Public Enemy Album: “Revolverlution [Japan]”

Where have the Public Enemys and the BDPs gone? They've all been buried by an industry that prefers to push music that seeks to destroy, not uplift, a culture. Revolverloution is not a full length album of new material but one song off this cd is worth an entire album of PDiddy/Eminem/YingYang nonsense. This is the root of Hip-Hop, an art form whose goal was to uplift and empower people. When Chuck D raps about the current state of our society, he is keenly aware of where we are and where we have come from. Only the Definitive Jux crew come close to Chuck these days in the power and message of their music, a testament to the sorry state of current pop music. The jams on this album are tight and the message is as clear as it was in '89. Few other rappers are actually standing up for truth in Hip-Hop and PE is back in full effect, Boyee!

I like this album. Its got a nice mix of old and new material. Along with some live material. Great to see PE still at it in this ever changing rap game.

This odds-and-sods jumble--containing a few live cuts and even some old tunes remixed by fans via the Internet--looks more like a cash-in compilation than a legendary group's latest album. Yet while it's been a long time since Public Enemy's world-beating heyday, the grooves here prove Chuck D and Flavor Flav can bring the noise of old.

The Bomb Squad is long gone, but their trademark squeals and metallic crunch remain, animating grinding new tunes like the title track and "Son Of A Bush," as well as a respectably reworked quartet of classics. And Chuck D is still one of hip-hop's two or three most commanding MCs, even when the new songs--and his own paranoid musings--don't measure up to his mic presence. Fingering the Illuminati and Trilateral Commission on "Son Of A Bush," and pairing with fellow Bush-hater Paris on the remix of "Gotta Give The Peeps What They Need," he sounds more like longtime partner/professional conspiracy theorist Professor Griff. But Revolverlution's claims are only half the point; Public Enemy couldn't exist without a power to fight, and the sound of their struggle is as compelling as ever.

If you're going on original material, this is five stars without a question, a no-doubter that PE is in still in full effect. Obviously true from the opening track, "Give the Peeps What They Need," with Chuck's no-nonsense statement on the place we're in right now. The rest of the new stuff is equally good, from the timely "Son of a Bush" to the powerful "Now a Daze," and "Pesa #1" to the "ghetto metal" of "What Good Is a Bomb."

Drawbacks? Flavor Flav could have a stronger presence on the album, but that's a minor quibble. The bigger one is the heavy presence of remixes and live performances. We want all the new PE material we can get! Come on, Chuck. One original from you is worth three remixes. Besides, the live "Fight the Power" and "By the Time I Get to Arizona" are not upgrades over what we already have on CD. And do we need the four-way babble of "Burn Hollywood Burn"? Nope. I'll just go to "Fear of a Black Planet."

Still, this is far better than most stuff out there, and anything from PE is worth listening to. A good addition to the PE list.

This is among the best albums of 2002---

Taking a cue from GREATEST MISSES, Public Enemy offers a combination of new studio recordings, remixes, studio outtakes, and live concert recordings for a dynamic package!

The REMIXES were all done through an internet-driven fan contest, where the winners were selected from all over the world! They mangle and mix genres from house, UK techno, ambient, drum & bass, & more---

The new band cuts flaunt a new ROCK-FUNK sound, bolstered by live instruments provided by THE SEVENTH OCTAVE, a new band fronted by PROFESSOR GRIFF---

The LIVE cuts are culled from 15-years worth of touring by the band--- Public Enemy were among the few rap acts to cultivate a world-wide audience from the beginning---

Best cuts are:

Be on deck when the next, ALL-LIVE Public Enemy album drops, also, THE SEVENTH OCTAVE is coming soon!