20 Music Videos of the 1980s That Have Aged Well
In this installment of our retrospective of 1980s music videos, we focus on 20 promos that have, remarkably, stood the test of time.
Public Enemy
Top 10 Most Notable Career Suicide Albums
Career suicide albums fall into two camps: those that were released ahead of their time, and those that set new standards in awful. The best thing that could be said about the later category is that these albums are oftentimes just as fascinating as an artist's best work.
Public Enemy Ask ‘What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?’
Unlikely purveyors of comfort music, Public Enemy offer a balm for an ominous future on What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?.
What Old-School Hip-Hop Has to Say About Our Political Moment
Beyond NWA and Public Enemy: rappers have been sounding the alarm about police brutality since the birth of hip-hop. It’s time we listened to old-school hip-hop.
The 20 Most Memorable Songs of 1991
So much remarkable music was released in 1991 that it's difficult to choose just 20 memorable songs without a few omissions.
Counterbalance 17: Public Enemy – ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’
Hip-hop makes its debut on the Big List with Public Enemy’s meaty, beaty manifesto, and all the jealous punks can’t stop the dunk. Counterbalance’s Klinger and Mendelsohn give it a listen.
A Slapdash History of the Hip-hop Megamix
The megamix is a variegated mural, with flashes of color – neon pink, chartreuse, head-gash red – popping off chipped concrete, an amalgamation of flavor so fresh it strains the vision, so vivid it glows.
Privilege vs Detriment: ‘Copyright Criminals’ Has a Good Defense
Why would the generation that covered Bob Dylan over and over get so bent out of shape of having seconds of audio copied and pasted in a new way in a rap song?
Chuck D on the Early Days of Sampling
In those early, free-wheeling days of hip-hop, the artists were waaaay ahead of the lawyers. Chuck D talks about sampling.
Public Enemy – “No Sympathy From the Devil” (Singles Going Steady)
Public Enemy has just released a video for "No Sympathy From the Devil" from their 13th album, Man Plans, God Laughs. Our writers weigh in.
Chuck D’s ‘The Black in Man’ Makes the Message Bounce
Chuck D unleashes a brief but vital onslaught of old-school fury; it just might be the gutpunch today's scene desperately needs.