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Yo! Bum Rush the Show was an invigorating record, but it looks like child's play compared to its monumental sequel, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, a record that rewrote the rules of what hip-hop could do. That's not to say the album is without precedent, since what's particularly ingenious about the album is how it reconfigures things that came before into a startling, fresh, modern sound. Public Enemy used the template Run-D.M.C. created of a rap crew as a rock band, then brought in elements of free jazz, hard funk, even musique concrète, via their producing team, the Bomb Squad, creating a dense, ferocious sound unlike anything that came before. This coincided with a breakthrough in Chuck D's writing, both in his themes and lyrics. It's not that Chuck D was smarter or more ambitious than his contemporaries -- certainly, KRS-One tackled many similar sociopolitical tracts, while Rakim had a greater flow -- but he marshaled considerable revolutionary force, clear vision, and a boundless vocabulary to create galvanizing, logical arguments that were undeniable in their strength. They only gained strength from Flavor Flav's frenzied jokes, which provided a needed contrast. What's amazing is how the words and music become intertwined, gaining strength from each other. Though this music is certainly a representation of its time, it hasn't dated at all. It set a standard that few could touch then, and even fewer have attempted to meet since.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - George Clinton, ComposerLyricist - Hank Shocklee, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Charlie Benante, ComposerLyricist - Daniel Alan Spitz, ComposerLyricist - Joseph Bellardini, ComposerLyricist - Scott Ian Rosenfeld, ComposerLyricist - Frank Joseph Bello, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer, Executive Producer - Eric Sadler, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Chuck D., Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Hank Shocklee, Producer - Professor Griff, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Harry Allen, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Flavor Flav, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Fab 5 Freddy, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Carl Ryder, Producer - Erica Johnson, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Oris Josphe, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Composer, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, Producer, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Composer, Producer - William Jonathan Drayton, Author - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, Author - N. Rogers, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, Producer - William Jonathan Drayton, ComposerLyricist - Terminator X, Composer - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, Author - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Composer, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, Producer, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Composer, Producer - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, Author - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Composer, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, Producer, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Composer, Producer - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, Author - R. GRIFFIN, Author - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Composer, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, Producer, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Composer, Producer - William Jonathan Drayton, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Composer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Norman L. Rogers, ComposerLyricist - Carl Rider, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - William Jonathan Drayton, ComposerLyricist - Carl Rider, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Yo! Bum Rush the Show was an invigorating record, but it looks like child's play compared to its monumental sequel, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, a record that rewrote the rules of what hip-hop could do. That's not to say the album is without precedent, since what's particularly ingenious about the album is how it reconfigures things that came before into a startling, fresh, modern sound. Public Enemy used the template Run-D.M.C. created of a rap crew as a rock band, then brought in elements of free jazz, hard funk, even musique concrète, via their producing team, the Bomb Squad, creating a dense, ferocious sound unlike anything that came before. This coincided with a breakthrough in Chuck D's writing, both in his themes and lyrics. It's not that Chuck D was smarter or more ambitious than his contemporaries -- certainly, KRS-One tackled many similar sociopolitical tracts, while Rakim had a greater flow -- but he marshaled considerable revolutionary force, clear vision, and a boundless vocabulary to create galvanizing, logical arguments that were undeniable in their strength. They only gained strength from Flavor Flav's frenzied jokes, which provided a needed contrast. What's amazing is how the words and music become intertwined, gaining strength from each other. Though this music is certainly a representation of its time, it hasn't dated at all. It set a standard that few could touch then, and even fewer have attempted to meet since.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 00:57:51
- Main artists: Public Enemy
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Def Jam Recordings
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
© 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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