#302 - Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet (1990)
MUSIC HISTORY COMPILED BY ADAM BERNARD:
BACKGROUND – PUBLIC ENEMY
Public Enemy formed in Long Island, NY in 1985 by 2 guys named Carlton Ridenhour (Chuck D), and William Drayton (aka Flavor Flav). They met at Adelphi University, and they, along with others, were originally known as Chuck D and Spectrum City. The first release was "Check Out The Radio". Chuck D also put out a tape to promote WBAU (the radio station where he was working at the time) and to fend off a local MC who wanted to battle him. He called the tape Public Enemy #1 because he felt like he was being persecuted by people in the local scene. This was the first reference to the notion of a public enemy in any of Chuck D's songs. The program director at WBAU got a job at a record label a year later, and connected Public Enemy with a producer struggling to get his career going, Rick Rubin. The goal from that point was to take the style of Run DMC and mesh it with political themes. The Spectrum City team eventually became The Bomb Squad, and with the additions of Professor Griff and a DJ named Terminator X (later replaced by DJ Lord). They got the first big break by opening for the Beastie Boys on the Licensed to Ill tour, and released their debut album "Yo! Bum Rush The Show" in 1987. It was well received, which led to the making and release of their 2nd album, the iconic "It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back" in 1988, which included the hit singles "Don't Believe The Hype", and "Bring The Noise", which later-on went to be a crossover hit with Anthrax. Having fulfilled their initial creative ambitions with that album, the group aspired to create what lead rapper Chuck D called "a deep, complex album", leading us to today's discussion.
With Public Enemy, Flavor Fav served as comic relief, and Chuck D. always made it clear that he was a character designed to take the edge off their socially and politically charged songs. Unlike character singers like Alice Cooper, however, Flav stays in character and even amplifies it at opportune times.
In a 1989, interview for the Washington Times, the interviewing journalist lifted some quotations from a UK magazine in which the band were asked their opinion on the Arab–Israeli conflict. Professor Griff commented that "Jews are responsible for the majority of the wickedness in the world" Shortly after, Chuck D expressed an apology on his behalf, and later Chuck D announced Griff's dismissal from the group. Russell Simmons, president of Def Jam Recordings, stated that Chuck D. had disbanded Public Enemy "for an indefinite period of time" in June, but by August Chuck D denied that he had disbanded the group, and stated that Griff had been re-hired as "Supreme Allied Chief of Community Relations" (in contrast to his previous position with the group as Minister of Information).
Griff later denied holding anti-Semitic views and apologized for the remarks. In his 2009 book, he criticized his 1989 statement: "to say the Jews are responsible for the majority of wickedness that went on around the globe I would have to know about the majority of wickedness that went on around the globe, which is impossible ... I'm not the best knower. Then, not only knowing that, I would have to know who is at the crux of all of the problems in the world and then blame Jewish people, which is not correct." Griff also said that not only were his words taken out of context, but that the recording has never been released to the public for an unbiased listen.
ALBUM BACKGROUND – FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET
Fear of a Black Planet is the third studio album by Public Enemy. Not only did it help hip-hop emerge in the mainstream, but it also sparked a massive resurgence of Afrocentric ideology and political awareness in hip-hop. It debuted at number 40 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and would later go on to achieve platinum status twice. Regarded as one of the best and most important hip-hop albums of all time, this album tackles themes of black empowerment and unity, white supremacy, systemic racism, race relations, and media bias. While its predecessor It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is shocking, angry, unapologetically abrasive, and loud, Fear of a Black Planet takes a deeper, more complex, and more enlightened approach while remaining just as confrontational. Both albums are just as relevant and important today as they were when they released.
Fear of a Black Planet was also praised for its layered style of heavy sample usage that was popularized by the Beastie Boys album Paul’s Boutique. It was produced by the Bomb Squad, a hip hop production team that worked alongside Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad is known for its dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. They are also known for incorporating harsh, atonal sounds and samples into their productions.
Chuck D on the inspiration for this album: "We wanted to create a new sound out of the assemblage of sounds that made us have our own identity. Especially in our first five years, we knew that we were making records that will stand the test of time. When we made It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back we were shooting to make What's Going On by Marvin Gaye and when we made Fear of a Black Planet I was shooting for Sgt. Pepper's.