PUBLIC ENEMY Schallplatten & CDs

Review: A mere 35 years old and still brutally relevant, Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back is as essential as late 80s hip-hop gets. It was the album that confirmed Chuck D, Flavor Flav and The Bomb Squad as a world-beating concern breaking beyond the boundaries of rap with a message that couldn't be ignored. When you listen back to it now, its influential status bursts out of every beat and bar, whether sampled, covered or para-phrased by the generations of MCs and producers who have come since. The nods and co-signs are all good, but sometimes you need to trackback to the source and realise how important Public Enemy were.

Review: Public Enemy are often unsung when it comes to the golden era of hip-hop, with the obvious names getting all of the press. Despite their huge success with 'It takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back', you don't hear Public Enemy acknowledged in the canon nearly as much as you should and it's a shame. The braggadocious bars, the heavy beats and the now-outdated concept of a hypeman all culminate in one of the greatest acts of the generation, who really were speaking to black youth in ways hip-hop wouldn't again until A Tribe Called Quest and Lauryn Hill came to town. 'Yo! Bum Rush the Show' was where it all started, an extreme talent in lyricism and delivery from Chuck D is elevated to the stratosphere with hype-man Flava Flav, undoubtedly the greatest to ever do it, and the Bomb Squad's wall of samples production. Tracks like 'Timebomb' and 'Sophisticated Bitch' are instant classics, and this indie-exclusive colour pressing is an amazing way to celebrate hip-hops 50th birthday.