It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

パブリック・エネミーが1988年に発表したHIP HOP史に残るセカンド・アルバム『It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back』が新パッケージにヴァージョンアップ!1988年に発売されてから、数々の批評家やマスコミから賞賛を浴び、ローリングストーン誌のオールタイムベストアルバムに選出、最高ランクに君臨した名盤、パブリック・エネミーの2ndアルバム『It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back』。今回ジュエル・ケース・パッケージに新しくリニューアルされて、発売決定。
1988年にDef Jamから発売されたHIP HOPの歴史の名を残す名盤。エグゼクティヴ・プロデューサーにRick Rubin 、そしてBill Stephney迎えて、Chuck DとHank Shocklee、Eric Sadler、Keith Shockleeによるプロデュースチームthe Bomb Squadがプロデュースを担当。Time、Q、NME、Rolling Stoneなどがオールタイムベストアルバムに選出し、Beastie Boys, Benny Benassi, Fat Joe, Game, Jay Z, Jurassic 5, Ludacris, Madonna, My Bloody Valentine, The Roots, Tiga and Tricky.といったHIP HOPのジャンルを超え幅広いアーティストに影響を与えている。

Spin - Included in Spin's list of the Top Ten College Cult Classics - "...In any context, a revolutionary work..." Vibe - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century Q - 5 Stars - Indispensable - "...the greatest rap album of all time, a landmark and classic...." NME - 10 (out of 10) - "...the greatest hip-hop album ever....this wasn't merely a sonic triumph. This was also where Chuck wrote a fistful of lyrics that promoted him to the position of foremost commentator/documentor of life in the underbelly of the USA...." NME - Ranked #9 in NME's list of the 'Greatest Albums Of All Time.' Rolling Stone - Ranked #12 in Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums Of The Eighties" survey. Q - Ranked #47 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime" Rolling Stone - Ranked #48 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...Loud, obnoxious, funky, avant-garde, political, uncompromising, hilarious..." NME - Ranked #5 in NME's list of The 50 Greatest Albums Of The '80s - "...[IT TAKES A NATION...] drags punk, rock, and hip-hop screaming towards the end of the century....Definitive..." Alternative Press - Ranked #6 in AP's list of the 'Top 99 Of '85-'95' - "...After IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK, rap couldn't just be stupid and boom and yelp--it had to have production values and 'relevance'..." Spin - "...NATION OF MILLIONS lived up to its hype and then some..." Alternative Press - Included in AP's "10 Essential '80s Albums". Mojo - "...Responsible for the angriest polemic since The Last Poets....[They] revolutionized the music, using up to 80 backing tracks in the sonic assault....to these ears PE sound like the greatest rock'n'roll band in history." Vibe - Ranked #1 in Vibe's "Top 10 rap albums". Alternative Press - Included in AP's "10 Essential Political-Revolution Albums" Melody Maker - Bloody Essential - "...I hadn't believed it could get harder [than YO! BUM RUSH THE SHOW]. Or better....It was like being beaten over the head in four/four time with a skip..." Q - 4 stars out of 5 - "Packed full of loud, obnoxious classics....You really should own this by now." Pitchfork - "The early Public Enemy masterpieces remain unique and inimitable now, relics of a world irreparably changed though in a few notable ways, very much the same."

Yo! Bum Rush the Show was an invigorating record, but it looks like child's play compared to its monumental sequel, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, a record that rewrote the rules of what hip-hop could do. That's not to say the album is without precedent, since what's particularly ingenious about the album is how it reconfigures things that came before into a startling, fresh, modern sound. Public Enemy used the template Run-D.M.C. created of a rap crew as a rock band, then brought in elements of free jazz, hard funk, even musique concrete, via their producing team, the Bomb Squad, creating a dense, ferocious sound unlike anything that came before. This coincided with a breakthrough in Chuck D's writing, both in his themes and lyrics. It's not that Chuck D was smarter or more ambitious than his contemporaries -- certainly, KRS-One tackled many similar sociopolitical tracts, while Rakim had a greater flow -- but he marshaled considerable revolutionary force, clear vision, and a boundless vocabulary to create galvanizing, logical arguments that were undeniable in their strength. They only gained strength from Flavor Flav's frenzied jokes, which provided a needed contrast. What's amazing is how the words and music become intertwined, gaining strength from each other. Though this music is certainly a representation of its time, it hasn't dated at all. It set a standard that few could touch then, and even fewer have attempted to meet since. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|