Fear of a Black Planet

Review by Alan Koslowski for Care of a Black PlanetRating: With It Takes a State of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988), Public Enemy single-handedly shattered the limits and expanded the possibilities for hip-hop as an artist and cultural force.To that point, It Takes a State was the most inventive, powerful rap record ever.It`s mix of diverse samples, infectious beats, and intelligent lyrics (delivered with irrepresible cogence by the band`s frontman and lead rapper Chuck D) was unlike anything that preceded it.

s enticing as it is to praise Public Enemy for their fiercly intelligent vision, the compelling delivery is what makes it all worthwhile.While secondary rapper Flavor Flav doesn`t have Chuck D`s powerful baritone or undeniable intelligence, his raps humorously compliment the groups militant ideals.Public Enemy`s deft production team, aptly titled The Bomb Squad (which includes Chuck D, DJ Terminator X, and numerous studio technicians), manages to extract samples from eccletic sources, including John Coltrane, Van Halen, and speeches by Martin Luther King jr. and Malcom X.If this album had a flaw, it was that the themes were only loosely held together.All discuss African-American oppression, occasionally attacking it so ambiguously that the album sometimes feels a little unfocused.This isn`t actually a job because the medicine is what ultimately holds this magnificent work together.In 1990, after two days of controversy and uncertainty, Public Enemy returned with Dread of a Black Planet; the most coherent, focused rap album to date.On Fear of a Black Planet, Public Enemy amazingly build on the near perfection of It Takes a Nation, elevating the medicine to an even higher artistic level.Fear of a Black Planet begins with an instrumental track, "Contract on the World Love Jam", that quietly describes the band`s precarious situation from the old year.Then, the album explodes into an intense, funky song that manipulates a Prince sample so creatively you likely won`t realize it.The lyrics and title assure everyone that, "Brothers Gonna Make It Out".That song sets the feeling for the full album and from that point Public Enemy takes control and never relaxes their grip.Fear of a Black Planet is a remarkably complex record; each song seems to switch gears and prompt in a different direction.It`s unpredictable, yet it always sounds like Public Enemy knows just where they`re going.On, "Incident at 66.6 FM", The Bomb Squad samples a call-in radio interview with Chuck D.The comments by the interviewer and numerous callers introduce the following track, "Welcome to the Terror Dome".Chuck D effectively shoots down his critics against a menacing soundscape that includes a refined siren sample, with a muted vocal harmony in the background.On, "Fear of a Black Planet", he addresses the wild fear of mixed marriage.He displays an uncharacteristic sense of humor, as some of the vocals are manipulated to sound munchkin-like (yet still sound in character with the song).On, "B Side Wins Again", he berates mainstream radio for refusing to bring anything strange or controversial.Chuck`s voice is tempered with a reverberation effect, creating a fuzzy echo after the initial vocal sound.Though Chuck D is clear the principal creative force behind Public Enemy, Flavor Flav has a bit of strong moments.On, "911 is a Joke", he berates emergency response crews for incompentence.On, "Can`t do Nuttin` For Ya Man", he tells a seemingly hopeless case to work his own problems.Flavor Flav delivers his clever rhymes with his trademark humorous flamboyance.He and Chuck D collaborate on the last song, the best rap anthem ever recorded and Public Enemy`s statement of purpose, "Fight the Power"."Fight the King" is the perfect end for an adventurous record that, despite it`s many musical directions, is always focused.Many have condemned Public Enemy for promoting bigotry.In some feel this is not without basis, as some lyrics on Fear of a Black Planet appear, at least superficially, to be prejudicial.On, "Welcome to the Terror Dome", Chuck responds to a Rabbi who critized the radical with words like, "Told the Rab, get off the rag" and, "they got me like Jesus".Even though he subsequently declared that he doesn`t harbor hostility for all Jews, this isn`t apparent while listening to the album."Meet the G That Killed Me", contains blatantly homophobic lyrics such as, "Man to man, don`t know if they can, from what I know, that parts don`t fit".While you may not harmonize with these and other viewpoints (which I sometimes don`t), they are irrelevant to Public Enemy`s artistic achievement.The full presentation is what makes their music artistically viable.After Black Planet, Public Enemy released Apocalypse 91:The Enemy Strikes Black (1991).It`s a solid effort with several outstanding tracks, but a bit uneven and not a procession from their old work.In 1994, they released Muse Sick-N-Hour Message; a listless, redundant disappointment.Since then, the radical has shown flashes of innovation, but is generally just treading water (as grounds of this, Chuck D is now known more for his hold of medicine on the net rather any artistic contribution).With It Takes a State of Millions to Make Us Back and Dread of a Black Planet, Public Enemy took rap to an artistic and cultural level that had not been reached before and hasn`t been reached since. �