Public Enemy: Classic or Dud?

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

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?

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

So was Slayer's "God Hates Us All"

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

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

Thank you for your kind words Stormy.

even viewed through the most charitable lens, this is phenomenally bad timing

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, April 1, 2020 6:24 AM (eleven hours ago)

tbh i kinda really appreciate the sheer ridiculousness of this story right now

lol creative cover Chuck just take LL's artwork and photoshop Enemy Radio on it

lock

oops

lock them up

i like the Enemy Radio logo

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/5e7aba61b2e1486cd44199dd/1585631399399-68KUMYMA7P2QPFLA5T7R/Asset+17.png?content-type=image%2Fpng

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/5e7aba61b2e1486cd44199dd/1585631399399-68KUMYMA7P2QPFLA5T7R/Asset+17.png

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/5e7aba61b2e1486cd44199dd/1585631399399-68KUMYMA7P2QPFLA5T7R/Asset+17.png

no shit sic

(it's not the same box as on LL's album, let alone the artwork)

a lot of the beats on this are p nice

The opening remarks in that interview are spot-on, and it's not new - exhibit A in the film world is Orson Welles and how the business and (at the time) mainstream critics treated him like garbage even when he struggled and managed to put out one great film after another:

“Going into 2020, this is the second decade where Hip Hop has skidded away to the point where the good look is never, ever considered and the bad look keeps getting elevated to the point where it’s just disrespectful,” he tells DX. “I had to figure out, ‘What is the teachable moment for me?’

“I think Jadakiss talked about it in his Ignatius album — it’s like, we can’t have dead rappers be the news that comes out that elevates them to the top. When does the good look get a look? When I saw Common do his performance at the NBA All-Star Weekend, I thought it was the greatest performance I’d ever seen a Hip Hop artist do on TV — and no one said anything.”

He continues, “The final straw for me was the young man Pop Smoke being murdered, and all of a sudden he becomes a name. It was reminiscent of the year before with Nipsy Hussle, somebody who I played and supported on our RAPstation networks. A few people knew his name but then he gets murdered and of all a sudden it’s this ground swell. The blogs, platforms and all Hip Hop media, I felt they were heavily negligent and started to hover like buzzards waiting for the worst thing to happen.”

Nipsy Hussle, somebody who I played and supported on our RAPstation networks. A few people knew his name but then he gets murdered and of all a sudden it’s this ground swell

feel like this is nagl for chuck

Now Flav's saying he was not part of the "hoax." I give up.

great tweet, imo

I am not a part of your hoax .@mrchuckd,,,there are more serious things in the world right now than April Fool's jokes and dropping records,,,the world needs better than this,,,you say we are leaders so act like one,,,donate to those in need here: https://t.co/7hioasSwuV

— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) April 1, 2020

oof

Chuck just got murked with that one

Tomorrow he'll say his denial was another april fool.

But Chuck will say his april fool was the april fool

But Chuck will be in coma from that exploding can Flav left in his fridge.

it's just part of long-game prank feud to promote 2024 album

"Gaming the Game Long Game Gains"

Nipsy Hussle, somebody who I played and supported on our RAPstation networks. A few people knew his name but then he gets murdered and of all a sudden it’s this ground swell

feel like this is nagl for chuck

― turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Wednesday, April 1, 2020 3:40 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Its absolutely undeniable that outlets were not covering Nipsey in a way that matched his reach.

I'll leave coverage of Brooklyn drill opinions to D-40 tho

New PE - I guess Chuck D and Flav ultimately made up, but regardless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQvDRe79F8k&list=RDOQvDRe79F8k&start_radio=1&fbclid=IwAR3qH8BtdzYgNi2up7hfcVCVKzX71nkA6sibSKr2sWEENId_iOOMq2ohjDE

Apologies, try this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQvDRe79F8k

Highly enjoyable.

The chorus feels more like Ice-T than Public Enemy. Good track, though - better than I expected from them at this point.

Exactly. We'll miss them when they're gone for good.

I do like how Chuck's gruff older man voice brings to mind all these MCs that have been gruff from the start, like, I dunno, Method Man or El-P or all sorts.

https://americansongwriter.com/chuck-d-breaks-down-state-of-the-union-stfu-songwriting-and-public-enemys-upcoming-flavor-flav-produced-album

well earned victory lap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNUl8bAKdi4

lots of stuff re the new album being their first new album in years.
i guess 'nothing is quick in the desert' that was released in 2017 doesn't count then ?

holy shit

2017 was years ago tbf

[citation needed]

oh god i want ?uestlove's Sade tee

This made me look up this remix, a guy I went to college did it when he was also in school and it made their album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEhj4hbOskc

His electronic music was so sick, but now he only makes contemporary classical/experimental stuff and electro-country.

https://www.vulture.com/2020/09/chuck-d-interview-public-enemy-when-the-grid-goes-down.html

some semi-coherent quotes in this interview with Chuck but this one was simply to the point.

The fact that this guy, Donald Trump, who’s been philandering a half-assed celebrity joke for the last 45 to 50 years in New York City, the fact that he has that power is a disgrace to the planet Earth. He’s not equipped to govern millions of people or thousands of people. He’s not equipped to govern 100 people. Get the fuck up outta there. He shouldn’t even be there. The fact that he pulled a three-card-monte job on the United States of America isn’t just a reflection on him. It’s a reflection of the comfort zone a lot of Americans feel. They’re telling you your life don’t matter. Black lives don’t matter. Women don’t matter. You can go through a lot of the doctrine of the United States of America and see where it’s been shown and proven that certain people don’t matter. On top of that, you have authority that basically says they don’t care.

new album getting some good reviews but didn't do much for me

Chuck's taste in beats has really declined

The fact that this guy, Donald Trump

Why do people do this, idgi. “Ohh, THAT guy!”

All the living members of Beastie Boys and Run DMC appear on a lockdown-recorded new version of Public Enemy #1

It's not that special. Just another later period pe mixtape/album. But with lots of guests.

The PE#1 is alright but, yeah, nothing special.
I loved PE in their heyday but now it's like caring about a new rolling stones albums.

When did chuck d become such a wooly speaker?

He also sounds bored on the very first song of the new album. Just going through the motions. And every verse on fight the power 2020 seems to have been cut in a different studio.

It was done for the BET Awards so everyone was remote

Though even without the pandemic I think it's more the exception than the rule that guest verses are done in the same studio

Sure, but it really sounds like it!

I saw PE at a Bernie rally last year and Chuck was just over the map w/ his banter, more than I ever remember him being...maybe abt half (?) of it held together, that ^excerpt seems relatively coherent by comparison

Xpost - the most jarring was the Beastie Boys on the PE#1 remake - I swear they recorded that on their iPhone

If neither of them plan to record again, it makes sense that they don't have home vocal studios

though Adrock's partner might have a microphone around at least

yeah I mean a Blue Yeti would do

Xpost - the most jarring was the Beastie Boys on the PE#1 remake - I swear they recorded that on their iPhone