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Sometimes, debut albums present an artist in full bloom, with an assured grasp on their sound and message. Sometimes, debut albums are nothing but promise, pointing toward what the artist could do. Public Enemy's gripping first album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, manages to fill both categories: it's an expert, fully realized record of extraordinary power, but it pales in comparison with what came merely a year later. This is very much a Rick Rubin-directed production, kicking heavy guitars toward the front, honing the loops, rhythms, and samples into a roar with as much in common with rock as rap. The Bomb Squad are apparent, but they're in nascent stage -- certain sounds and ideas that would later become trademarks bubble underneath the surface. And the same thing could be said for Chuck D, whose searing, structured rhymes and revolutionary ideas are still being formed. This is still the sound of a group comfortable rocking the neighborhood, but not yet ready to enter the larger national stage. But, damn if they don't sound like they've already conquered the world! Already, there is a tangible, physical excitement to the music, something that hits the gut with relentless force, as the mind races to keep up with Chuck's relentless rhymes or Flavor Flav's spastic outbursts. And if there doesn't seem to be as many classics here -- "You're Gonna Get Yours," "Miuzi Weighs a Ton," "Public Enemy No. 1" -- that's only in comparison to what came later, since by any other artist an album this furious, visceral, and exciting would unquestionably be heralded as a classic. From Public Enemy, this is simply a shade under classic status.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer - Flavor Flav, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer - Flavor Flav, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, ComposerLyricist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer, Executive Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - Hank Shocklee, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - William Jonathan Drayton, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - William Jonathan Drayton, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - William Jonathan Drayton, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Carlton Ridenhour, ComposerLyricist - Rick Rubin, Producer - Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Public Enemy, MainArtist - James Henry Boxley III, Producer, ComposerLyricist - William Jonathan Drayton, ComposerLyricist - Carl Ryder, Producer - Bill Stephney, Producer
℗ 1987 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Album review
Sometimes, debut albums present an artist in full bloom, with an assured grasp on their sound and message. Sometimes, debut albums are nothing but promise, pointing toward what the artist could do. Public Enemy's gripping first album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, manages to fill both categories: it's an expert, fully realized record of extraordinary power, but it pales in comparison with what came merely a year later. This is very much a Rick Rubin-directed production, kicking heavy guitars toward the front, honing the loops, rhythms, and samples into a roar with as much in common with rock as rap. The Bomb Squad are apparent, but they're in nascent stage -- certain sounds and ideas that would later become trademarks bubble underneath the surface. And the same thing could be said for Chuck D, whose searing, structured rhymes and revolutionary ideas are still being formed. This is still the sound of a group comfortable rocking the neighborhood, but not yet ready to enter the larger national stage. But, damn if they don't sound like they've already conquered the world! Already, there is a tangible, physical excitement to the music, something that hits the gut with relentless force, as the mind races to keep up with Chuck's relentless rhymes or Flavor Flav's spastic outbursts. And if there doesn't seem to be as many classics here -- "You're Gonna Get Yours," "Miuzi Weighs a Ton," "Public Enemy No. 1" -- that's only in comparison to what came later, since by any other artist an album this furious, visceral, and exciting would unquestionably be heralded as a classic. From Public Enemy, this is simply a shade under classic status.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:46:35
- Main artists: Public Enemy
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Def Jam Recordings
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
© 1987 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 1987 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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