Band & Artist Dossier
Public Enemy
Origin: Long Island, New York, USA · Active Years: 1985-present
A detailed catalogue profile for Public Enemy.
In this archive
1 album / credit record(s) · Hip-Hop/Political Rap
Hip-hop group formed on Long Island, New York in 1985 around frontman Chuck D, hype man Flavor Flav, turntablist Terminator X, and production team The Bomb Squad (led by Hank Shocklee). Their 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, built from a self-described 'Wall of Noise' of dense, layered samples, paired maximalist production with unapologetically political, socially conscious lyrics -- an approach Chuck D compared to making hip-hop's answer to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On -- and remains one of the most influential and widely sampled records in the genre's history.
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80s discography & production credits in the archive
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