It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
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| It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back | ||
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| Album by Public Enemy | ||
| Released | April 1988 | |
| Recorded | Summer/Fall 1987 at Greene Street Recording & Chung King House of Metal in New York, New York & Sabella Recording in Roslyn, New York & Spectrum City Studios in Hempstead, New York | |
| Genre | Rap & Hip-Hop | |
| Length | 57 min 51 sec | |
| Record label | Def Jam | |
| Producer | Hank Shocklee & Carl Ryder | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| All Music Guide review | 5 stars out of 5 | link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:od47gjwrj6ip) |
| Public Enemy Chronology | ||
| Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987) | It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) | Fight the Power...Live! (1989) |
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is a 1988 (see 1988 in music) album by the hip hop group Public Enemy. Enormously influential, the album's mix of The Bomb Squad's sample-heavy beats and revolutionary lyrics railing against corporate control, structural racism and police brutality turned the album into a sensation, peaking at #1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, and #42 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also garnered much critical acclaim, and was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll.
In 2003 the TV channel VH1 named It Takes A Nation Of Millions the 20th greatest album of all time.
Track listing
- "Countdown to Armageddon" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Bring the Noise" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Don't Believe the Hype" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Cold Lampin' With Flavor" (Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Rodgers)
- "Mind Terrorist" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Louder Than a Bomb" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Caught, Can We Get a Witness" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Show 'Em Whatcha Got" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "She Watch Channel Zero?!" (Drayton/Griffin/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Night of the Living Baseheads" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (Public Enemy)
- "Security of the First World" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Rebel Without a Pause" (Ridenhour/Rodgers/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Prophets of Rage" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
- "Party for Your Right to Fight" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
Personnel
- Professor Griff - Vocals
- Chuck D. - Vocals
- Steven Ett - Mixing
- Fab 5 Freddy - Vocals
- Flavor Flav - Vocals
- Glen E. Friedman - Photography
- John Harrison - Engineer
- Rod Hui - Mixing
- Jeff Jones - Engineer
- Rick Rubin - Executive Producer
- Carl Ryder - Producer
- Nick Sansano - Engineer
- Hank Shocklee - Programming, Producer
- Terminator X - Turntables
- Chuck Valle - Engineer
- Eric "Vietnam" Sadler - Programming, Assistant Producer
- Norman Rogers - Scratching
- Bill Stephney - Production Supervisor
- Erica Johnson - Vocals
- Oris Josphe - Vocals
- Johnny Juice Rosado - Scratching, Turntables
- Greg Gordon - Engineer
- Jim Sabella - Engineer
- Keith Boxley - Mixing
- Chuck Chillout - Mixing
- Matt Tritto - Engineer
- Harry Allen - Vocals
- Christopher Shaw - Engineer
Charting singles
1988 Bring the Noise Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 56 1988 Don't Believe the Hype Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 18 1988 Night of the Living Baseheads Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 62 1988 Don't Believe the Hype Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 21 1988 Don't Believe the Hype Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles No. 17 1989 Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos Hot Rap Singles No. 11 1989 Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 86