2016 reissue on cassette with lenticular 3D cover - 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.
A1 | "Countdown to Armageddon" | 1:40 |
A2 | "Bring the Noise" | 3:46 |
A3 | "Don't Believe the Hype" | 5:19 |
A4 | "Cold Lampin' with Flavor" | 4:17 |
A5 | "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" | 4:31 |
A6 | "Mind Terrorist" | 1:21 |
A7 | "Louder Than a Bomb" | 3:38 |
A8 | "Caught, Can We Get a Witness?" | 4:53 |
B1 | "Show 'Em Whatcha Got" | 1:56 |
B2 | "She Watch Channel Zero?!" | 3:49 |
B3 | "Night of the Living Baseheads" | 3:15 |
B4 | "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" | 6:24 |
B5 | "Security of the First World" | 1:20 |
B6 | "Rebel Without a Pause" | 5:03 |
B7 | "Prophets of Rage" | 3:19 |
B8 | "Party for Your Right to Fight" | 3:25 |