It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back does not ask for your attention. It takes it. Public Enemy’s second album, from 1988, sets out to turn rap into a force that cannot be avoided, and it succeeds on every track. The group’s lead voice carries the weight of a public address system, and the production behind him builds layers of noise unlike anything else in the genre.
Song by Song
The album opens with Countdown to Armageddon, a short piece that works as a starting point rather than a song. Then Bring the Noise follows, hitting hard immediately. The delivery is constant and steady, and the production piles alarms, scratching and cutting effects into something that feels like a sudden political charge.
Don’t Believe the Hype comes next, and it is just as sound, an answer to doubt delivered without a trace of hesitation. Cold Lampin’ With Flavor keeps the pace moving, and Terminator X to the Edge of Panic turns scratching into a lead instrument.
Mind Terrorist is a short piece before Louder Than a Bomb, a track that lives up to its title. Caught, Can We Get a Witness? and Show ’em Whatcha Got carry the record forward without losing focus.
She Watch Channel Zero?! takes aim at television. Night of the Living Baseheads takes aim at excess, both built on the same thick production that runs through the record.
Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, at 6:23 the longest track here, stands as the heart of the album, a story of standing against a system built on layers of noise.
Security of the First World is another short breath before Rebel Without a Pause, one of the most familiar tracks Public Enemy ever made, its instrumental hook cutting through everything around it. Prophets of Rage and Party for Your Right to Fight close the album on the same charged note it opened on.
The Numbers
- Artist: Public Enemy
- Album: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
- Year: 1988
- Track count: 16
- Pitchfork score: 10.0/10
Running Order
| # | Track | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Countdown to Armageddon | 1:40 |
| 2 | Bring the Noise | 3:46 |
| 3 | Don’t Believe the Hype | 5:19 |
| 4 | Cold Lampin’ With Flavor | 4:17 |
| 5 | Terminator X to the Edge of Panic | 4:31 |
| 6 | Mind Terrorist | 1:20 |
| 7 | Louder Than a Bomb | 3:39 |
| 8 | Caught, Can We Get a Witness? | 4:53 |
| 9 | Show ’em Whatcha Got | 1:56 |
| 10 | She Watch Channel Zero?! | 3:49 |
| 11 | Night of the Living Baseheads | 3:15 |
| 12 | Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos | 6:23 |
| 13 | Security of the First World | 1:20 |
| 14 | Rebel Without a Pause | 5:03 |
| 15 | Prophets of Rage | 3:19 |
| 16 | Party for Your Right to Fight | 3:25 |
Nothing here has aged into a museum piece.
This record still sounds like it changed the shape of rap music on its own terms, track by track, noise by noise. This is a 10 of 10.
- Countdown to Armageddon1:40
- Bring the Noise3:46
- Don’t Believe the Hype5:19
- Cold Lampin’ With Flavor4:17
- Terminator X to the Edge of Panic4:31
- Mind Terrorist1:20
- Louder Than a Bomb3:39
- Caught, Can We Get a Witness?4:53
- Show ’em Whatcha Got1:56
- She Watch Channel Zero?!3:49
- Night of the Living Baseheads3:15
- Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos6:23
- Security of the First World1:20
- Rebel Without a Pause5:03
- Prophets of Rage3:19
- Party for Your Right to Fight3:25
