Public Enemy: Classic or Dud?

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I think we should stop taking for granted that everyone likes them. Let's test it. The only hip-hop artist I've ever met hated them (no, I don't remember what he liked).

To start, Millions is pretty classic but I think the Bomb Squad carries Apocalypse 91. Fear didn't really click enough for me (beyond the impressive production) to keep it way back when I bought it.

― sundar subramanian, Thursday, 25 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Apocalypse '91 was produced by the Imperial Grand Masters of Funk, not the Bomb Squad.

Someone should be the contrarian in this thread, but it's sure not gonna be me. Repeat after me: Despite some patchy late-period output, Public Enemy is pretty classic all around. Though Millions is the best, Apocalypse and Fear definitely work for me as albums; in fact, Fear in particular is probably sequenced better than Millions.

I liked what Stephen Thomas Erlewine said recently in his AMG review of their flawed 20th Century Masters compilation: "...You get positively weak from hearing Chuck D's voice — the way that some quake at the sound of Coltrane's saxophone, Miles' trumpet, Clapton's guitar. There's no other instrument quite as overwhelming as this, and it's damn irresistible."

― Ian, Thursday, 25 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

the way that some quake at the sound of...Clapton's guitar

Sure as hell glad he said 'some' instead of 'all.'

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 25 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

we did this already and the pinefox was fucking rude about it.

― ethan, Thursday, 25 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Who was the artist who didn't like them? Classic, btw.

― brains, Thursday, 25 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I actually thought that cheapo 20th Century Masters comp was kickass-- incomplete, duh, but their best party record anyway. (3 cheers for including "Nighttrain.") Don't have much use for their last couple of albums, though.

― Douglas, Thursday, 25 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

ahh..when rap used to be meaningful..

― Mike Hanle y, Thursday, 25 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

'Fear of a Black Planet' is about 30 minutes too long

― dave q, Thursday, 25 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

brains: He was not-famous enough that he was working a telemarketing job with me.

― sundar subramanian, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

An easy classic. The mistake made with P.E., though, is in seeing them as hip-hop perfected, when in reality they just did one specific branch of hip-hop very well. I lost interest in hip-hop for a while and found myself whining that none of the new stuff was as good as PE. Which was stupid.

Other random thoughts:

PE is probably the only overtly political music I ever listen to...I wonder why it goes down so easy?

Their time of prominence overlapped exactly with my time in college ('88 to '92), which has something to do with why I revere them so.

They mix terribly with other hip-hop; the production is just too busy, and the words too in your face. I rarely hear a DJ mix in a PE track. Maybe DJ Cockfarmer could pull it off??

What's the consensus on Yo! Bum Rush the Show? When Chuck wanted PE to sound like Run DMC?

― Mark, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

"Despite some patchy late-period output, Public Enemy is pretty classic all around... Despite some patchy late-period output, Public Enemy is pretty classic all around... Despite some patchy late-period output, Public Enemy is pretty classic all around..."

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Yo! Bum Rush... and ...Nation of Millions... are incredibly weak and are given far more credit than they deserve (the editing on Nation is almost unbearable), three amazing albums in a row (Fear of a Black Planet, Apocalpyse 91: The Enemy Strikes Black and the seriously under-rated Muse-Sick-In-Our-Mess-Age), a weak remix/B-side album (Greatest Misses), a great track on the CB4 soundtrack, a weak comeback in He Got Game (although Flava Flav's "Shake Your Booty" is worth the album price alone) and a surprisingly decent album no one cared aboot at all in There's A Poison Goin' On.

That doesn't look like an out and out classic, but at ages 14-16 it seemed like they ruled the damn planet, and that's really close enough sometimes.

― Vic Funk, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

What is bizarre about this qn is that it refers back (deliberately or not) to precisely the terms of the original PE qn, ages ago, which said that we could take it for granted that everyone liked PE.

Of course "Everyone" doesn't - that was established on the earlier version of this thread. But it's true that most people won't say, or hear, a word against them.

― the pinefox, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

My favorite PE song might be "Give it Up", off an album from '94 whose title is so embarrassing I won't even repeat it. They really need to work on that pun thing they have going, it's terrible.

"Caught, Can I Get a Witness" mixes really well if you pitch it way up. Basic drums and scratching and weird guitary funk jangles.

PE is the end of the hiphop spectrum I'm most drawn to. Common representing the other end.

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I've heard "Rebel Without a Pause" mixed into sets, but that's about it.

― Kris, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

"Give It Up" actually mixed into DJ sets pretty well--of then- contemporary ('94-'95) hip-hop, no less, odd considering how much they were criticized at the time for having lost touch with the hip- hop world. Of course, I was hearing this not in hardcore hip-hop clubs but at First Avenue, a rock/dance club in Minneapolis, Minnesota, so my vision could be skewed here.

Also, "Can't Truss It" seemed to blend pretty well into various early Cypress Hill tracks. Once again, note caveat above.

― M. Matos, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

completely, totally fucking classic, by the way.

― M. Matos, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

ethan: We did? When? The only question about PE I remember is the one Pinefox mentions, which took it as a given that everyone likes them.

― sundar subramanian, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

that's the one i meant.

― ethan, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Bum Rusht he show was the sound of DJs making a rap album, very much borrowed rap styles, above average production for the time but vo real political message other then one or two. Myuziweighsaton or whatever it was called was pretty classic.

Nation of Millions has had enough said about it I cant add to it. Fear could do with 20 minutes ro so of the middle carved out. One or two lines not withstanding Welcome to the Terrordome may be the greatest rap song ever done.

Greatest Misses has its moments but the remixs seem to lead me to believe that PE was missing the boat on the current direction in rap, Air Hoodlum and Hazy Shade of Criminal (what was with all those takes on 80s pop song names?) both were wild.

Music and our mesage had one or two bright spots but was way behind in terms of sound, sounded like it was dated even the first time I heard it.

― Mr Noodles, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

classic, all the way, no doubt... but 'muse sick n hour mess age' is a wonderful album, probably my favourite of them all...

― stevie, Sunday, 28 October 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Does anyone else find the actual rapping (as opposed to the production) on Apocalypse 91 somewhat wanting? The Flavor Flav track ("Don't Call Me Yo Nigga"?) is embarrassing.

― sundar subramanian, Tuesday, 30 October 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Revive!!
I saw them live last night and was floored by how commanding and MASSIVE Chuck D's presence on stage was. I thought they were going a bit too much in a rap-metal direction on some of the songs, but 'Rebel without a Pause' was simply electrifying..

― Baaderist (Fabfunk), Thursday, 23 October 2003 08:44 (9 years ago) Permalink

9 months pass...

Apocalypse '91 was produced by the Imperial Grand Masters of Funk, not the Bomb Squad.

On my cassette it says "Executive Producers: The Bomb Squad" so they obviously had had a hand in it.

When will Bomb Squad-type production become retro? I wanna see a comeback of this sound. Broke out Apocalypse '91 recently and it's all coming back to me how good this group was.

― Joseph Pot (STINKOR™), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:57 (8 years ago) Permalink

*had a hand in it.

― Joseph Pot (STINKOR™), Thursday, 29 July 2004 21:00 (8 years ago) Permalink

there is no way PE could ever be dud. classic all the way.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Thursday, 29 July 2004 22:18 (8 years ago) Permalink

Only cloth-eared muvvaluvvas be dissin PE.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Thursday, 29 July 2004 22:53 (8 years ago) Permalink

brains: He was not-famous enough that he was working a telemarketing job with me.

Hahaha, at first I thought you meant you worked on telemarketing with MC Brains, who had that song that went, "Oochie coochie la la la/I am the Brains and I'm up to par".

btw, PE=Classic, obv. I even really like Yo! Bum Rush The Show - Suckers to the side/I know you hate/My 98/You're gonna get yours!

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Thursday, 29 July 2004 23:18 (8 years ago) Permalink

damn. this is one group i really need to revisit. i always pass over the cds in the sales cos they're always available, the tapes are well worn and now need to hear this stuff again. i saw the supporting run DMC in 87 and it was by far the most impressive thing i had ever seen up to that point of my life .. even the fact that Derek B was on the bill didn't ruin the evening.
and yes Chuck is a master of the art of presence.

― mark e (mark e), Friday, 30 July 2004 07:33 (8 years ago) Permalink

i'll say it again... Muse Sick is *seriously* underappreciated... 'Running Out Of Time', 'Unplugged & Undrugged', 'So Watcha Gonna Do Now', 'Aint Nuthin Butter Song'...

― stevie (stevie), Friday, 30 July 2004 08:13 (8 years ago) Permalink

yo! bum rush this post.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Friday, 30 July 2004 09:06 (8 years ago) Permalink

conspiracy! AMG says that Professor Griff's "And the Word Became Flesh" was released on 9/11/01. (I'm more shocked to learn that he's put out 5 solo records)

― Joseph Pot (STINKOR™), Friday, 30 July 2004 14:29 (8 years ago) Permalink

6 months pass...

Greatest rock group ever. Mindblowing.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 08:15 (8 years ago) Permalink

conspiracy! AMG says that Professor Griff's "And the Word Became Flesh" was released on 9/11/01. (I'm more shocked to learn that he's put out 5 solo records)
-- Joseph Pot (zdos20...), July 30th, 2004.

So was Slayer's "God Hates Us All"

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 08:37 (8 years ago) Permalink

"i'll say it again... Muse Sick is *seriously* underappreciated... 'Running Out Of Time', 'Unplugged & Undrugged', 'So Watcha Gonna Do Now', 'Aint Nuthin Butter Song'..."

its better than the sack of shit everyone thought it was in 1994, but its still pretty horrible.

― ppp, Tuesday, 8 February 2005 08:52 (8 years ago) Permalink

nah its their best album.

― charleston charge (chaki), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 09:38 (8 years ago) Permalink

PE at their best transcend hip-hop or any other genre. They're on some elevated gonzo genius level. I remember the impact PE had on my 16 year old self. The music was so wild and exciting, far more so than the rock bands I was listening to at the time. Chuck is so compelling, with an often overlooked wit to his rhymes. Along with Rakim he busted open the possibilities for rapping, rhyming off the beat, switching up his flow and phrasing. And I love the way Flav or sampled voices cut in and out of his rhymes - it makes their music come alive, in a way some boring MC mumbling over a wack track can never be.
The beginning of Night Of The Living Baseheads still blows my mind, with Chuck's almost jazz like phrasing over that relentless looped sax skronk. "Bang, here it is, in your face, god damn, this is a dope jam, but let's define the term named dope and you're thinking me funky now..."
And Welcome To The Terrordome is incredible, the greatest media shitstorm song ever made.

― stew, Tuesday, 8 February 2005 11:35 (8 years ago) Permalink

stew OTM. That is one of the greatest posts ever right there on ILM, folks. stew sums PE up perfectly.

God the jazzlike phrasing of Chuck... It's so true. He was every bit the equal of Miles and Wayne and Hank and people like that...

"Bang, here it is, in your face, god damn, this is a dope jam, but let's define the term named dope and you're thinking me funky now..."

haha, yeah, so great, and stew you forgot to include that "NOPE!" at the end of that quote

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 10:50 (8 years ago) Permalink

Aaarrrgghh! How could I forget the NOPE! That's essential to the the rhythm and rhyme, adding a twist a cliched phrase.

Thank you for your kind words Stormy.

― stew, Wednesday, 9 February 2005 11:20 (8 years ago) Permalink

chuck d was good on a janet album

― La Camilla Henemark, Wednesday, 9 February 2005 11:30 (8 years ago) Permalink

Why do people always have to say theye were the greatest ROCK group or couch them in rock terminology? That really pisses me off.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 11:47 (8 years ago) Permalink

Fair point, although you can understand why the NME (under Danny Kelly I think) dubbed them the greatest rock 'n roll band in the world back in the day. It was a challenge to rockists who wouldn't take hip-hop seriously and stresses the insurrectionary power of the group. It's really not necessary to apologise for them in this way anymore.
Certainly PE were interested in the dynamics and power of rock, but when they use actual rock samples, such as the Slayer riff on She Watch Channel Zero or sped up guitar frenzy on Brothers Gonna Work It Out, it's really no different in intention or effect to them sampling JB or Coltrane - it's all about getting the wildest, hardest sound, from whatever source. This is why SWCZ is far more successful than a conscious rock-rap hybrid like the Anthrax collaboration.

― stew, Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:26 (8 years ago) Permalink

7 months pass...

is the remastered cd of 'nation' noticeably better than the original cd?

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 28 September 2005 12:35 (7 years ago) Permalink

I recently saw the video for "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" for the first time. Not even Sister Souljah could ruin the awesomeness. That song is like a sledgehammer wrapped in barbed wire crashing into your face. So fucking awesome; I wish more people would go the maximalist route with their sampling.

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 12:39 (7 years ago) Permalink

i wish i still had the single edit of the track, fuck (tho it was longer than the lp version, oddly).

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 28 September 2005 12:41 (7 years ago) Permalink

It's a little louder, Henry. I boguht it for about £4 and gave my old copy to Emma.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 12:56 (7 years ago) Permalink

There's Public Enemy, and then there's the rest of hip-hop. All the rest are pretenders.

― Keith C (lync0), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 13:00 (7 years ago) Permalink

I'd agree, except that it's a completely mental thing to say.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 13:03 (7 years ago) Permalink

hmm, it's 6 quid in hmv. fuck it, there are other things, and i'm kind of attached to the old one.

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 28 September 2005 13:03 (7 years ago) Permalink

Nick OTM. Public Enemy is awesome but claiming that everyone else in hip-hop are mere pretenders is the epitome of corny indie fuxor tokenism.

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 13:07 (7 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 39 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

FAKE

― Dom Passantino, Monday, 15 October 2007 13:10 (5 years ago) Permalink

How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul is possibly their worst album title, which is saying something.

They will never top Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age, nor will anyone else.

― The Reverend, Monday, 15 October 2007 14:52 (5 years ago) Permalink

It's bad, but it's not nearly as bad as Revolverlution, which is just stupid.

― Alex in NYC, Monday, 15 October 2007 16:40 (5 years ago) Permalink

7 months pass...

they were great last night.

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Monday, 26 May 2008 14:51 (4 years ago) Permalink

god I'd love to see them.
my uncle told me he saw 'em back in like '86 or something in Minneapolis, one of only a few white people there. when the firt beat dropped the entire place jumped to it in unison and knocked the needle off the record. they had to stop and be like, "ummm, we're gonna don this again, and you can all dance, but don't every body jump at once alright?"

― RabiesAngentleman, Monday, 26 May 2008 15:21 (4 years ago) Permalink

*"don this again"

― RabiesAngentleman, Monday, 26 May 2008 15:22 (4 years ago) Permalink

I think they were the only black guys there last night. People were really into it, though, and they claimed they always love playing my town.

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Monday, 26 May 2008 15:49 (4 years ago) Permalink

WAIT. What does this entire thread MEAN?
Are you going to throw away Public Enemy based on one or two debatably good or bad albums or what? I'm seriously confused. For sure they are classic and not 'everyone likes them' but if you're gonna say oh NWA or Public Enemy which is better, people'd be more likely to say Public Enemy. They may not be all that relevant any more but STILL.

― VeronaInTheClub, Monday, 26 May 2008 17:11 (4 years ago) Permalink

― Noodle Vague, Monday, 26 May 2008 17:18 (4 years ago) Permalink

who cares if their influence hasnt been that pronounced? they made some of the best rap records and were one of the best groups EVER - isnt that enough? people are unfairly cruel/cynical when it comes to PE, like theyre judging all their achievements through the prism of modern hip hop.

― titchyschneiderMk2, Monday, 26 May 2008 17:21 (4 years ago) Permalink

PE are heroes, a lot of PE boosters, not so much.

― Noodle Vague, Monday, 26 May 2008 17:23 (4 years ago) Permalink

-- VeronaInTheClub, Monday, 26 May 2008 18:11 (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

― Dom Passantino, Monday, 26 May 2008 17:25 (4 years ago) Permalink

Not one of mine.

― Noodle Vague, Monday, 26 May 2008 17:27 (4 years ago) Permalink

I entirely resent that picture...but why I'm not sure. I meant to say....Public Enemy are classic, they have been the platform for many, many a rap group and with good reason, they represented consistently and yes may not always have done so effortlessly but you could say that about a lot of classics from Wu Tang Clan to Common the fact remains that they are a seminal rap group and without them...
So why throw them away based on one or two albums? Definite keepers.

― VeronaInTheClub, Monday, 26 May 2008 17:35 (4 years ago) Permalink

a lot of people seem to smirk about PE. its like 'hahaha those revolutionary guys'.

― titchyschneiderMk2, Monday, 26 May 2008 17:39 (4 years ago) Permalink

"Why do people always have to say theye were the greatest ROCK group or couch them in rock terminology? That really pisses me off."

ditto. although the second album was definitely produced in a more rocky way than the first one, which was much 'tighter' as far as how the beats were layered.

― titchyschneiderMk2, Monday, 26 May 2008 17:42 (4 years ago) Permalink

i'm shocked to learn that the pinefox has even heard public enemy.

― J.D., Wednesday, 28 May 2008 11:12 (4 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Pretty fucking unreal live show, even in their mid-40s. Two thumbs way way up

― Stormy Davis, Saturday, 19 July 2008 06:26 (4 years ago) Permalink

They were amazing at Primavera - I was in tears, it was almost too much. Incomparable with other gigs, just...wow.

― Mister Craig, Saturday, 19 July 2008 21:30 (4 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/02/AR2009120201455.html

correction

A Nov. 26 article in the District edition of Local Living incorrectly said a Public Enemy song declared 9/11 a joke. The song refers to 911, the emergency phone number.

― Cunga, Friday, 4 December 2009 22:42 (3 years ago) Permalink

LOL

― Fig On A Plate Cart (Alex in SF), Friday, 4 December 2009 22:43 (3 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

fuck "Hazy Shade of Criminal" is so hot; you can hear something ending, it's true; but the mix is like when you hook a video camera to a television and shine the former into the latter: it sounds as deep as infinity, noises going down down down in shrinking focus, like you'd understand the significance of the song if you could just hear it a little closer

― Euler, Friday, 17 December 2010 22:46 (2 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

"The mistake made with P.E., though, is in seeing them as hip-hop perfected"

well yeah. pre-internet, (in the uk at least) nation was like the citizen kane of rap albums, the album most likely to come in at number one for best rap albums ever, or most likely to feature in best albums ever lists in rock mags (along with 3 feet high), which made it sort of daunting, but these days, with all the golden age coverage on the net that from what ive seen ranks others like rakim or krs more highly, pe seem almost underrated. obv not cool to see them as 'hip hop perfected' at the expense of everyone else, but they do kinda achieve a lot of if not all of hip hop (of that time at least)'s 'ideals', ie political but still funky, sampling pushed to the limits, etc etc.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Monday, 24 January 2011 17:54 (2 years ago) Permalink

There was a point (late 80s, early 90s) where I dismissed a lot of great hip hop for not being as ground-breaking/political/high bpms as Public Enemy. Got over that tho.

― President Keyes, Monday, 24 January 2011 18:01 (2 years ago) Permalink

yeah, for a long time, well maybe until they started to fall off around 93/94, i think they WERE seen as hip hop perfected. which is understandable. though maybe more understandable if you were at least into other hip hop.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Monday, 24 January 2011 18:04 (2 years ago) Permalink

the "performing Fear Of A Black Planet in full" tour contains at least as many Nation Of Millions songs as Black Planet songs

― basically just a 2/47 freak out (sic), Monday, 24 January 2011 23:05 (2 years ago) Permalink

Probably a better idea than a new Public Enemy album in 2011, admittedly.

― the new mordant & zingy ilxor persona (ilxor), Tuesday, 25 January 2011 06:13 (2 years ago) Permalink

that's a link, btw

― the new mordant & zingy ilxor persona (ilxor), Tuesday, 25 January 2011 06:14 (2 years ago) Permalink

I met Chuck D at CBGBs once. I told him I liked PE before Scott Ian told me to. I don't think he believed me though.

― NYCNative, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 07:52 (2 years ago) Permalink

http://archivedmusicpress.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/public-enemy-live-at-the-brixton-academy-and-other-live-reviews-12th-december-1987.jpg

^grimey simey poopooing them in 87

― The Reverend, Thursday, 27 January 2011 10:28 (2 years ago) Permalink

There was a point (late 80s, early 90s) where I dismissed a lot of great hip hop for not being as ground-breaking/political/high bpms as Public Enemy. Got over that tho.

understand the consternation, but understandable. a lot of rockist-inspired guilt surrounding PE these days.

― circa1916, Thursday, 27 January 2011 10:38 (2 years ago) Permalink

well yeah. pre-internet, (in the uk at least) nation was like the citizen kane of rap albums, the album most likely to come in at number one for best rap albums ever, or most likely to feature in best albums ever lists in rock mags (along with 3 feet high), which made it sort of daunting, but these days, with all the golden age coverage on the net that from what ive seen ranks others like rakim or krs more highly, pe seem almost underrated. obv not cool to see them as 'hip hop perfected' at the expense of everyone else, but they do kinda achieve a lot of if not all of hip hop (of that time at least)'s 'ideals', ie political but still funky, sampling pushed to the limits, etc etc.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Monday, January 24, 2011 5:54 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark

i don't know why everyone saying something is great is 'daunting' tbh!

nor do i remember people saying it did everything rap could ever do, just that it's fucking amazing.

at the same time, that's a very good review by reynolds. i *think* he'd written nice things about their recorded output before.

― read before patoing (history mayne), Thursday, 27 January 2011 10:41 (2 years ago) Permalink

not really cool with his assumption about "arbitrarily assumed", just disregarding any idea abt why that might not be so, for instance being kings & queens of memphis and uruk is p first world and a legit counter to imposed low self-esteem

― zvookster, Thursday, 27 January 2011 11:01 (2 years ago) Permalink

like not saying afrocentricity was the point, or doesn't cause headaches of its own but u know, u can investigate things beyond just assuming its arbitrary

― zvookster, Thursday, 27 January 2011 11:04 (2 years ago) Permalink

also no idea what the shit abt wedding rings is, which is not good

― zvookster, Thursday, 27 January 2011 11:06 (2 years ago) Permalink

my guess is that there was a tabloid furore around PE playing hammersmith (which is where the bit at the start of 'nation' comes from), and that PE said it was bullshit and the media lie, and that simey is saying, well yeah they do but i also witnessed some shitty behaviour [from PE fans, we are meant to infer -- potentially dodgy territory, though when i've been in that neck of the woods it's been p clear who is going to a gig and who isn't]

― read before patoing (history mayne), Thursday, 27 January 2011 11:11 (2 years ago) Permalink

is it clear the type of rings ppl are stealing in the next traincar?

― zvookster, Thursday, 27 January 2011 11:14 (2 years ago) Permalink

i guess some engagement/sovereign/______ rings could have got caught up too

that or simon reynolds '87 was just into lying about shit

― read before patoing (history mayne), Thursday, 27 January 2011 11:19 (2 years ago) Permalink

i'm not sayin i'm just sayin [via sr]

― zvookster, Thursday, 27 January 2011 11:26 (2 years ago) Permalink

First paragraph describes most hip hop shows for the past 25 years.

― I've been dancing since 9 and I'm tired and hungry (Dorianlynskey), Thursday, 27 January 2011 11:39 (2 years ago) Permalink

the "performing Fear Of A Black Planet in full" tour contains at least as many Nation Of Millions songs as Black Planet songs

I take this back: counting Contract On The World Love Jam as play-on music, they did nine out of the 20 songs on Fear, and only seven off Nation Of Millions. At least the latter included Cold Lampin' WIth Flavor, since he wasn't in the country in time for the actual Nation Of Millions In Full show two years ago.

― basically just a 2/47 freak out (sic), Sunday, 30 January 2011 23:54 (2 years ago) Permalink

um, that's not exactly "playing "Fear" in full is it, 9 out of 20...

― Mark G, Monday, 31 January 2011 09:56 (2 years ago) Permalink

yeah, my point

at least they didn't do Meet The G That Killed Me 3 or 4 times in a row like when I actually saw them on the Tour Of A Black Planet

(they did do it though)

― basically just a 2/47 freak out (sic), Monday, 31 January 2011 10:56 (2 years ago) Permalink

ick (still like that album but damn that track is a dealbreaker)

― sleeve, Monday, 31 January 2011 22:08 (2 years ago) Permalink

What the fuck? Why are they even doing that song? I saw them in late 1990, and they didn't do it...but then, given the 90 minute delay after openers Sonic Youth, and the 40-minute Flav solo section in the middle (because Chuck had the flu), they didn't do much of anything.

― Son of Sisyphus of Reaganing (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 31 January 2011 22:41 (2 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

apparently griff is holding a roundtable discussion tonight at the bar down the block from me

― 40oz of tears (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 20:05 (1 year ago) Permalink

Did you go? Was there exciting news about the Illuminati and Jewish money power?

― Suede - the fabric, not the band (DL), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 23:24 (1 year ago) Permalink

5 months pass...

the new Mojo (brian jones cover) has a little oral history thing with Public Enemy, most of the interesting stuff is the very early days of the WBAU shows and the Spectrum City mobile DJ unit they were before they were a proper group...

aaanyway, not often you hear a genuinely new tidbit about a band like this, but Hank or Keith drops one in a quote in the article...in the early days, before Chuck had really evolved into the groups MC...he said that Eddie Murphy used to get onstage at their shows and do kinda jokes/rapping/MCing/etc!

CRAZY! :)

― Jandek at the Disco (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 13 August 2012 23:51 (9 months ago) Permalink

4 months pass...

"Brothers Gonna Work It Out" ended up being my favorite single of theirs, kind of to my surprise because I was such a "Bring The Noise"/"Fight The Power" head

― Solange Knowles is my hero (DJP), Sunday, 6 January 2013 05:29 (4 months ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/public-enemys-private-photographer/

― 乒乓, Friday, 19 April 2013 13:36 (1 month ago) Permalink

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