Though I have no one coming on the podcast to help me with this record, I made a promise to listeners and myself that I would try not to ignore major hip hop releases, even if I feel like an imposter when I try to talk about music I have no context for. So, here goes….
Once again I am approaching an artist backwards, and once again it’s a problem. Fear of a Black Planet is such an impressive feat of record production that It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back sounds almost primitive at times in comparison. I do understand that, in actual time, Nation was a big step forward from their debut but, having not heard the debut, and only heard the sequel, it’s hard for me to hear that.
But even if I have trouble hearing whatever innovations there are in the production, that doesn’t take away at all from the lyrical content of this record, which is angry but thoughtful (well, Chuck D’s lyrics are thoughtful), and extremely compelling. As I said about Fear of a Black Planet when I first heard it, though hip hop is still not my thing, I can understand how young people who were looking for something angry and inspiring to listen to would have gravitated to this. Public Enemy sound dangerous but they also sound like they have ideas, like they can inspire, like they could actually achieve something, which is something I can’t say for virtually every punk band.
Honestly, the only reason I can come up with not to give this full marks is because the sequel is better. But that is a really dumb reason given that the arrow of time only goes forward.
9/10
(Actually, I guess the inclusion of parts of live performances can be seen as a drawback.)
- “Countdown to Armageddon” by Carlton “Chuck D” Ridenhour, Eric “Vietnam” Sadler, and Hank Shocklee; 1:40; Contains samples of:
- “Yo! Bum Rush the Show” by Public Enemy
- “Bring the Noise” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee; 3:46; Contains samples of:
- “It’s My Thing” by Marva Whitney
- Fire & Fury Grass Roots Speech (Side Two) by Malcolm X
- “Funky Drummer” by James Brown
- “Get Off Your Ass and Jam” by Funkadelic
- “Get Up, Get into It, Get Involved” by James Brown
- “Fantastic Freaks at the Dixie” by Grand Wizzard Theodore and The Fantastic Five
- “I Don’t Know What This World is Coming to” by The Soul Children feat. Jesse Jackson
- “Give it Up or Turnit a Loose (Remix)” by James Brown
- “The Assembly Line” by Commodores
- “Don’t Believe the Hype” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee, William “Flavor Flav” Drayton; 5:19; Contains samples of:
- “Synthetic Substitution” by Melvin Bliss
- “Escape-ism” and “I Got Ants in My Pants” by James Brown
- “Silly Rabbit, Trix Are for Kids” by The Trix Rabbit and The Trix Kids
- “Fugitive” by Whodini
- “Catch a Groove” by Juice
- “Do the Funky Penguin (Live)” by Rufus Thomas
- “Cold Lampin’ with Flavor” by Sadler, Shocklee, Drayton; 4:17; Contains samples of:
- “Funk It Up (David’s Song)” by Sweet
- “Jungle Fever” by The Chakachas
- “Gimme Some More” by The J.B.’s
- “No More Music by the Suckers” by Mr. Magic
- “I Know You Got Soul” by Bobby Byrd
- “Lesson 1 (The Pay-Off Mix)” by Double Dee and Steinski
- “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” by Beastie Boys
- “Here We Go (Live at the Funhouse)” by Run-D.M.C.
- “War” by Edwin Starr
- “Think (About It)” by Lyn Collins
- “Terminator X to the Edge of Panic” by Ridenhour, Norman “Terminator X” Rogers, Drayton; 4:31; Contains samples of:
- “Flash’s Theme” by Queen
- “The Grunt” by The J.B.’s
- “Bad” by Big Audio Dynamite
- “Love Rap” by Spoonie Gee and Treacherous Three
- “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” by James Brown
- “Rebel Without a Pause” by Public Enemy
- “Mind Terrorist” Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee; 1:21; Contains samples of:
- “Terminator X Speaks With His Hands”, “Bring the Noise”, and “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” by Public Enemy
- “Louder Than a Bomb” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee; 3:37; Contains samples of:
- “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight” by Kool & the Gang
- “Long Red” by Mountain
- “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” by Beastie Boys
- “Fantastic Freaks at the Dixie” by DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and The Fantastic Five
- “Catch a Groove” by Juice
- “One for the Treble (Fresh)” by Davy DMX
- “It’s Yours” by T La Rock and Jazzy Jay
- “Here We Go (Live at the Funhouse)” by Run-D.M.C.
- “AJ Scratch” by Kurtis Blow
- “Rebel Without a Pause” by Public Enemy
- “Caught, Can We Get a Witness?” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee; 4:53; Contains samples of:
- “Son of Shaft” by Bar-Kays
- “Hot Pants (Bonus Beats)” by Bobby Byrd
- “Soul Power (Live)” by James Brown
- “Terminator X Speaks With His Hands” by Public Enemy
- “Show ‘Em Whatcha Got” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee; 1:56; Contains samples of:
- “Darkest Light” by Lafayette Afro Rock Band
- “Son of Shaft / Feel It” by Bar-Kays
- “Bring the Noise” and “Louder Than a Bomb” by Public Enemy
- “She Watch Channel Zero?!” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee, Richard “Professor Griff” Griffin, Drayton; 3:49; Contains samples of:
- “Angel of Death” by Slayer
- “Funky Drummer” by James Brown
- “Night of the Living Baseheads” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee; 3:14; Contains samples of:
- “The Grunt” by The J.B.’s
- “I Can’t Get Next to You” by The Temptations
- “UFO” by ESG
- “Fame” by David Bowie
- “Scorpio” by Dennis Coffey and The Detroit Guitar Band
- “Rock Steady” by Aretha Franklin
- “Christmas Rappin'” by Kurtis Blow
- “Do the Funky Chicken (Live)” and “Do the Funky Penguin (Live)” by Rufus Thomas
- “Rappin’ Ain’t No Thing” by The Boogie Boys feat. Disco Dave, Kid Delight and Kool Ski
- “I Don’t Know What This World Is Coming To” by The Soul Children feat. Jesse Jackson
- “Funk Box Party” by The Masterdon Committee
- “Son of Shaft / Feel It” by Bar-Kays
- “Do It, Do It” by Disco 4
- “Sucker M.C.’s (Krush Groove 1)” and “Rock the House” by Run-D.M.C.
- “My Mike Sounds Nice” by Salt-N-Pepa
- “Bring the Noise” by Public Enemy
- Khalid Abdul Muhammad speech excerpt
- “Change the Beat (Female Version)” by Beside
- “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee, Drayton; 6:23; Contains samples of:
- “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” by Isaac Hayes
- “Living for the City” by Stevie Wonder
- “Little Green Apples” by The Escorts
- “Bring the Noise” by Public Enemy
- “Security of the First World” 1:20
- “Rebel Without a Pause” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee, Rogers; 5:02; Contains samples of:
- “The Grunt” by The J.B.’s
- “Funky Drummer” and “Get Up Offa That Thing” by James Brown
- “I Don’t Know What This World Is Coming To” by The Soul Children feat. Jesse Jackson
- “Rock ‘N Roll Dude” by Chubb Rock
- “Pee-Wee’s Dance” by Joeski Love
- “Rock Music” by Jefferson Starship
- “Prophets of Rage” by Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee, Drayton; 3:18; Contains samples of:
- “Cold Sweat” and “The Payback Mix (Keep on Doing What You’re Doing but Make It Funky)” by James Brown
- “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire
- “Pump That Bass” by Original Concept
- “Hum Along and Dance” by The Jackson 5
- “Bring the Noise” and “Miuzi Weighs a Ton” by Public Enemy
- “Party for Your Right to Fight” BY Ridenhour, Sadler, Shocklee; Contains samples of:
- “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” by Beastie Boys
- “Sing a Simple Song” by Sly and the Family Stone
- “Butt-to-Butt Resuscitation” by Funkadelic
- “Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley and The Wailers
- “I Know You Got Soul” by Bobby Byrd
- “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” by James Brown
- “Bring the Noise” and “Terminator X Speaks With His Hands” by Public Enemy
- 1964 Boston Radio Broadcast by Malcolm X