Ali Shaheed Muhammad on Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back" (1988)
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Public Enemy's debut album Yo! Bum Rush the Show enjoyed critical and commercial success back when it first landed in 1987, especially considering how controversial the album was. In fact, DJ's refused to play PE on the radio because of Chuck D's politics.
Chuck and the group started working on the next album right away. It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back was released in 1988 and is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time. No one was doing what PE was doing. Together with Hank Shocklee and the Bomb Squad's chaotic, sample heavy production, Public Enemy started a movement.
The one and only Ali Shaheed Muhammad of Tribe, Lucy Pearl, and countless other projects sits down with us to discuss Public Enemy's sophomore album, the use of samples all over the place, and Flava Flav's mastery of the art of the hypeman.
More on Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Hear Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Adrian Younge Team With Jazz Royalty on New Comp (Rolling Stone)Ali's bio on Linear LabsTwitter | InstagramMore on Public Enemy
‘Nation Of Millions’: Why Public Enemy’s Masterpiece Cannot Be Held Back (UDiscoverMusic)Public Enemy Talks 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back' on Its 30th Anniversary (Pitchfork)You've Never Heard Public Enemy's 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back'?! (NPR)Show Tracklisting (all songs from It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back unless otherwise indicated):
Cold Lampin' With FlavorBring the NoiseCaught, Can We Get A WitnessBlack Steel In The Hour of ChaosDon't Believe the HypeTerminator X to the Edge of PanicLouder Than a BombRebel Without a PauseSpoony Gee & The Treacherous Three: Love RapTerminator X to the Edge of PanicIsaac Hayes: HyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymisticBlack Steel in the Hour of ChaosLafayette Afro Rock Band: Darkest LightShow 'Em Whatcha GotTerminator X to the Edge of PanicBring the NoiseLouder Than A BombShe Watch Channel Zero?!Countdown to ArmageddonDon't Believe the HypeJames Brown: Funky DrummerX-Clan: Grand Verbalizer, What Time is It?Ice Cube: Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)Louder than A BombHere is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there
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