25 Year Anniversary of Public Enemy's Seminal Album

In the hot, hot summer of 1988 Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back could be heard in jeeps, boom boxes, and airwaves from coast to coast. It featured sample-rich Bomb Squad beats, powerful lyrics, the stark contrast of Chuck D and Flava Flav's vocals, and the introduction to what later became a standard convention on rap LPs, the interlude. Although it's the kind of album that is best listened to from front to back, here is a taste (or a reminder for those that remember the fury it leashed 25 years ago). 

Rap Treats #96: Public Enemy - Public Enemy No. 1 (Original Version/WBAU Promo)

This could also be looked at as Public Enemy's demo, but technically it is a promo that aired on Doctor Dre's Operating Room show on WBAU back in '85. Basically it's the original version of what became P.E.'s first single on Def Jam. Lyrics are a bit different at times. Sugar Ray Leonard gets referenced instead of Mike Tyson, and Flav's intro is basically the same but just an earlier take. Ill to hear Chuck D & Flavor Flav at the very beginning of P.E. career.

Public Enemy

Public Enemy No. 1 (Orignal Version/WBAU Promo)

Rap Treats #83: Public Enemy Live in Concert (1992)

That's right. Back to back PE Rap Treats. If you haven't noticed, ItTakesANationOfMillionsToHoldThisSac are Public Enemy fans. This treat is a recording of Public Enemy live in concert from April 1992 when they were on tour supporting their Apocalypse '91... The Enemy Strikes Black album. Classic, classic shit right here.

Public Enemy

Live In Concert (4.9.92)

1. Lost At Birth

2. Night of the Living Baseheads

3. Bring the Noise/Welcome to the Terrordome

4. Nighttrain

5. By the Time I Get to Arizona

6. Fight the Power

7. Gotta Do What I Gotta Do

8. Buck Whylin'/She Watch Channel Zero

9. How to Kill a Radio Consultant

10. More News at 11

11. A Letter to the NY Post/I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Niga

12. Rebel without a Pause/Public Enemy No. 1/Don't Believe the Hype

13. Shut Em Down

14. 911 is a Joke

15. Can't Truss It

Rap Treats #82: Public Enemy - Bring The Noise 2000 (Unreleased Internet LP)

Chuck D has always been ahead of his time, and PE's use of the internet is no exception. Back in 1998 Chuck D posted this album on Public Enemy's website for fans to download for free, but his record label freaked the fuck out and forced them to take it down. After all, who would ever give music away for free on the internet? That shit will never catch on. Anyways, here is the whole unreleased Bring The Noise 2000 album... for free... on the internet. Imagine that.

Public Enemy

Bring The Noise 2000

1. There Were More Hype Believers Than Ever in '97

2. Welcome to the Terrordome (X-games remix)

3. Bring the Noise

4. You're Gonna Get Yours

5. Whole Lotta Love Going On In the Middle Of Hell

6. Don't Believe the Hype

7. How to Kill a Radio Consultant

8. Night of the Living Baseheads

9. Cold Lampin'

10. Move!

11. Welcome to the Terrordome

12. What Side You On?

13. Hazy Shade of Criminal

14. Buck Whylin'

15. Yo! Bum Rush the Show

16. 911 Is A Joke

17. Louder Than A Bomb

18. Rebel Without A Pause

19. G'Damn That DJ Made My Day

20. Son of Public Enemy

21. Burn Hollywood Burn

22. Incident at 66.6 FM

23. Live and Undrugged

24. She Watch Channel Zero?!?!

25. Fight the Power

26. Mind Deep

27. Mind Deep (Instrumental)

Rap Treats #74: KDAY Concerts - Eazy-E & N.W.A + Public Enemy + King Tee Live From Skateland USA, Compton

For a rap radio junkie like myself, Los Angeles' KDAY is up there with Mr. Magic on WBLS, DJ Red Alert on KISS, Stretch & Bobbito on WKCR, and Sway & King Tech on KMEL. In fact, in my eyes it trumps them all because KDAY was the first station to adopt an all Hip-Hop format in 1983. What can you say about a station who's street team included Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Ice-T, MC Hammer, Tone Loc, Kid Frost, and Young MC to name a few. It's the station that coined the term "Traffic Jam" and was the first to play artists like N.W.A. Tapes of KDAY have been hard to come across, even in the age of the internet, but thanks to OldSchoolRapTapes a few have surfaced. These are concerts by Eazy-E & N.W.A., Public Enemy, and King Tee who performed Live in Compton that were broadcast on the station. There is also a recording of Ice-T introducing his "new" record "Colder Than Ever" that I had never heard before. These recordings are nowhere close to being CDQ so you'll have to deal with the sound quality, but 1580 KDAY was an AM station so there isn't much that could have been done about that.

N.W.A. & Eazy-E

Public Enemy

King Tee

"Live From Skateland USA, Compton"

Ice-T

"Live On KDAY/Colder Than Ever"

Records: Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show & It Takes A Nation Of Million To Hold Us Back 12"s

Bass! How low can you go?

Death row, What a brother knows?

Once again back is the incredible,

the rhyme animal,

the incredible D, Public Enemy Number One,

"Five-O" said, "Freeze!" and I got numb,

Can I tell 'em that I really never had a gun?

But it's the wax that the Terminator X spun,

Now they got me in a cell, 'cause my records they sell

'Cause a brother like me said, "Well..."

- Chuck D, "Bring The Noise"

This is a mega post of my all time favorite Hip-Hop group that isn't called Run DMC - Public Fucking Enemy... Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Termanator X, Professor Griff and the S1W's (EPMD, Gang Starr, Tribe and N.W.A. round out that list if you care). Everything about P.E. was revolutionary. I like them so much I named this site after them (kinda), so it was only right I cover both Yo! Bum Rush The Show and It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back on the first P.E. 12" drop. The revolution will not be televised.

Public Enemy

"Public Enemy #1" bw/ "Timebomb" (1987)

(Def Jam Recordings)

E1 "Public Enemy #1"

E2 "Public Enemy #1" (Instrumental)

F1 "Timebomb"

F2 "Son Of Public Enemy (Flavor Whop Version)"

Produced by Bill Stephney

Co-Produced by Carl Ryder (Chuck D) and Hank Shocklee

Public Enemy

"You're Gonna Get Yours" b/w "Rebel Without A Pause" (1987)

(Def Jam Recordings)

A1 "You're Gonna Get Yours" (Vocal Mix)

A2 "You're Gonna Get Yours"

(Dub/Terminator X Getaway Version)

A3 "Miuzi Weighs A Ton" (Vocal Mix)

B2 "Rebel Without A Pause" (Vocal Mix)

B2 "Rebel Without A Pause" (Instrumental)

Produced by Bill Stephney

Co-Produced by Carl Ryder (Chuck D) and Hank Shocklee

Pubic Enemy

"Bring The Noise" b/w "Sophisticated" (1987)

(Def Jam Recordings)

A1 "Bring The Noise" (No Noise Version)

A2 "Bring The Noise" (No Noise Instrumental)

A3 "Bring The Noise" (Acapella) *not listed on label

B1 "Sophisticated" (4:21)

B2 "Sophisticated" (Instrumental)

Produced by Bill Stephney, Carl Ryder (Chuck D)

and Hank Shocklee

Public Enemy

"Don't Believe The Hype" b/w "Profits Of Rage" (1988)

(Def Jam Recordings)

A1 "Don't Believe The Hype" (5:20)

A2 "The Rhythm, The Rebel" (Acapella) (1:10)

B1 "Prophets Of Rage" (Vocal) (3:15)

B2 "Prophets Of Rage" (Power Version)

Produced by The Bomb Squad

Pubic Enemy

"Night Of The Living Baseheads"

b/w "Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic" (1988)

(Def Jam Recordings"

A1 "Night Of The Living Baseheads"

(Anti High Blood Pressure Encounter Mix)

A2 "Night Of The Living Baseheads"

(Terminator X Meets D.ST & Chuck Chillout Instrumental)

B1 "Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic"

(No Need To Panic Radio Version)

B2 "The Edge Of Panic"

Produced by The Bomb Squad

Public Enemy

"Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos"

b/w "Too Much Posse" & "B-Side Wins Again" (1989)

(Def Jam Recordings)

A1 "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos" (6:01)

A2 "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos" (1:17)

A3 "Too Much Posse" (2:25)

B1 "Caught, Can We Get A Witness"

(Pre Black Steel Ballistic Felony Dub) (5:04)

B2 "B-Side Wins Again" (3:50)

Produced By The Bomb Squad

BONUS Public Enemy:

P.E. performing "Don't Believe The Hype" on some TV show in the UK back in the late 80's. This shit is dope even if nobody in the audience gave a fuck.

Nardwuar vs. Flavor Flav

Flavor Flaaaaaaaaaaav!

Rap Treats #12: Original, Rare and Unreleased 2

Boogie Down Productions (1985)

"Crack Attack"

This is some pre Criminal Minded BDP. Pretty much a don't smoke crack PSA. The sound is very mid 80's and you can tell that they hadn't found that boom bap yet.

Big Daddy Kane feat. Kool G. Rap (1987)

"Raw" (Original)

Easily one of my favorite songs of all time. The Kool Genius of Rap goes in on this one and destroys the beat. I heard that G. Rap went off because Kane had a girl in the studio and he wanted to show him up. Kane and G. Rap had a friendly rivalry, they were homies but always wanted to one up each other. This is one of those times.

Simply II Positive MC's aka Organized Konfusion (1989)

"Audience Pleasers"

This is from the tape that got OK signed to Hollywood Basics, but for some reason it took another two years for them to release any music on the label. This joint was produced by Paul C who was murdered the same year.

Spectrum City aka Public Enemy (1984)
"Check Out The Radio"

This was an actual 12inch release on Vanguard Records. Before they were Public Enemy, Chuck D and the Shocklee brothers were a DJ crew called Spe

2Pac & Snoop

"If There's A Cure (I Don't Want It)" (Unreleased)

Not sure the year this was recorded but it was def during the Death Row years. I'm feeling Pac's usage of KRS' at the beginning of the song. According to Pac this is all freestyle.

Classic Material: Chuck D & KRS One (Rap City)

Chuck D & KRS One takeover Rap City back in 1992.

Rap Treats #5: Def Jam UK Tour (1987)

This was recorded live in Amsterdam on the 1987 Def Jam UK Tour featuring Public Enemy, LL Cool J and Eric B & Rakim (they weren't on Def Jam but they were managed by RUSH). It's straight bootleg but super ill. One of the greatest tour line ups EVER.

Def Jam 1987 UK Tour

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