It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

oops fairly OTM there. Stankonia is Outkast's 'on top of the world' album though.

The "funny" thing about Professor Griff is that his solo album was produced by a white friend of mine.

Has anyone responded to this claim from the original post yet? I'm not sure I agree...supporting evidence?

I was thinking of *intentionally* comic jester figures...

For those who lack
The odds are stacked
The one who makes the money is white not black
You might not believe it but it is like that

The first thing you noticed about the song was that no one had ever said things like that in a rap. The second thing was how instantly addictive the phrasing was. The first three lines could be Run-DMC or the Beasties. The fourth line is pure jazz.

It's that combo that makes Chuck swings so hard--much harder than the "great MCs" in my opinion. My first reaction to Nation was that it was too noisy to hear the drums. But then I realized Chuck was the drum.

In fact, I think the fall-off on Black Planet isn't the Bomb Squad but Chuck. Even on the last classic single, the remix of "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," he kinda sounds like he's catching up with the sonics rather than dominating them. "Refuse to lose" is the great exception. I knew a guy who went around repeating that opening over and over again...

Anyone have a copy of this in electronic form?

issue 20 not yet online, but I thoroughly recommend buying a copy. even if just for this article, there are so few shocklee/chuck interviews where they talk about their work method anyway

stay free is amazing

Anyone got a scanner?

"They were a poor, black gang of kids from the New York ghetto, but through a shared love of those crazy negro rhythms, and unimpeachable social consciences, they moved the hearts and minds of millions of white college kids."

NWA (ie, Dre) totally ripped the Bomb Squad production for ZAGGIN4EFIL and the "100 miles and running" EP. Gawd, remembering some of these songs in my head makes me realize just how bad Dre was as a rapper. I'm not sold on his legacy as a producer either tho...

For no reason I want to mention "Jackin' For Beats" by Ice Cube.

-- Matos W.K. (michaelangelomato...), March 25th, 2004 8:55 PM. (M Matos) (later)

point of order - it WAS!!!

It Takes a Nation of Interns to Troll Us Back

http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2012/07/05/156327372/youve-never-heard-public-enemys-it-takes-a-nation-of-millions-to-hold-us-back

Ultimately, I have no regrets leaving It Takes A Nation on what is now an entirely metaphorical shelf. I'll gladly say thank-you, but given the choice, I'm going to blast Drake's infectiously triumphant mp3s every time.

ha ha, one of the pitfalls of free will. some will choose death over life every time.

"I hesitate to use the word influence, but the question really has to be asked: other than their perenial place on critic's polls what was Public Enemy's lasting effect on hip hop?"

yeah, I sometimes wonder why more writers choose not to write like Nabakov, or why more running backs choose not to run like Barry Sanders?

It's the ones who write like Sanders and run like Nabokov that concern me.

the lex responded

where?

Publishing this on NPR is definitely trollbait, but I don't have an issue with the kid preferring Drake to Public Enemy. Among all of the comments sputtering with outrage, there was a smart one, I thought, that said something to the effect of "Hey, based on your tastes in current hip-hop, Public Enemy probably wasn't the best recommendation. I bet you'd be more into Tribe or De La Soul."

That was Questlove!

Lex's response, which I thought was pretty great:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/jul/17/public-enemy-classic-albums?newsfeed=true

lol NPR really running with this music-troll thing

That was Questlove!

Quest's comment was also good, but this was a different one.