It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
Def Jam Records
By the late 1980s, rap and hip-hop was almost 10 years old and was slowly evolving from the underground music of the streets to a genuine mainstream cultural institution. But the medium had primarily existed as a singles genre -- it would take a few brilliant groups to expand the limits, push the boundaries and prove to the naysayers that a rap album was viable, commercially and artistically. One of those groups was Public Enemy.
P.E. dropped their debut full-length, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, in 1987, and it quickly drew attention for Chuck D's commanding rhymes and the dense, adrenaline-rush production of the Bomb Squad. The follow-up, 1988's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, improved on the already impressive debut, hitting harder both sonically and politically.
Millions is simply the most intense, confrontational and intelligent rap records ever recorded. Chuck D is at the top of his game, and his clear, booming voice will come as a shock to those raised on today's marble-mouthed rappers. His lyrics are unbelievably sharp, mixing black-consciousness politics with biting social commentary on classic cuts like "Bring the Noise" and "Black Steel in the Hour" occasionally breaking the tension with his humorous interjections.
Only the Bomb Squad and Public Enemy DJ Terminator X could provide beats heavy enough to go toe-to-toe with Chuck, and they bring the noise from start to finish. It's always a beautiful thing when the producer-vocalist team match perfectly on a rap record -- the following year's Three Feet High and Rising from De La Soul and Prince Paul spring to mind -- and the synergy was never better than on Nation of Millions.
There aren't many bands still carrying the torch that was lit by Public Enemy these days -- most MTV-friendly rappers would rather sip Cristal than march in Arizona. Luckily, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back sounds as fresh today as it did in '88 and is just waiting for a new generation of fans to pick it up.
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