Alright, so we've discussed Public Enemy, from the standpoint of representing it's target audience; now it's time to delve into the tracks. The foundation of Public Enemy, as being the Blackman who is striving to wake up the Blackman, is essential to understanding the essence of this album... indeed, it is essential to understanding all of their works. However, it is an undeniable fact that what made It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back the classic that it is (and instantly was, upon its release)... is the sound... the Noise... This, punctuated with lyrics so honest, angry, concerned, and even prophetic... made this work... the intricate masterpiece of audio mosaic expression of thought... the perfect enigma. An album so heavy with the frustration of Black life in America, yet filled with the promise of conquering the evil under which most Blacks found themselves to be oppressed by. Lyrics that made way too much sense to be dismissed, right alongside lyrics that could hardly be considered as having any more worth than a 1st grader's shot at rhyme time during lunch recess, this juxtaposition made it an intriguing listen for the critic, however for the Blackman for whom it was designed... it simply was a soundtrack to the various thoughts, conversations and experiences of living in America in the late 80s. This is the essence of "keeping it real". It's just real.. before anyone had to remind anyone to do so.
For part 2, I'm going to go down the track listing and mention key points about the sound and message of each song. I'll also point out just a few lyrics, as keys to understand the point of the songs. I don't want it to be too long, however this is a rather ambitious topic. So, let's get started.
- Countdown to Armageddon. This intro is classic. It opens with an introduction of Public Enemy, while on tour in London. Then the Sirens... It is war! This is the perfect beginning for a tour of the Black experience... not the Cosby Show... the real life, post-slavery Black experience. And the first voice of the group that you hear is Prof. Griff, yelling, "Peace! Armageddon has been in effect! Go get a Late Pass!" He also calls out, "This time around, the revolution will not be televised!" True, true... it will be on wax.
- Bring the Noise. "Oh My God." That was the reaction of most people, when they first heard this single. This is a perfect example of the Bomb Squad sound... sound...SOUND... SOUND EVERYWHERE. Your ears hardly get a chance to catch a breath! The use of sampling (within this song, as well as in the entire album) is utilized to it's apex. At once riveting and gripping, the noise begins to gently message one into the grove... then the listener begins to hear the music within the noise... this is the life of the Public Enemy, introduced to the general pubic, on their own terms. Leading the charge is a quote from a Malcolm X speech, "... too Black, too strong..." Then Flavor's heralding of Chuck D... followed by Chuck's unrelenting, articulately spoken, essay on why Public Enemy exists (as a musical expression of it's constituency), starting with, "Bass! How low can you go?" Key Lyrics: "Listen for lessons I'm sayin' inside music that the critics are all blasting me for. They'll never care for the brothers and sisters, now across the country has us up for the war." "Radio stations, I question their Blackness, they call themselves Black, but we'll see if they play this!"
- Don't Believe the Hype. This bouncy track was probably the most radio-friendly track. Still, there was the ever-present noise. This is a very danceable song, yet that's not the point. It's in this song that Chuck takes claim to the position of "leader" (and thus coining a term which would later be the name of another prominent Hip-Hop group), with the words, "The leader of the new school, uncool. Never plaid a fool, just made the rules." That said, they knew that this was ultimately going to be a track for the dance floors, so it has a slightly stripped down sound (at least, when compared with the other tracks). Flavor's featured ad libs are classic, too. Key Lyrics: "We're brothers of the same mind, unblind. Caught in the middle and not surrenderin'. I don't rhyme for the sake of riddlin'." "In the day time radio's scared of me, 'cause I'm mad, plus I'm the enemy... 'cause I know the time, plus I'm gettin' mine. I get on the mix, late in the night.." "88 you wait , the S1's will put the left in effect and I still will rock the hard jams and treat it like a seminar; teach the bourgeois, and rock the boulevard."
- Cold Lampin' with Flavor. This jam is spastic! Flavor's solo is crazy fun! "Live lyrics from the bank of reality!" Yes, indeed. Musically, it's very solid. Rather than just a simple loop/sample combo run throughout the length of the song, as a throw away track for Flavor, the production is still top notch, with breakdowns, bridges and choruses. You don't see craftsmanship like this in Hip-Hop anymore... hell, you hardly see it in any popular music. Key Lyrics: "Flav in the house, by Chuck D's side. Chuck's got the Flavor. Flav don't hide!" (Yes, we know...)
- Terminator X to the Edge of Panic. After a live concert introduction, this song opens with a building crescendo of sound that signals that play time is over. This is primarily a DJ cut, as was the common practice during the early days of Hip-Hop. However, even though the topic is the turntable supremacy of their DJ, Terminator X, the undercurrent of the song is about the misuse of the medium by other artists. This is highlighted by the samples of a speech by the Nation of Islam leader, Min. Louis Farrakhan, speaking about the effect of music on the black community. All that said, still the star of this show is the prominent scratching ability of Terminator X. From the "Flash Gordon" intro, to the various uses of the transformer scratch, Terminator show cased the turntables as stand out instruments, capable of carrying solos. Key Lyrics: "Terminator X packs the jams. Who give's a fuck about a goddamn Grammy? Anyway, and I'm sayin', the D's defendin' the mic, yeah, who gives a fuck about what they like?" "Terminator X! Yellin' with his hands, damn!"
- Mind Terrorist. This instrumental interlude is a perfect bridge for the sweat soaked exit from Terminator X's manifesto to the next Lecture. "Bass for your face!" (Echos of a future,yet to come.)
- Louder Than a Bomb. With a quiet Kool and the Gang sample (Who's Gonna Take the Wieght?), Flavor comes in to announce the arrival the Mind Terrorists, "They claim we're products from the bottom of hell, 'cause the Black is back and it's bound to sell. Picture us coolin' out on the 4th of July. And if you heard we were celebratin', that's a world-wide lie!" (Key Lyrics, from the start!) Then the heat is turned up and so is the volume! This song is a mixed mash up of various scratches and samples piled up on top of one another, with punctuations of silence. It's nonstop revolution music. It could, by itself, be a case study of why corporate marketing money would later be sunk into gangster rap and other hip-pop rap... This was just too much testosterone! Focused, Black testosterone. (A decidedly bad combination.) Key Lyrics: ... all of them... (However, I'll still pick something.) "This style seems wild. Wait, before you treat me like a step child. Let me tell you why they got me on file. 'Cause I give you what you lack, come right and exact. Our status is the saddest, so I care were you're at, Black." "You CIA, you see I ain't kiddin'. Both King and X, they got rid of both! A story untold. True, but unknown!"
- Caught, Can We Get a Witness? After a brief breather of a live concert flashback, the momentum of the album continues its freight train run through your head. Part, blaxploitation flick soundtrack, part paramilitary SWAT theme, this song moves like a boxer in the ring! Indeed, it moves like Mike Tyson at his prime (which is mentioned at a later point in the album), bobbing and weaving, while steadily moving forward. The song is built around a mock court room appearance. P.E. is on trail. Hip-Hop is on trial. The Blackman is on trail. This is the backdrop. Ultimately, the song flips the script and places the system itself on trial, and finds it guilty and anyone who sides with it. This is another vary danceable track, however it's so cerebral, it may pin you to your seat, while you unconsciously bob your head and contemplate the courtroom argument. Plus, this track may very well be the best to exhibit the friendship of the members of the group and the fun they had while making this record. Key Lyrics: "Ignorance is at a all-time high! Yo, Chuck, I think they need to be educated!" "They say that I planned this. On the radio, most of you will demand this. Won't be on the play list, 'cause of the way that I say this - No Sell Out!" "You singers are spineless! As you sing your senseless songs to the mindless. Your general subject, love, is minimal - it's sex-for-profit!"
- Show Em Whatcha Got. Act 2. This bass heavy interlude signals the second half of the album, and assures the listener that PE has not run out of steam. The layered horns and drums became an instant classic and would later be sampled by many other acts in the genre. However, no one would ever use it like it was originally designed. This is a mini-lecture, via short samples of a speech by Sis. Ava Muhammad, of the Nation of Islam. Key Lyrics: "Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitude."
- She Watch Channel Zero?! This song is a rock-rap marvel. And it's one of the most prophetic songs on the album. This song outlines the degradation of the Black community by the mindless watching of television programming, which is designed to strip the viewers of their intelligence. The sound is eerie and fast. This is the origin of mosh-pit rap that would become popular years later, by acts like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. The scariest aspect of all, is the connection of Flavor Flav to this song. "You bind, baby! You blind from the facts of who you are, 'cause you watchin' that garbage!" (Key Lyric) This is how Flavor starts the song off. He's extremely lucid in this song, addressing the metaphoric "she". What's so ironic is that years later Flavor would become one of the "actors" that help the brain washing. Somebody save Flavor Flav. He has become the monster of the television... coming to prey on unsuspecting minds... Flavor really steals the show, in this song... his admonishments are with a serious intent to wake up the subject of the song, that it almost makes one wonder if he somehow knew the future and recorded these messages to possibly wake himself up! Somebody save Flavor Flav. The end of the song flows seamlessly into the next song which starts with a sample of Min. Farrakhan, which could also be a direct admonishment of Flavor: "Have you forgotten that once we were brought here, we were robbed of our names, robbed of our language. We lost our religion, our culture, our God; and many of us, by the way we act, we even lost our minds!" (Key Lyric for that song, by the way.) Key Lyrics: "You watchin' garbage... Why don't you back up from the TV, read a book or somethin', read about yourself, learn your culture! ... You're blind baby. You're blind from the fact of who you are, 'cause you're watchin' that garbage."
- Night of the Living Baseheads. This song is the twin of Bring the Noise. It is a sonic barrage of nonstop Noise, with samples, scratching, layering, pauses, breakdowns, the likes of which have never been duplicated. On top of all that, this is an anti-drug song... probably the most intense of it's kind. The song moves like, and mirrors, the experience of being high on crack, while admonishing the choices of those who are selling as well as using. This song cleverly brought the consciousness of what drugs were doing to the Black community to the dance floor. This was the real "war on drugs". Key Lyrics: "Shame on a brother, when he dealin' the same block where my 98 be wheelin'. And everybody know, another kilo from a corner, from a brother, keep another below. Stop illin' and killin'. Stop grillin'. Yo Black, Yo! We are willin'!" "Succotash is a meal for kids that make cash selling drugs to the brother man instead of the other man."
- Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos. This manifesto is the perfect metaphorical ballad. Powered by a sample of Isaac Hayes' Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic. This song is menacing and full of determination. It follows Chuck D, who is wrongfully imprisoned, and his planned escape from said prison. As a story, it works exceedingly well. As a metaphor, it's even more powerful. Remember, PE as a collective represents the intelligent Blackman. The cell is the imprisonment of his mind, within the walls of the system he has unwittingly helped to construct and keep in place. This song is about literally breaking out of mental slavery. When looking at it that way, the song becomes almost mesmerizing. Key Lyrics: "They got me rottin' in the time that I'm servin'. Tellin' you what happened, the same time they're throwin' four of us packed in a cell like slaves, oh well. The same motherfucker got us livin' in his hell. You have to realize what is a form of slavery, organized..."
- Security of the First World. This interlude, named after the security force of Public Enemy, the S1Ws, is the bridge to the 3rd and final act of this snapshot of Black activism. It builds from the quiet fade out of Black Steel, and acts as a count down. Preparing the listener for the Firey climactic apex of the film... oh, I mean the Album.
- Rebel Without a Pause. "Brothers and Sisters! I don't know what this world is coming to!" If there is one song... only one song to distill Public Enemy down to it's pure essence... it has to be this one. This song is the calling card for PE. It's like an introduction... a re-introduction, if you will. The samples are flying everywhere! The drums are everywhere... just off-the wall! This is rebel party music! This is what you play after successfully busting out of the prison on track 12. There is no one specific theme, other than to acquaint the listener to the members of the group and the ultimate purpose of the group. It works. Again and again. Key Lyrics: "Radio suckers never play me. On the the mix, they just ok me." "From the rebel it's final, on black vinyl, soul, rock and rock, comin' like a rhino. Tables turn, suckers burn to learn. They can't disable the power of my label." "No matter what the name, we're all the same: pieces in one big chess game." "You know the rhythm, the rhyme, plus the beat is designed so I can enter you mind."
- Prophets of Rage. The perfect follow up to Rebel is this song. Equally intense and dense with samples and lyrics. This is a bit more focused on the political core of the methods and goals of Public Enemy. It's fast... fast like a jab from Ali. It's also just as effective. Key Lyrics: "I roll with the punches, so I survive. Try to rock, 'cause it keeps the crowd alive. I'm not ballin', I'm just callin', but I'm passed the days of yes y'allin'." "Follow a path of positivity, you go. Some sing it or rap it or harmonize it through go-go. Little you know, but very seldom I do party jams. About a plan, I'm considered the man." "They tell lies in the books that you're readin'. It's knowledge of yourself that you're needin'."
- Party For Your Right to Fight. The final song is a fiery swan song. It plays like this album is going to go on forever. Fast, heavy hitting, even danceable, the lyrics and spirit of the song are a seeming contradiction to the title. However, the title actually refers more to an allusion to the Black Panther Party than it does to a mere play on words to the classic party song by the Beastie Boys, (Fight for Your Right to Party). Sonically it continues the methods utilized throughout the album, with one distinction. The vocals are shared by both Chuck and Flavor, in a stereo fashion, with Chuck on the right and Flavor on the left. They are delivering the same lyrics, however their individual interpretations make it feel like a pro-wrestling double team stomp! On this track it's all business, no antics (not even from Flavor). Key Lyrics: "To those that disagree, it causes static for the original Black Asiatic man. Cream of the Earth and was here first, and some devils prevent this from being known, but you check out the books they own.Even Masons they know it, but they refuse to show it, Yo! But it's proven in fact; It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back!"
The last song ends abruptly, like a dream interrupted... leaving you wanting more. This 57 minute class on how to make "protest songs" is not only (one of) the best in Hip-Hop, it's one of the best albums made in all of music, in the last century. This deserves a careful listen, for those newbies who grew up on Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, Drake, and all the other perpetuators of stupidity, masqueraded as popular music. If you're already familiar, then just listen to it again and let it sink into your mind. Reflect on the fact that this is the formula that has enabled this ground-breaking group to last in the music industry for over 20 years, while still touring, thriving and making new music... a previously unheard of feet in the Hip-Hop culture. Then take the ear phones off, get in motion, and bring the noise!
No comments:
Post a Comment