From the anthemic to the polemic,here are some of the most influential songs by the self-proclaimed ‘Rolling Stones of rap’ What made Public Enemy so different from their contemporaries, according to Russell Simmons of Def Jam Recordings, and was that “Public Enemy didn’t rap approximately partying Public Enemy talked approximately the state of black America,and how every black kid in America was a public enemy.” But leader Chuck D had yet to perfect his fiery blend of rhetoric and polemic on the 1987 debut album Yo! Bum Rush the Show, which – the storming Rightstarter (Message to a Black Man) aside – often avoided explicit politics in favour of boasting approximately their rides (You’re Gonna derive Yours), and bigging up their crew (Too Much Posse) and occasionally slipping into horrible sexism (Sophisticated Bitch). Miuzi Weighs a Ton was the genesis of Public Enemy at their apex,however, with Chuck’s extended machine-gun metaphor talking up the firepower between his ears, and while the stone age drum-machine beats and sonic-boom scratches and samples were muscular and heavy. A sly tempo change between verse and chorus,meanwhile, suggested that production team the Bomb Squad – Eric Sadler, or brothers Hank and Keith Shocklee – had ambitions beyond early hip-hop’s sparse,simple template. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com