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It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
Def Jam Records, 1988
REVIEW BY: Sean McCarthy
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/04/1998
In honor of the birthday of our nation, "The Daily Vault" reviewer Sean McCarthy proudly submits the following review...
Aww, hell, who the hell am I trying to kid? It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back just isn't as dangerous to have in your possession as it did ten years ago. Political rhetoric doesn't raise the hairs of elders who are too busy cowering over Marilyn Manson and 2Pac.
I have very fond memories of Public Enemy's second major album. It was on a list with Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue and Slayer for albums that the PTA for our school blacklisted in a newsletter. If your kids had any of those albums, you could confront them for possessing drugs, antisocial behavior, joining the Jesse Jackson for President campaign in 1988.
Though I bought the album soon after getting into Fear Of A Black Planet in 1990, the album still was able to set people off. After a good read of the lyrics, it's hard to believe that this album was considered to be controversial. Sure, the album has shout-outs to Louis Farrakhan ("Don't Believe The Hype"), tales of a violent jailbreak ("Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos") and a dis at housewives ("She Watch Channel Zero"), but it still is pretty tame by today's standards.
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