It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Public Enemy studio album
Publication (s)	April 19, 1988
Label (s)	Def Jam / Columbia Records
Format (s)	LP , CD
Genre (s)	East coast hip hop , conscious rap
Title (number)	16
running time	57:51
occupation	Chuck D. Flavor Flav Terminator X
production	Hank Shocklee, Carl Ryder, The Bomb Squad
Studio (s)	Greene Street Recording, Chung King Studios (New York)
chronology Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987) It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back Fight the Power… Live! (1989)

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is the second album by the rap group Public Enemy . It was released on April 19, 1988. The album is now regarded as a milestone and a revolution in hip-hop . This is partly due to the lyrics and production. With this album, Public Enemy established themselves as one of the most influential hip-hop acts of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

admission

Public Enemy recorded the LP in the late fall of 1987. It was released on April 19, 1988 via Def Jam (Universal). The following album Fear of a Black Planet was released exactly two years later, in 1990.

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back was re-released in 2000 in The Def Jam Remasters series with refurbished sound quality. The CD also contains the Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos and Night of the Living Baseheads videos in memory .

production

The production of the album is characterized by an almost orchestral level of samples, the sound changes almost every 10 seconds. In addition to excerpts from numerous old-school rap songs, samples from Angel of Death by Slayer and excerpts from well-known political speeches were used, including a. by John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King . Also only small things were sampled, e.g. B. a drum part from Funky Drummer by James Brown (in Bring the Noise zu after the 1st chorus), the Fight from (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!) By the Beastie Boys (for Party for Your Right to Fight ) and the Louder! from Long Red by Mountain (for the chorus of Louder than a Bomb ). The song with the most number of samples is Night of the Living Baseheads .

meaning

The album is now considered one of the most important productions in the history of hip-hop . This is partly due to the political texts and the tough production. This should fundamentally change the hip-hop genre and end old school rap . The CD is also known as the rock 'n roll of hip hop. At the same time, it is assigned an important role in hardcore rap and the development of rap metal , which Chuck D. attributed to producer Rick Rubin , who previously worked not only for the rap band Run-DMC , but also for the US Thrash metal band Slayer had worked. In addition, samples from the album can be found in countless rave and gabber tracks.

Texts

Each member of Public Enemy also plays a role on this album: Chuck D., Messenger of Prophecy , Flavor Flav The Cold Lamper , Terminator X Assault Technician, and Professor Griff Minister of Information . Chuck D. takes on the role of a prophet in his parts, who is the mouthpiece of the new Black Power movement. In addition, he almost always raps from the point of view of a victim, a victim.

The lyrics are aggressive and, above all, political. It will u. a. addressed the US government and the global political situation, criticized black rights and broached drug problems.

The middle of the album begins with excerpts from the big live show in 1987 in London, where Public Enemy played songs from their first album as well as some promo tracks from their second album at one of the first big hip-hop concerts ever.

The album begins with excerpts of a live announcement for Public Enemy and a superimposed atomic alarm. Especially the tracks Bring the Noise , Louder Than a Bomb , Rebel Without a Pause , Night of the Living Baseheads and Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos are highly political:

• Bring the Noise involves comparing it to extremely corrupt senators and threatening the US government to silence Chuck D. after Terminator X told a tale of lies about him for fun. Radio stations that refuse to play songs by Public Enemy are also criticized. Bring the Noise is also one of the most sampled songs in music history. Well-known artists like Kanye West ( Everything I Am ), Ludacris ( How low ), Ice-T ( I Ain't New To This ), Fat Joe ( Safe 2 Say ) or Rakim ( Guess who's back ) already have it for their songs used. In 1991, Public Enemy recorded a version with Anthrax that was released on the album Apocalypse 91 ... the Enemy Strikes Black .
• Don't Believe the Hype is about the overestimation and hype of various bands. The song is still relevant today and can be related to the one-time success of some new superstars and casting stars.
• Cold Lampin 'With Flavor is the only Flavor Flav solo track on this album. Flavor describes himself here (that he always wears a watch around his neck, his name is derived from a sweet taste and is black as chocolate).
• Terminator X to the Edge of Panic begins by shouting the name of Chuck D.'s DJ on a live show. Then, after a brief silence, Chuck D. calling once Terminator X , then starts the song Flash by Queen , which it heavily scratched is. Then various factors of Terminator X are described.
• Louder Than a Bomb is about the silence that was imposed on Public Enemy. Chuck D.'s phone was also taken away so that he could no longer communicate with his cronies . But Public Enemy couldn't be silent, they were louder than a bomb . Chuck D also mentions that his farce (audience; but can also be understood as an army) is ready for anything.
• The title of Caught, Can We Get a Witness? means roughly translated we were caught, can we call a witness please ? Chuck D. describes a situation in a courtroom where he is charged with illegally using too many samples for a CD.
• She Watch Channel Zero ?! is about many black Americans who go stupid for watching ridiculous television programs. The rock style of the song comes from the sampled guitar riffs.
• Night of the Living Baseheads is symbolic of the whole album (loud, wild, highly political and heavy on samples). The song is not only the most controversial of the whole album, but also one of the wildest and hardest in the history of hip hop. In the text, Chuck D not only charges against the government and whites, but also against black people. The song contains most of the samples on the album. The chorus consists mainly of sampling from the album's 2nd track, Bring the Noise .
• In Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos , Chuck D. tells how he had received a letter from the government saying he should join the army. But he refused and complained that people like him (his skin color) did not care about the country. He also tells a story where he was locked in a prison. The beat is powerful and hard throughout the song and conveys a depressed state.
• In Security of the First World is only a skit and a half minutes long drum solo that as an intro to the song most people Justify My Love by Madonna should be known.
• In Rebel Without a Pause, Public Enemy complain about the planned ban on their CD and rebel against the government again. At the end of the song the live excerpts on the album end, but Public Enemy don't want to let the show end and activate their beat box again.
• Prophets of Rage means prophet of anger .
• Party for Your Right to Fight is the last song on the album. The title is a parody of the song (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right to Party . Chuck D. and Flavor rap here in a verbatim duet. The song ends with the name of the album: It takes a nation of millions to hold us back.

Track list

1. Countdown to Armageddon - 1:40 (Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
2. Bring the Noise - 3:46 (Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
3. Don't Believe the Hype - 5:19 (Drayton / Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
4. Cold Lampin 'With Flavor - 4:17 (Sadler / Shocklee)
5. Terminator X to the Edge of Panic - 4:31 (Drayton / Ridenhour / Rogers)
6. Mind Terrorist - 1:21 (Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
7. Louder Than a Bomb - 3:37 (Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
8. Caught, Can We Get a Witness? - 4:53 (Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
9. Show 'Em Whatcha Got - 1:56 (Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
10. She Watch Channel Zero ?! - 3:49 (Drayton / Griffin / Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
11. Night of the Living Baseheads - 3:14 (Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
12. Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos - 6:23 (Ridenhour / Shocklee / Sadler / Drayton)
13. Security of the First World - 1:20 (Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
14. Rebel Without a Pause - 5:02 (Ridenhour / Rogers / Sadler / Shocklee)
15. Prophets of Rage - 3:18 (Drayton / Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)
16. Party for Your Right to Fight - 3:24 (Ridenhour / Sadler / Shocklee)

Reviews

Despite divided opinions about the lyrical content, the album was received very positively by many critics. So awarded allmusic Robert Christgau, Sputnik Music and Rolling Stone (2004) the highest score.

The New York Times criticized the album as follows:

“Where most rappers present themselves as funky individualists, beating the odds of the status quo, Public Enemy suggests that rap listeners can become an active community, not just an audience. Although it overreaches, It takes a Nation jams urban tension and black anger into the foreground; it reveals the potential for demagoguery as well as the need for change. "

“While most rappers present themselves as unconventional individualists who managed to break out against all odds, Public Enemy believe that rap listeners are not just an audience, but can become an active community. Although it overshoots the mark in places, It Takes a Nation focuses on urban tensions and the anger of people of color; it shows both the potential for demagoguery and the need for change. "

- Jon Pareles

The sampling of the Bomb Squad was particularly praised by critics.

The hip-hop site rap.de gave the remastered version the highest number of points in 2004 and named almost half of the track list required reading for every hip-hop fan . In addition, Public Enemy would have secured their place in the annals of rap history with this album . When online magazine laut.de was It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back in the column milestones rated back with five out of five possible points.

success

The LP was the best-selling hip-hop record in the world in its time . It was number 1 on Billboard's Top R&B / Hip Hop Albums chart and number 42 on the Billboard 200 chart. Despite the rather modest placement on the Billboards 200 chart, it reached gold status within one month for 500,000 units sold. It has since been awarded platinum (1,000,000 units). To this day, several thousand copies are still sold worldwide every week.

Leaderboards

To date, this album appears in numerous lists of the world's best hip-hop albums. It is one of the 100 most important music albums of all time. It is also featured in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die , " 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ". The music magazine Rolling Stone has the song Bring the Noise at number 162 in the list of the 500 best songs of all time , the album is in the list of the 500 best albums of all time at number 48.

Kurt Cobain , former singer of rock band Nirvana, listed It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back as one of his favorite albums.

Singles

The following pieces were released as singles :

• Rebel Without a Pause (November 1987)
• Bring the Noise (January 1988)
• Don't Believe the Hype (June 1988)
• Night of the Living Baseheads (October 1988)
• Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos (1989)

Bring the Noise was re-recorded in 1991 by Public Enemy together with the thrash metal band Anthrax .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} [1]  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ^ ^{A b} Ian Christe: Sound of the Beast. The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal . It Books, 2004, ISBN 978-0-380-81127-4 , pp. 204, 207 .
3. ↑ [2]
4. ↑ [3]
5. ^ Public Enemy
6. ↑ Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us ( Memento from July 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
7. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/24/arts/recordings-public-enemy-rap-with-a-fist-in-the-air.html
8. ↑ [4]  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
9. ↑ laut.de: Review of the album (5/5)
10. ↑ www.time.com
11. ↑ rap.about.com
12. ↑ www.rocklistmusic.co.uk: List of 1001 albums , accessed January 28, 2010.
13. ↑ 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Public Enemy, 'Bring the Noise'. In: Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011, accessed April 17, 2014 . 
14. ↑ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Public Enemy, 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back'. In: Rolling Stone. May 24, 2012, accessed April 17, 2014 . 
15. ↑ www.amazon.ca ( Memento of the original from August 18, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.