Public Enemy – Power to the People and the Beats: Public Enemy’s Greatest Hits

Artist: Public Enemy

Title: Power to the People and the Beats: Public Enemy’s Greatest Hits

Label: Def Jam

Rating: 9.5/10

FILE UNDER: The greatest Hip-hop crew ever.

THE GREAT:
Let me present the great in another way. Not only are these tracks great—they are also some of the greatest songs in hip-hop and music, period.

Tracks 3-7 come from one of the greatest albums of all time; It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. If you are alive and call yourself a music fan and don’t own It Takes A Nation… then you are not a fan of music. Hit after hit pound throughout from classics like “Rebel Without A Pause,” “Don’t Believe The Hype, and “Bring The Noise.”

Chuck D. is the motor that makes Public Enemy run. His baritone sends shivers. No artist has as many amazing lines as Chuck. Flavor Flav drops hilarious rhymes but Chuck was brilliant. His voice has been sampled countless times because he is a hip-hop God. Ask any hip-hop artist who they idolize and Chuck D. is the first off their lips. No other song showcases Chuck’s power like “Black Steel In The Hour”—my favorite Public Enemy track of all time.

Let’s not forget the great Fear of a Black Planet featuring the hit “Welcome To The Terrordome” and “Brothers Gonna Work It Out.” Then there is an anthem for our generation “Fight The Power.” Chuck D. was ready for a revolution and it couldn’t have come at a better time as kids of all races needed someone to idolize. Flav doesn’t score on “911” but Flav knocks “Can’t Do Nuttin’ For Ya Man” out of the park. This is Flav’s moment to shine.

By the time Chuck and Public Enemy get to Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Black the tracks started losing their tenacity but were nevertheless better than most artists. Chuck voice could still scare a grown man on “Shut ‘Em Down.” And Chuck takes Arizona to task about ignoring Martin Luther King’s birthday on “By The Time I Get To Arizona.”

Fans will be happy that “He Got Game” is included so they don’t have to get the MP3 or carry around the soundtrack just to hear it.

THE AVERAGE:
“You’re Gonna Get Yours” – Chuck’s 98 Oldsmobile might be rolling hard but this track shows its age. A better choice would have been “Miuzi Weighs A Ton.”
“911 Is A Joke” – I love Flav but the song is dated and not nearly as fun without the video.

THE BAD:
There are some notable songs missing: “Night of the Living Baseheads,” “Yo! Bum Rush The Show,” “Miuzi Weighs A Ton,” “Burn Hollywood Burn.”

Also, one of the biggest issues is the edits for tracks like “Fight The Power” and “Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos.” For whatever reason those tracks have f**k edited out but they never edited “He Got Game.” Now that is criminal. Give it to me raw or don’t give it to me at all. Yeah, Boy!

FRANKLY: Even though this is a must own just for cruising I’d recommend It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back for anyone that doesn’t already own that album. Even music lovers out there who don’t care for rap will love It Takes A Nation…—ask a punk rock artist and they’ll tell you no one was more punk than P.E.

Public Enemy deserves to be put in the category of musical immortals. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Clash, U2, and so on. Public Enemy are legends and they shouldn’t be ignored.

Public Enemy never strayed away from racism, power, the media, and social issues—instead they tackled them head-on. Public Enemy wasn’t just about making music—they sought to start a revolution. They achieved that goal—just look at hip-hop today. It has become part of the mainstream and taken over just about every media there is. Public Enemy #1!

+ Charlie Craine