They recorded an album titled, Yo Bumrush The Show, which had moderate success. But it wasn't until this sophomore attempt that this rap group, changed the world.
1. Countdown to Armageddon
For some reason we go to a British crowd going fucking nuts for Public Enemy. You hear sirens, and Flava Flav and then you skip to the next song.
2. Bring the Noise
Here we fucking go. Even as a Public Enemy fan everytime this song gets started I am surprised by how amazing Chuck is on the mic. With strong political overtones, and a very afrocentric theme, Chuck flows so aggressively that you can't help but get into what he is saying. Incredible track.
3. Don't Believe the Hype
Nothing is more hip-hop to me than Flava Flav saying, "don't believe the hype." Lyrically Chuck is incredible, and almost acts as a preacher more than an mc. This in my mind is an iconic song that any hip-hop fan will love. Chuck is so real with his lyrics that you believe and support what he says from a political standpoint, which is exactly the point of political rapping, to get people thinking. Whether you agree with the strong views of Chuck or not, his ass will surely get you thinking.
4. Cold Lampin' With Flava Flav
Now, Public Enemy really seems like a smart group, so that brings this question to the table, who the hell thought this was a good idea. Flav can hardly seem to construct simple sentences, much less rhyme and have a halfway decent flow. You might enjoy this for the humor in it, but with the last two tracks, this will just kill your vibe.
5. Terminator X to the Edge of Panic
You know half the crowd just made noise when Chuck asked the name of his DJ. Honestly, I knew that Terminator X was his DJ, but that name was inaudible from the crowd, most of which obviously had no idea what the answer was. Chuck really did an amazing job in this shout out to his DJ, and put together some really great bars over this incredibly dope beat. The Flash Gordon sample at the beginning always gets me hyped, and Flava Flav brings a great amount of energy to keep it up.
6. Mind Terrorist
This might be the coolest title of an DJ cut ever. Here you just have X having fun on the boards, and using Flav's catchphrase, " Bass for your face. " You'll have fun with this once or twice, but after that it's a skip.
7. Louder Than a Bomb
This is a very industrial rock type of beat, with a lot going on, but the variety of sounds comes together very nicely. Once again Chuck's hard hitting flow and lyrical style delivers a fantastic track. I will point out that Chuck is very paranoid and seems positive that the government has his phone tapped. I don't know if there is any reality to what he's saying, but he says it with such conviction that it makes you think.
8. Caught, Can We Get a Witness
Chuck D is a very intelligent guy, and I have no idea what the situation in the late 80's was, but goddamn the persecution of black people was apparently very much a reality. There is an anger in Chuck's flow, another fantastic song.
9. Show 'Em Whatcha Got
Very similar to Mind Terrorist, a lot of samples and mixing from Terminator X. Fun little DJ cut.
10. She Watch Channel Zero?!
The metal influence is very heavily felt on this track, and it fucking bangs. The guitar really stands good beside Chuck's harsh style. I'm pretty sure this is insulting the women who buy into and watch mainstream media. If that is the message, then this song is really damn good, but I am not all too sure exactly what is being said.
11. Night of the Living Baseheads
Another banger with a political overtone. This time talking about the drug situation in the streets. This is Public Enemy's bread and butter, and is executed wonderfully.
12. Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
If you are unfamiliar with the work of Public Enemy, and are on the fence about buying this album, then bang this song on your speakers. This song is ever thing that is awesome about the group. The political message is blatant and obvious. The beat is dope, and Chuck is completely on point. This is definitely one of my favorite songs from the entire 80's, and alone is enough to turn a great album into a fucking classic.
13. Security of the First World
The last track was so fucking awesome that we all needed to take a minute to realize how blessed we were to have heard it, over a very plain boring instrumental. During this time I was truly able to appreciate music for the first time.
14. Rebel Without a Pause
The beat is all too similar to a few others on the album, but Chuck really kills it. One of the only instances where Chuck displays his breathe control. He is really just flexing on this song, and is lyrically on point, with apparent ease. This is what bragging in hip-hop should be like (take notes Jay-z).
15. Prophets of Rage
If I were a policeman and I spotted Chuck D going 80 miles per hour in a school zone, I'd let his ass go, because he would destroy me. Chuck really hates authority, and feels personally persecuted. Luckily for us he is able to turn that into incredible rhymes, so whoever it is that's persecuting him, keep it up. You're doing hip-hop a favor.
16. Party for Your Right to Fight
I love the instrumental on this track. It sounds less 80's, and more something that you could here on a more current album. The Flava Flav on the vocals can get annoying, but for a closing track, this is awesome. When they said the line, " it takes a nation of millions to hold us back," it might be the coolest thing to ever happen in a hip-hop song.
Rating: 5/5
There isn't much to say that wasn't in the review. The thing I love about the politics of Public Enemy is the intelligence that is brought to the table. This isn't your NWA fuck tha police, but rather an intellectual battle with the system. Chuck D is, in my opinion, one of the greatest MCs of all time, and continuously displays this on the album. I highly recommend a purchase of this album, if not for anything else, just to make your collection look more impressive. Nothing wrong with owning a piece of hip-hop history.