It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

1	Countdown to Armageddon 1:42
2	Bring the Noise 3:45
3	Don't Believe the Hype 5:19
4	Cold Lampin' with Flavor 4:17
5	Terminator X to the Edge of Panic 4:31
6	Mind Terrorist 1:21
7	Louder Than a Bomb 3:38
8	Caught, Can We Get a Witness? 4:53
9	Show 'Em Whatcha Got 1:56
10	She Watch Channel Zero?! 3:49
11	Night of the Living Baseheads 3:14
12	Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos 6:23
13	Security of the First World 1:20
14	Rebel Without a Pause 5:02
15	Prophets of Rage 3:18
16	Party for Your Right to Fight 3:24

Barnes & Noble

Arguably the greatest hip-hop recording ever, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back arrived in 1988, when rap music was just beginning to emerge in the mainstream. Chuck D and Flavor Flav adroitly captured the rage, dismay, and wit of African America during the late stages of the Reagan era. The rapping was eloquent and urgent, and the backing sound was abrasive and urbane. Songs like "Bring the Noise" and "Don't Believe the Hype" became big hits and idiomatic expressions. "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" was covered by Tricky; "Bring the Noise" was remade by Anthrax. With its powerful synthesis of articulate message and pop savvy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back made hip-hop an important force in popular culture. P.E. went on to record two more important statements, Fear of a Black Planet and Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black, before being overtaken by nihilistic trends in hip-hop. Martin Johnson

All Music Guide

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 concrète, 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