Tuesday, April 14, 2009

21 Years Ago Today: Public Enemy releases "It Takes a Nation..."



'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back' is the second studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on Def Jam Recordings on April 14, 1988. Enormously influential, the album's mix of The Bomb Squad's dense, sample-heavy production and Chuck D's politically charged lyrics turned the album into a sensation, peaking at #42 on the Billboard 200, and at #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip hop Album charts.

Widely regarded as the group's magnum opus, the album regularly ranks as one of the greatest and most influential recordings of all time in various publications. In 2003, the album was ranked number 48 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It is the highest ranking hip hop album on the list.

Acclaimedmusic.net ranks the album as the 17th best album of all time and also the greatest hip-hop album. Time Magazine hailed it as one of the 100 greatest albums of all time in 2006. It was listed in The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. Even Kurt Cobain, the lead guitarist and singer of the alt. rock band Nirvana, listed 'It Takes A Nation of Millions' as one of his top 50 favorite albums in his journals.

Suggested listening:

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