Fear of a Black Planet
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Fear of a Black Planet | ||
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Missing image PublicEnemyFearofaBlackPlan.jpg Album cover | ||
Album by Public Enemy | ||
Released | March 20, 1990 | |
Recorded | Summer/Fall 1989 at Greene Street Recording in New York, New York & The Music Palace, West Hempstead and Spectrum City Studios in Long Island, New York | |
Genre | Rap & Hip-Hop | |
Length | 64 min 04 sec | |
Record label | Def Jam | |
Producer | The Bomb Squad | |
Professional reviews | ||
All Music Guide review | 5 stars out of 5 | link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:cj9us38ba3vg) |
Public Enemy Chronology | ||
Fight the Power...Live! (1989) | Fear of a Black Planet (1990) | Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black (1991) |
Fear of a Black Planet is an East Coast rap album by the hip hop crew Public Enemy, released on March 20, 1990 (see 1990 in music). The album's musical qualities were overshadowed by a recent controversy surrounding alleged anti-Semitic remarks by group member Professor Griff. Since the controversy has retreated into the past, the album's critical reception has been generally very positive, with many commentators ranking it equal to or better than their more popular and universally acclaimed prior album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. The Bomb Squad's innovative and diverse production and Chuck D's incendiary and thoughtful songwriting have earned the album raves from many critics. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music credits Fear of a Black Planet's atmosphere to the "bunker mentality" of "clashes with the press", and specifically cites "Fight the Power", which "bites harder than just about any other track in rap's history" (p. 1864).
Contents |
Track listing
- "Contract on the World Love Jam" [instrumental] (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "911 Is a Joke" (Drayton/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Incident at 66.6 FM" [instrumental] (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Welcome to the Terrordome" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Meet the G That Killed Me" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Pollywanacraka" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Anti-Nigger Machine" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Burn Hollywood Burn" (Hardy/Jackson/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Power to the People" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Who Stole the Soul?" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Fear of a Black Planet" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Revolutionary Generation" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Reggie Jax" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Leave This off Your Fu*kin Charts" [instrumental] (Rodgers)
- "B Side Wins Again" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "War at 33⅓" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Final Count of the Collison Between Us and Them" [instrumental] (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Fight the Power" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee/Shocklee)
Chart positions
Billboard Music Charts - album
1990 The Billboard 200 No. 10 1990 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums No. 3
Billboard Music Charts - singles
1989 Fight the Power Hot Rap Singles No. 1 1990 911 Is a Joke Hot Rap Singles No. 1 1990 Brother's Gonna Work it Out Hot Rap Singles No. 22 1990 Welcome to the Terrordome Hot Rap Singles No. 3 1990 911 Is a Joke Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 15 1990 Brother's Gonna Work it Out Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 20 1990 Welcome to the Terrordome Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 15 1990 Brother's Gonna Work it Out Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 31 1990 Welcome to the Terrordome Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 49 1990 911 Is a Joke Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 26 1990 Brothers Gonna Work it Out Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 36 1990 Welcome to the Terrordome Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 8 1991 Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man Hot Rap Singles No. 11
Personnel
- Big Daddy Kane - Rapper
- Ice Cube - Rapper
- Professor Griff - Rapper
- Chris Champion - Assistant Engineer
- Chuck D - Rapper
- Paul Eulin - Engineer, Mixing
- Flavor Flav - Rapper
- Rod Hui - Engineer, Mixing
- Steve Loeb - Engineer
- Branford Marsalis - Saxophone
- Carl Ryder - Arranger, Director, Producer, Sequencing
- Nick Sansano - Engineer, Mixing
- Keith Shocklee - Arranger, Director, Producer, Sequencing
- Paul Shabazz - Programming
- Christopher Shaw - Engineer, Mixing
- Hank Shocklee - Arranger, Director, Producer, Sequencing
- Howie Weinberg - Mastering
- Kirk Yano - Engineer
- Eric "Vietnam" Sadler - Arranger, Director, Programming, Producer, *Sequencing
- Mike Bona - Engineer, Mixing
- Norman Rogers - Scratching
- Jules Allen - Photography
- Dave Patillo - Assistant Engineer
- Dan Wood - Engineer, Mixing
- Tom Conway - Assistant Engineer
References
- The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Edited by Colin Larkin. 1992. London. MUZE UK Ltd. ISBN 033374134X