Public Enemy · Music

Public Enemy · 1990

Fear of a Black Planet is Public Enemy’s third album. Recorded across three New York studios between June and October 1989, it was delayed from late 1989 to April 1990. Produced by The Bomb Squad — Chuck D, Eric 'Vietnam' Sadler, Keith Shocklee, and Hank Shocklee — it expands the dense, sample-layered 'wall of noise' of their prior album. The team used the E-mu SP-1200, Akai S900, and a Macintosh computer. They combed thousands of records for fragments, reconfiguring radio and other media into new contexts. Hank Shocklee described their process as a production assembly line: he approached it from a DJ’s perspective, Sadler from a musician’s. Singles include 'Welcome to the Terrordome', '911 Is a Joke', and 'Fight the Power' — the latter regarded as one of hip-hop’s most influential songs and the theme song of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. The album continued Public Enemy’s politically charged themes and became their most successful release. It was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2005.

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It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Public Enemy · 1988

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) is Public Enemy’s second studio album. It was recorded across three New York studios—Chung King Studios, Greene St. Recording, and Sabella Studios—between 1987 and 1988. The group began at Chung King but moved to Greene St. after engineer resistance to hip hop. Engineers there eventually respected their work ethic. The album was originally titled Countdown to Armageddon. It was recorded in 30 days for $25,000, thanks to extensive preproduction at the group’s Long Island studio. It was completed in six weeks. Chuck D described the process as aggressive, time-pressured teamwork involving sonic risk-taking. Eric Sadler and Hank Shocklee stayed behind in the studio during touring to develop material ahead of Chuck D and Flavor Flav’s return. The album performed better in the charts than their debut and included the hit singles 'Don’t Believe the Hype' and 'Bring the Noise'. It was the first hip-hop album to top The Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop critics’ poll. Its sonic architecture—crafted by the Bomb Squad—included free jazz, hard funk, and musique concrète. It formed part of Public Enemy’s revolutionary, politically charged output grounded in a pro-black stance.