Featured Artist #18: Public Enemy
 

[IMG]http://www.kersten-online.com/images/pe_logo04.jpg[/IMG]

While many rappers these days will speak about issues relating to things that are seemingly irrelevant, Public Enemy remain as one of the most definitive and controversial hip-hop groups of all time. With Chuck D's powerful and deep vocals, their extremely cool cut and paste samples and Flavor Flav's comedy running throughout and Terminator X's famed unconditional silence, their sound is one that has been copied many times but rarely been matched in greatness. Flavor Flav's image, while intended to be comic, is one that is a big part of many popular rappers today. Their sound comprises of heavy beats and soul and funk influences. Using many different samples, the group managed to make old and familar sounds fresh and new to their audience.


[IMG]http://www.marxist.com/images/public_enemy/pe_group_photo.jpg[/IMG]

[B]Public Enemy were:[/B]

Chuck D - Vocals
Flavor Flav - Vocals, Humour
Terminator X - Turntables
Professor Griff - Production

Public Enemy's early stages began when Chuck D formed a group with two friends who shared with him a love of politics and hip-hop. After recording a tape of "Public Enemy No. 1", the now legendary producer Rick Rubin managed to get ahold of it. At this time, Chuck was appearing on a friend's radio show under the name 'Chuckie D'. Upon hearing the tape, Rubin went in search of Chuck, wanting to sign him to his label. Soon after, the group recorded their first album, "Yo! Bum Rush The Show". The album was an incredible debut and while it went virtually ignored by a mainstream audience, it was very much admired by hip-hop fans around the globe. And while "Yo! Bum Rush The Show" was really that good, it looked like nothing next to it's sequel, "It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back". "Nation of Millions" remains to this day, possibly the best hip-hop album ever recorded. The album not only put Public Enemy on the map, it put hip-hop on the map for a mainstream audience, despite the earlier release of the best selling "Licensed To Ill" by the Beastie Boys.

[img]http://splinterdata.com/media/files/ammo/Public_Enemy.jpg[/img]

With Chuck D's revolutionary lyrics, Flavor Flav's comedy (the album would be half of what it is without it) and it's groundbreaking general sound, Public Enemy were now impossible to ignore. They acheived mainstream success with "Nation of Millions" and their music was well known worldwide. The follow up, "Fear Of A Black Planet", while it could not be as groudbreaking as it's predecessor was equally great and remains as another of the best hip-hop albums ever recorded. With a whopping 20 tracks, there was plenty of variety to keep most happy. "Fear of a Black Planet" is also their most musical to date. Following "Fear of a Black Planet", they abandoned the musicality of it for more agression. "Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Back" was another Public Enemy masterpiece. The rerecording of classic track "Bring The Noise" saw Public Enemy collaborating with one of the "big four" of thrash metal, Anthrax. While the other three would have been too serious to collaborate with a rap group, Anthrax took themselves lightly enough to involve themselves in such a collaboration. Many groups, most notably Rage Against The Machine and Korn learned a lot from not only this collaboration, but from Chuck D and the crew in other areas of their work.

[img]http://members.aol.com/WernerVWallenrod/pe/pe2.jpg[/img]

It was after "Apocalypse" that Public Enemy started to slide. Flavor Flav was continually in trouble with the law and the group released "Greatest Misses", a compilation record that lived up to it's title. The group have released four albums since "Apocalypse", none of them matching the former glory of their first four records. The group have not released anything new since 2002, but in 2005, they released a live DVD called "It Takes A Nation". While it is unlikely that Public Enemy will ever release anything that comes close to the glory of their first four albums, they remain as a vital part of rap music, rock music and popular culture.

[b]Discography[/b]

[URL=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=1410]Yo! Bum Rush The Show (click for a review)[/URL]
[img]http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drc800/c809/c809639563x.jpg[/img]

[i]Track Highlights[/i]

You're Gonna Get Yours
Sophistocated Bitc[COLOR=White]h[/COLOR]
Public Enemy No. 1

[URL=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=1381]It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back (click for review)[/URL]
[img]http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drc900/c991/c991887466w.jpg[/img]

[i]Track Highlights[/i]

Bring The Noise
Don't Believe The Hype
Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos

[URL=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=1446]Fear of a Black Planet (click for review)[/URL]
[IMG]http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drc000/c020/c02032s0709.jpg[/IMG]

[i]Track Highlights[/i]

911 Is A Joke
Welcome To The Terrordome
Fight The Power

Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Back
[img]http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf700/f763/f76314qhsz2.jpg[/img]

[i]Track Highlights[/i]

Bring Tha Noise
Can't Truss It
Shut 'Em Down

Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age
[img]http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf500/f573/f57323d74cm.jpg[/img]

[i]Track Highlights[/i]

While Lotta Love Goin On In The Middle of Hell
Hitler Day
I Stand Accused

He Got Game
[img]http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd100/d173/d17305cq57u.jpg[/img]

[i]Track Highlights[/i]

Resurrection
He Got Game
Is Your God A Dog

There's A Poison Goin' On
[img]http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd500/d559/d55945f8inh.jpg[/img]

[i]Track Highlights[/i]

Dark Side Of The Wall: 2000
Do You Wanna Go Our Way???
World Tour Sessions

Revolverlution
[IMG]http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf300/f391/f39149z0108.jpg[/IMG]

[i]Track Highlights[/i]

Revolverlution
Son Of A Bush
Get Your Shi[COLOR=White]t[/COLOR] Together

Good work. Public Enemy are a great group, though I still need to get [i]Nation of Millions..[/i].

There was something on (British) television a relatively short while ago, a mini-series about Politics in Music, and one of the 20 minute episodes was about Chuck D. It was good to watch. PEs music might not be up to the standard of their holy trinity of the late 80s/early 90s, but he still seems to be doing an incredible amount of work towards improving the lot of inner city youths.

EDIT: Weren't PE the first million-selling group to put a new album up for free download?

I'm not sure if they were the first, but "There's A Poison Goin' On" was up for download.

Good FA, PE are a phenomenal group. The main thing I love about them is the ferocity of Chuck D's rap, I've never really heard any other vocalist match that level of outrage, and it really pushes every song to the limit.

I need to get my hands on FoaBP though.

I got it recently in HMV's current sale for £4.99, so maybe you can pick it up there too.

they hate jews.

Good job br3ad, and you kept it at a good length as well. I haven't heard any of the stuff from their latest album, so I'll give it a look over the next couple of days.

[QUOTE=pixiesfanyo]they hate jews.[/QUOTE]
Actually it was just Professor Griff and they kicked him out for it. I'm not sure if they let him back in or not.

PE are great. Chuck's got an awesome voice and great lyrics and I just can't help but smile every time Flavor Flav shouts "YEEEAAAHHHH BOOOYYY!"

[QUOTE]Actually it was just Professor Griff and they kicked him out for it. I'm not sure if they let him back in or not.[/QUOTE]

Don't think they did.

Chuck D's on the public speaking circuit. Saw him when he came to my uni. Was kind of neat.

Great work. Probably my favorite rap group. Fear of a Black Planet is my favorite of theirs.

Does anyone have any songs by them? I've heard all good things and desperatly want to hear something

You could just buy an album, they're cheap as on Amazon and there's stacks of them on ebay.

[QUOTE=br3ad_man]You could just buy an album, they're cheap as on Amazon and there's stacks of them on ebay.[/QUOTE]
I got Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black for $2 on amazon.

I'm a PE fanboy, but honestly, I really don't think that much of Apocalypse '91.

[QUOTE=Iai]I'm a PE fanboy, but honestly, I really don't think that much of Apocalypse '91.[/QUOTE]
It has it's moments

[QUOTE=Ledmetalicbeatle]I got Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black for $2 on amazon.[/QUOTE]

I got it for $1.75

plus $5.50 shipping

I like Apocalypse. That said, I can't remember the last time I put it on.

On the subject of rap:


[url]http://www.petitiononline.com/RappinG/petition.html[/url]

SIGN THIS and make all your friends do the same!

Please Please Please

lmao no

Kind of* overrated. Chuck's flow is so sloppy, it hurts my ears.

*very

Very nice work man :thumb:

I only have [I]Black Planet[/I] and [I]Nation of Millions[/I]. I haven't got into [I]Black Planet[/I] yet, but I really like [I]Nation of Millions[/I].

I'm just getting into Public Enemy. I'm going through Nation Of Millions....right now and it's great. I love the vocal correspondence between Chuck D and Flava Flav.

[QUOTE=Badmoon]Very nice work man :thumb:

I only have [I]Black Planet[/I] and [I]Nation of Millions[/I]. I haven't got into [I]Black Planet[/I] yet, but I really like [I]Nation of Millions[/I].[/QUOTE]

You should get Y!BRTS, you should like it better than Black Planet.

Nice FA. I bought [I]It Takes A Nation Of Millions...[/I] since it was on sale for £4.99. I had most of it on my computer already though. Anyway, it's a really good album, I think I'll ahve to check some of their other stuff out next timeI get some cash.

Great work. Public Enemy are so influential. Both Chuck D and Flava are huge, their lyrics were quite political and just... amazing.

the political lyrics of chuck d are amazing and i think they are one of the most influencial artists of all time. I picked up "The Best of Public Enemy The Millenium Collection" 2 weeks ago and its is one of my favorite rap cds.

I got a record of their's on vinyl. Its good cause its like listening to "Paul's boutique" cause I hear something new each listen. At least that happens for me.

I was thinking about doing a Featured Artist in here, who has dibs on the next ones?