Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, A Hip Hop Classic
By Jennifer Chang
Deemed as one of the greatest and most important albums of all time, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back is the absolute blueprint for everything a Hip Hop album is supposed to be. Draped in excessive messages of empowerment and revolutionary oratory, Public Enemy introduced this exemplary project to the world and left an encapsulating mark on the entire music industry.
Public Enemy originally consisted of Chuck D, Flava Flav, The Shocklee Brothers (Hank and Keith) and Vietnam. It was not until 1986, that Professor Griff and Terminator X were added completing the phenomenal lineup. Once the group was in tact, PE emerged as an astounding collective of socially conscious intellectuals that were proud and creative in their expression. Chuck D served as the subversive voice of reason and became the leader of the Hip Hop political and social party. Flava Flav was the calm before the storm while the Shocklee brothers (The Bomb Squad) and Vietnam provided impervious production that was advanced and encapsulating. Terminator X also brought production talents along with impressive DJing abilities while Professor Griff led the S1W's who were bodyguards as well as dancers that added to the militant energy of PE.
From the immediate start, It Takes A Nation... put a choke hold on the ears of its listeners. One of the most successful songs, "Bring The Noise," was the biggest source of frustration from recording this album. Receiving the track during a Def Jam tour in the summer of 1987, Chuck D took several months to complete the recording. It was not until the track was finished and performed overseas in November of 1987, when Chuck D knew he had a hit on his hands.
"Bring The Noise" was one of the most forceful songs reminiscent of the days of the Civil Rights Movement. Like a modern day freedom fighter, Chuck D went after PE's critics, senators, radio and made mention of Minister Louis Farakhan and encouraged his listeners to take notice to the Ministers wisdom before judgement. He along with Flav defended rap music proving it was as significant as any other musical genre over bass massive drums with antagonizing scratches and an abrasive horn. The song got the blood boiling and accomplished its mission by bringing forth a noise that needed to be heard.
Another track, "Don't Believe The Hype" became the first single and arguably the biggest record from the album. Unbeknown to most, it was a disc jockey Ray Boyd of B103 in Atlanta, who played the track and propelled it to the national forefront creating a frenzy. What made "Don't Believe The Hype" so addictive was Chuck's explosive voice combined with Flav co-signing as they attacked the government and media with no apprehension. The concept behind the track was a scintillating tale of the disposable nonsense of the media and government figures that leaned towards corruption.
Chuck D and Flava Flav went for the jugular on"Party For Your Right To Fight." They give an aggressive yet quick account of Cointelpro and the destruction of some of the most prominent figures in the African-American community. What made this short but effective track so heroic was PE proudly stood by the ideology that the black man was the original man of the planet and the government refused to acknowledge this, propelling the concept of it taking a nation of millions to hold us back.
With the crack epidemic destroying families and communities across the country, it seemed only fitting that Hip Hop addressed the issue. PE did just that on the enigmatic yet truthful "Night Of The Living Baseheads." "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" brought forth a tale of a young man being drafted to the Vietnam War and walked the listener step by step through his escape. The suspense felt through the track with a disarrayed piano and Flav on the other end of the phone building the distressing energy made it one of the most momentous songs in Hip Hop.
It Takes A Nation... influenced Hip Hop as a whole catapulting Public Enemy to the forefront of pop culture at a time their views and beliefs labeled them extremists and terrorists in the eyes of conservatives. Despite the misconceptions, one of its biggest achievements did not come from the album itself. While on tour with N.W.A., the first two copies of the album went to Dr. Dre and Eazy-E and paved the way for N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton. The influence of PE can be heard all over Straight Outta Compton from the production to the lyrical content.
Public Enemy also released It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back to even more critical acclaim then their first album. Upon its release, It Takes A Nation... peaked at number one on the Billboard U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and number forty-two on the Billboard U.S. 200 chart. The album was also listed on The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums, number forty-eight on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and has been named the greatest Hip Hop album of all time by endless media outlets including Vibe Magazine. With the Shocklee Brothers providing the instrumental landscape, Chuck D and the rest of Public Enemy laid the groundwork for one of the most influential albums in Hip Hop history.
Public Enemy brought the plight of the African-American experience to the mainstream with It Takes A Nation... and solidified Public Enemy as one of Hip Hop's most powerful and significant groups in history. The album was a buffet of intellectual sustenance and an amplifier into the minds of a generation who were pissed and resistant to a system that was allergic to equality. The desperation heard throughout the project gave a clear indication that Public Enemy were at their wits end and ready to serve as the voice of the unseen people.
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