage.

They are now my public enemy

yeeeeeaaaaaah boiiiiiii

Did not like it as much as the one in the list bellow. Didn't do it for me.

Listened to about half. Well done but not my style.

Faktisks ret godt. Manglede de sidste tre sange. Nogen af dem var lidt gentagende. She Watch Channel zero, lyder som “sig mors, sig mors, sig mors…”

lidt anstrengende.

*63 Fede finurlige tekster og leveringer. Sangene lyder dog som flere andre slut 80’er start 90’er hip hop plader, vi har hørt… meget forældede. Solid legacy hip hop.

I said a hip-hop, the hippie, the hippie To the hip, hip-hop and you don't stop the rockin' To the bang-bang boogie, say up jump the boogie To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat Ej spøg til side. Jeg er generelt lidt en hater når det kommer til det der gamle hippedi, men jeg synes at de slipper godt fra det, fordi der også er skruet lidt op for aggressionsniveauet. Den lander på en 3'er, fordi jeg faktisk ikke havde noget imod at høre hele albummet

hippe-di-hoppe-di 2.7

YEAAAAH BBBOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Mand skal måske lige indstille mindset'et til slut 80'erne for at kunne værdsætte albummet, og selvom jeg godt nogen gange kan synes, den her type rap er lidt datet, så kan du sgu alligevel stadig noget. En slags NWA med noget på hjerte. Og Chuck D rapper bare pisse fedt. Jeg synes egentlig at albummet har fortjent mindst 4 stjerner alene baseret på sine meritter, men det er bare ikke helt min rap-subgenre - og synes måske også det bliver lidt ensformigt i længden

Confronting intensity that’s so effective. Don’t find it overly listenable as an album but can appreciate its quality and significance. RYM: Y (#395) Saved a song: N

Although this is from the late 80s it became the soundtrack of the 90s all over the world (and specially in the US). One of the pioneers of Rap.

not as influencial as fear of a black planet

What a voice. What an album

One of the cooler old hip-hop albums I've heard

Couple of good songs, but I really don't get the dj putting on high squeals like a wounded animal on repeating every bar on some songs

Probably one the better american rap albums on concept/lyrics alone.

I really liked this. A nice dose of political and social themes, a healthy bad attitude, amazing drumming