Public Enemy Album: “Fear of a Black Planet”

Nah. But Fear of a Black Planet is Public Enemy's most focused, commercially successful, and controversial album. In fact - trim off some of the fat here and you've got one of the best rap records ever.

The album kicks off with my personal favourite PE track, Brothers Gonna Work It Out, a high-octane track with loud bells and screaming guitar licks; musically dense as a track off It Takes a Nation, yet, a little more polished. Another Bomb Squad production masterpiece and Chuck does his thing once again. This song loudly screams, "PE IS BACK". While the rest of the album doesn't quite live up to Brothers Gonna Work It Out, that's similar to saying Nas never lived up to Illmatic, because this is a top-notch album. Welcome to the Terrordome and the title-track, Fear of a Black Planet are both classic PE tracks, and War at 33 1/3 sounds about as urgent as a timebomb. Flava Flav gets ample chances to shine on a couple of tracks as well; mocking the police on 911 is a Joke, and just cold lampin' on Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man.

And what would this album be - (or what would PE be, for that matter) - without the finishing blow on this album, Fight the Power; perhaps the quintessential PE track. Highly, highly recommended, but It Takes a Nation of Millions is better.

This album is incredible. It is very creative with it's massive layered sampling effects troughout the album. The dense sounds make me wanna get up and do something. Everytime I play this album I'm reminded of a hot summer where politics in the rap game were at large. This album maybe one of the most political albums of all time dealing with race realations,HIV,sexual differences,radio,corrupt police,hollywood expoitation of blacks,etc...... Evey song on this album is unique with layers and layers of noise. Best track...every track. P.E.ace

this disc is still slamming.911 is a joke hits home.burn hollywood burn was Right on Time.Who Stole The Soul? is a great jam& the truth.R-N-B was Dead when this came out and now it's just Rotten.Chuck D. always put the facts out their.this is very essential.with the production&sounds.the lyrics were coming from the Soul.

Although most Public Enemy fans I know name 'It Takes A Nation of Millions..." as their all-time favorite PE album, it is impossible to deny that "Fear of A Black Planet" is the most politically-charged of any of the brilliant group's LPs.

In addressing such topics as interracial dating (track #7), Hollywood's persistent exploitation of blacks (#9), the chasm between white media and black America (#4), PE enlightens but does not moralize, they preach but do not judge. Apart and beyond all of this, Public Enemy advances a theory of why white people are innately afraid of black people: that a black man and black woman will beget black; a white man/black woman beget black; a black man/white woman beget black; yet only a white man and white woman will beget white; hence, the white man's subconscious fear of a lurking, gradual extermination, and the LP's title.

Whether the assorted voices of diplomats, zealots, and reactionaries in this recording appeal to your sensibilities or challenge your own system of beliefs, they will touch a nerve and make you think; which in the end, is all one can ask from any great work.

Public Enemy, what else can you say about these guys? One of the most well known rap artists than proved who artistic the genre can be, Public Enemy still stands out on it's own when it comes to rap, and they are a cornerstone rap band to the genre. Will all due respect to their breakout It Takes A Nation of MIllions, I have to we reasonable with myself and claim that Fear of Black Planet is my favorite Public Enemy album than the former. It quite simply is home to some of the best rap EVER, even though it's not quite perfect in some ways.

I do want to stress something, that this album does seem to have a bit amount of filler. Public Enemy, in my opinion, sometimes have a weakness in their music, when the music sometimes doesn't really engage. Sometimes they seem content on making their music as heavy, as angry, and amelodic as possible, the point where it comes sort of, well, boring. Case in point would be War at 33 1/3, which is dull and boring to listen to, it just doesn't work.I'm not sure if it's personal tastes or not, but I would be lying to you if I didn't tell you I didn't care for songs such as the Title Track, Pollywantacracka, Who Stole the Soul and some others. Call me picky, but well, they don't really engage or work very well, which is sort of a shame.

Despite all this, why am I giving this a near perfect score? Simple: The material on here that kicks is AWESOME, some of the BEST Hip-Hop, ever. Some of the songs don't quite work for me, for the reasons above. That said, when these guys cook, hang on to your hat because you will most likely lose it. Kinetic, dense, urgent, and funky as hell, black politics (no, they are NOT racist) have never been as fun, assertive, and serious all in one package. Chuck D's distinctive booming vocals are catchy, melodic, angry, and , and of course there's Flavor Flav, who gives a sense of fun and also proves he can rap on the microphone. Of course, the production values have no dated, and are as dense as the rapping. Dare I say it, it's even better than It Takes a nation.., and everybody knows how awesome that album was. Filled with hard hitting beats, noisy sirens and whistles, heavy hitting bass, and more fire and energy than a Steel mill, it's still distinctive and nothing else can compete with it.

Highlights? Oh man, where to start? Brother Gonna Work it Out is one of the funkiest, heaviest, and songs in rap, it's rhythms are so damn good they turn your body on and electrify every dancing bone in your body. You'll do things you never thought you could, even if you are meek on the dance floor (as I currently am, ha). Other songs like Revolutionary Generation (with it's absolutely massive bass and beat) and Reggie Jax follow suit. 911 is a Joke and Can't Do Nuttin For Ya Man are prime showcases for Flavor Flav's skills. Welcome to the Terrodome is one of the most exhausting hip hop songs I've ever listened to. With raiding sirens, massive almost rocking beats, it blares across the land, and it WILL make you dance wide like a maniac doing a cardio exercise. And this is before Burn Hollywood Burn and Power to the People! OF course, it ends with Fight the Power, which will make you want to instantly dance like Rosie Perez did her dance in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. You get the point? Man, I can't even put in words how good listening to this is. The skits here are great, as they are little funky intros to, often, very powerful track that is after.

Amazingly, the lyrics here aren't even the star, considering that the music is so damn wicked you could almost listen to it without any rapping. This album has been quite analyzed to death, but believe me, once these guys get into your skin, it doesn't go away. Fear of Black Planet is certainly unique today, and it sounds even more fresh today than it must have been, back in the day. Essential to the argument of Rap music's artistic value, and the fact that it IS music, no matter what any naysayers say.