1987 was a watershed year for Hip Hop. It saw the debut albums from Ice-T, NWA & the Posse, Boogie Down Productions and Eric B & Rakim. All are certifiable classics but it was Public Enemy’s debut that was sonically the most adventurous. The beeps and wails of the Bomb Squads production coupled with Chuck D’s booming baritone and Flavor Flav’s enticing prompts was unlike anything that had come before (or anything since). The militant stance projected in the Black Panther inspired cover photo wasn’t wholly present in Chuck’s lyrics yet (that would come fully formed on their sophomore LP a year later) but all the pieces were in place to make PE one of the most important acts in the genres history.
RIP Cormac McCarthy
RIP Chris Hassett
RIP Bob Nalbandian
Recommended Listening:
EP17: “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back”
EP224: Living Colour “Vivid”
The Punk Rock Museum
fIREHOSE “Sophisticated Bitch”