Public Enemy
Best of Public Enemy (Millennium Collection) (2001)

review by: Jason Thornberry
Date: 9/13/02

Mistachuck, Flav, Griff, X, and the rest of their crew finally get some very hard-earned respect, and acknowledgement from the status quo in the form of a "20th Century Masters Millennium Collection". I remember
hearing “You’re Gonna Get Yours” and “Miuzi Weighs a Ton” off of PE’s 1987 debut "Yo! Bumrush The Show" when it first came out, and I got the chills. It was something brand new, and their man in the rifle
target proved to be none other than myself, or anyone else who was ignorant as to what Chuck D had to say. My mind was soon blown wide open by one of the greatest albums of all time: 1988’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back”, with tracks like “Bring The Noise”, “Don’t Believe The Hype” (with the infamous, smoked-out Mike Warnke sample), and “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” (which, unfortunately wasn’t included here). Brilliant shots like “911 Is a Joke”, “By The Time I Get to Arizona”, “Fight The Power”, and “Night of the Living Baseheads” are however, and this is more enough of a start, a beginner’s course. Even if the version of “Fight The Power” here is edited for language, I still have my copy of 1989’s "Fear of a Black Planet" to listen and laugh as they drop lyrical napalm:

Chuck D: "Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me. Yes, he’s straight up racist--the sucker was simple and plain."

Flavor Flav: "Motherfuck him and John Wayne!"

This collection will give you more than enough reason to hunt down the albums these fantastic songs came from! These are but appetizers for the aural serving that’s contained within each of their full-length offerings. This collection does skimp a bit (with nothing included from their debut), but comes through in the end. Enjoy the reverence, PE. You guys have done so much to deserve it! I officially put Public Enemy next to The Beatles, James Brown, Otis Redding, The Who, George Clinton, Gangstarr, Marvin Gaye, and Coldcut—all individuals whose work will be studied for years to come.

What Public Eenemy’s done, thus far, will stand as documentation of an immense contribution to global culture, and the broadening of minds worldwide. 10/10

Public Enemy
Fear of a Black Planet (1990)

review by: Mike Webb
Date: 1/2/02

2Walls scribe, Greg Joseph and I have had an ongoing debate about this album. He thinks it's whack, but I think it's because he hears it in the shadow of It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. Fear of a Black Planet is the next step, and I think it's PE's pinnacle.

Immediately it steps out as the most musical of their works. The sampling on this album is 10 steps beyond what hacks like P-Diddy-Daddle-Puffy-Combs does. Prince solos all over the 2nd track while Nile Rogers, Branford Marsalis, and countless others make (intentional & unintentional) appearances here. There's some original music here too, but the overriding theme here is hard - hard beats, hard rhymes and hard truths that don't pause, but give pause.

The militancy of this album is every bit as strong as the rebellion of "Never Mind The Bollocks." Chuck D believes there's a conspiracy to rid the earth of the black race, and he presents feelings forcefully here. I don't know if the band was truly misunderstood, as much as it was that they were a little confused about exactly what they wanted to get across. But on Fear, Chuck tried to wake us up - mentally & musically.

There's a lot of "noise" on this album. Sometimes a buzz in the background, sirens, scratching, or a song that's packed with so many samples it's hard to tell what's going on. But when Chuck starts rapping, some people should be scared right out of their skin:

"Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me - you see straight up racist simple and plain - motherfuck him and John Wayne. Cause I'm Black and I'm proud and I'm hyped and I'm amped - most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps."

"The bigger the black get the bigger the fed want a piece of that booty - intentional rape system like we ain't paid enough in this bitch, that's why I dissed them."

"Hollywood or would they not make us look bad like I know they had."

But it's not all the blame game here. Chuck wants everybody to know he just wants to spread some wisdom & love:

"Lies, scandalizin', basin' - traits of hate, who's celebrating with Satan? I rope-a-dope the evil with rightgeous bobbin' and weavin' - and let the good get even."

"I don't smile in the line of fire I go wildin', but it's on bass and drums even violins. Whatcha do is gitcha head ready instead of getting' physically sweaty. When I get mad, I put it down on a pad - give ya something that ya never had."

"Brothers that try to work it out they get mad, revolt, revise, realize they're super bad. Small chance a smart brother's gonna be a victim of his own circumstance."

Pumpin' the love from his 98 is all Chuck D was about in the 9-0, and no one has anything to fear.