Over the past couple weeks I’ve listened to the complete discography of Public Enemy. I’ve been a big fan of them since damn near the get-go and was very fortunate to get to see them early in the career. Crazy experience actually. Very front general admission. Only white guy. Punched in the back the head. Hat stolen. Met Terminator X.
In a nutshell, PE is one of those bands (like AC/DC) that sticks with a winning formula. The first two records lay the groundwork for their entire sound. Fear of a Black Planet runs the same formula with a glossier production. After that they basically keep reworking the style, laying out similar hard hitting beats and frequently sampling and quoting themselves. Their beats, djing, and production are consistently fantastic throughout their discography. I recommend everything by Public Enemy but Bum Rush and Nations are the band’s DNA.
|