Disco de Public Enemy: “New Whirl Odor”

To find a Public Enemy as good as this one, you have to reach all the way back to Fear of a Black Planet or It Takes a Nation of Millions....

This is amazing.... and the crime is that this probably won't go down as one of their most well-known albums. This is a damn fine album from start to finish- I can even listen to the instrumentals, which I usually can't do. If you like Public Enemy and don't get this album, you should be guilty of some crime. Seriously, it's that good.

I've been listening to this CD for a few months now, and I have to say this is PE's best release since 1994's "Muse Sick In Hour Mess Age."

I've been a devout follower of Chuck D, Grif & Flav since 1987, when they released the best Rap album of all time, "It takes A Nation of Millions..." I was surprised to read some of the other reviews on this website: reviews suggesting this is anything BUT an incredible album.

First of all, PE push the envelope on every CD, in that they are constantly trying new sounds, new mixing techniques, new instrumentation, etc. To expect PE to suddenly put out a run-of-the-mill hip/hop record is, well, freaking crazy.

MLKVFKWR, Bring That Beat Back, Check What You're Listening To and Superman's Black in the Building are highlights of this CD. All are cutting edge hip/hop, hard core rap songs. Chuck attacks American government, the church, and money-hungry hip/hop producers and artists. And then there's What a Fool Believes. It's a song like this that really makes you raise an eyebrow...very interesting track.

Throughout the entire album, you can hear old lyrics, riffs and jingles from classic old PE and Chuck D songs. Excellent way to tie the old classic PE to the new sound.

If you only want to own a few PE CD's, this should be one of them...seriously. This is the most important Hip/Hop record of the new millenium. Preach on, and keep on keepin' on Mista Chuck.

A POSITIVE TORNADO. Go through the MP3 sampler that's on the DVD and without doubt THIS IS one of the very best or maybe even THE VERY BEST CD. PE#1 has put it out. My only bitch is that somehow they can't get all 2 hours of PE material in this package (including the DJ mixes, the S1W tune, the extra PE songs and even the FINE ARTS MILITIA, and some of the other bands) onto one CD. With the DVD this is really a great super amazing little packet of info and vibes. My highest recommendation.Take your time and go through the whole thing, because it seems like there's little stuff all over the place. If you don't know what time it is, it's time to wake up and enjoy what's left ofyour life in the best way possible. Ride with the PE. BLACK SUPERMAN'S BACK IN THE BUILDING. The mix on the DVD is my fav of the two available here. The house is full and in fine form.

"New Whirl Odor" is the first Public Enemy release of completely new material since 1999's "There's a Poison Goin' On."

With all the core band members well over 40, Public Enemy is already defying conventional wisdom on how long rappers can make a career off of beats and rhymes.

Enjoying a semi-cult status, the band still tours worldwide venues regularly. But like the Rolling Stones, the group isn't content to just be a nostalgia act.

Bypassing major labels for their own indie imprint, PE has crafted an LP that builds on their past, but still looks forward.

Lingering domestic and international crises were likely invigorating force for the group, and neither the current US administration nor the excess of today's hip-hop culture are let off the hook, in "Makes You Blind": "Y'all know what I said when I say no to thug/thug life runs at the top and y'all thought it was `Pac...35 years old/ lost in a X-Box, Playstation and videos..."

Chuck's ad-libs here name-check the Temptations' social-commentary LP "Ball of Confusion." It's obvious that he sees a parallel in today's world and the Vietnam era.

Fortunately, Flavor Flav's reality show stints haven't diminished his role as hype man/Greek chorus to Chuck's stentorian soul lectures, as the diminutive dynamo zigs where Chuck zags (and a hidden track finds him freestyling with LL Cool J).

"MKLVFKWR" is a scorching anti-war anthem produced by electronica maestro Moby: "Power to the people, not the governments/Capitalists, Communists, Terrorists/swear to God I don't know the difference ..."

This cut is the sole "star" track, as the bulk of production on the LP is handled by Chuck's handpicked post-Bomb Squad team of DJ Johnny Juice, Professor Griff, Abnormal, C-Doc and Cheef Exek.

They keep PE's sonic legacy intact, and likely at a fraction of the cost having a laundry list of superstar knob-twirlers would incur.

"Check What You're Listening To" showcases DJ Lord - who replaced Terminator X back in '99 - and in between Chuck's swipes against commercial radio it serves as a scratch-heavy tribute to the late Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC.

It's easily one of the best songs on the LP. The closing cut, "Superman's Black in the Building," is an extended jam (clocking in at more than 11 minutes), featuring saxophone by Chess Recordings jazz legend Gene Barge.

Chuck, Flav and Griff aren't content to just rest on their already rock-solid legacy, soldiering on in the face of continuing ambivalence toward veteran hip-hop acts. PE drafted the blueprint that today's activist MC's - like Kanye West and Common - borrow from.

"New Whirl Odor" won't disappoint anyone who appreciates jeep-ready jams with a message.

Artist: Public Enemy

Title: New Whirl Odor

Label: Slam Jamz, 2005

I guess the only way you get to be a top 50 reviewer is by the amount of reviews you write, not the quality. Mistermaxx has written 5,000+ reviews, and about 25% of them make sense. Please use a spell and grammar checker in the future. Also, how can you slag PE as a "plantation act" when two of your favorite artists are Michael Jackson and R. Kelly? PE has kept it real for a lot longer than these two were delving into underage deviance. They continue to do so on "New Whirl Odor". While not quite the dense production of the Bomb Squad, PE branches out with their band and spit fire on tracks like the title track, "Revolution", and "Makes Ya Blind". Chuck D has never, and will never go "bling". This CD (music only) is currently 6.99 at Best Buy, the best bargain in the hip-hop world at the moment. Get it and learn.