It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

ShareX (opens in a new tab)Facebook (opens in a new tab)Reddit (opens in a new tab)WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)Pinterest (opens in a new tab)Copy link

Music videos Official videos via YouTube

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is the second album by Public Enemy, released on June 28, 1988 by Def Jam and Columbia. Produced by the Bomb Squad with Chuck D and Rick Rubin, it is widely considered the most important political rap album ever recorded.

The story

The group made the record in about 30 days on a modest budget, working at studios around New York including Chung King and Greene St. Singles like “Rebel Without a Pause,” “Bring the Noise,” “Don’t Believe the Hype,” “Night of the Living Baseheads” and “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” turned Chuck D’s messages and Flavor Flav’s hype into radio-shaking events.

Sound and production

Hank Shocklee, Eric “Vietnam” Sadler and Keith Shocklee layered dozens of sources into dense, abrasive collages of sirens, horn stabs and funk breaks, mixed on analog gear without automation. A mis-programmed James Brown drum pattern on “Bring the Noise” was kept on purpose, and Chuck D rewrote his verses to fit it.

Charts and certifications

The album peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. It sold 500,000 copies in its first month and was certified Platinum in 1989.

Legacy

It topped the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics’ poll for 1988, entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2020, and ranks No. 15 on Rolling Stone’s 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.