Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black

I’m at a 4.

I dunno, maybe my expectations were a bit too sky high after the brilliance of both “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back” & “Fear Of A Black Planet”, but this one fell a little shorter for me. I don’t think it’s in the production – the beats here are still good enough, though this clearly isn’t as up to par as those two albums. It’s not totally in Chuck D’s flows or lyrics, because his stuff is still sharp for the most part, but he does have moments where the energy just doesn’t feel as present. It’s partially in Flavor Flav’s, because he’s sort of relegated to a P. Diddy-esque hype man role ala “Ready to Die”, and his contributions to this one come across a little more bitter & angry compared to his stuff on the other two albums; I might just be missing something, though, who knows?

I’m not sure exactly what it is, but the closest thing I can come up with is just that the album’s subject matter just hasn’t aged particularly well. Sure, a lot of this still has a prescience to it, but it lacks the sort of timeless bite that makes the prescience have a point that really sticks. A lot of the complaints brought up here are valid, but much like Flavor Flav’s stuff, it’s rooted in a way that doesn’t address the core of the issue and just sort of fantasizes around it. That lack of a call to action, in a meaningful sense, something so blatantly present on the other two albums, feels replaced by a call to just sort of acknowledge it and hope someone listens. Once again though, I might just be missing something.

That’s not to say there’s no bite – the first 4 tracks are great, and “By the Time I Get to Arizona” is a fantastic track that contains the direction I wish this album had really, really stuck to, but a lot of this album does come across as flatter, especially the last 4 tracks (save, partially for “Shut ‘Em Down”). That’s NOT counting the Anthrax remix of Bring tha Noize, which is, for better or for worse, nu metal being born right there in 1991. That shit was rad.

With all that said, it’s still a great Public Enemy album, but something is just missing here – whether it really is the subject matter not aging as well, a more bitter tone to everything, or the production / storytelling not hitting the same level as the first two PE albums we got, it’s something noticeable enough for me to give them a 4 for the first time. I still recommend it, though. It’s a solid 52 minutes, and it’s still got Chuck D flowing like a motherfucker – when he’s rolling, there’s still an infectious energy that’s too damn good to ignore. He’s just not rolling as much on this one, hence the 4. Again, though, and I cannot stress this enough: I might just be missing something.

Más de lo mejor. Rap/Hip-Hop de los 90. Me ha gustado como empieza con Lost at birth y también luego Nighttrain, y para terminar Bring tha noize. Pero en general no me ha entusiasmado tanto como otros discos suyos.

I’m not sure this list needed 3 Public Enemy albums on it, but this is probably my favorite of them.

Damn, this album grew on me. My initial reaction was that it was a bit relentless and Chuck D's rapping style made me want to take a breath for him (and hearing him gasp at the end of every line in Nighttrain was kind of annoying). I was planning to go with a 3, with respect for the grooves and the powerful lyrics. Then I continued listening to the album and instead of "relentless" I realized this album flows and flies by on every listen. Certain tracks got me grooving every time I heard them. And, of course, their powerful lyrics hit me every time. Bottom line - this album ROCKS. I still want to take a breath for Chuck D, but his rapping is powerful and impressive, and Flavor Flav is just awesome. Would definitely revisit (and this is also the first PE album I've listened to in the list - looking forward to the others). Finally, love the Anthrax / PE mashup (not the first time I've heard this one). Favorite tracks: Can't Truss It, By the Time I Get to Arizona, Move!, 1 Million Bottlebags, Shut 'Em Down, Get the Fuck Outta Dodge, Bring the Noise.

Sick beats n all but gets a lil repetitive

Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black is an album which i really enjoyed. My impressions on the first Public Enemy album i did (Fear Of A Black Planet) and technically what i think of most hip-hop albums especially on this project seemed like they were going to carry over here with the album having really good moments and really bad moments but i was pleasantly surprised to see that this album was actually consistently good throughout. With cool instrumentals, some really good social commentary and the songs sounding really distinct from each other (especially with Bring The Noise). This album did quite a lot to make me like it
Best Song: Bring The Noise
Worst Song: Rebirth

Easily the weakest of the trilogy of hip hop albums Public Enemy put out from '88 to '91, where the group was falling a bit behind sonically compared to performers such as A Tribe Called Quest or De La Soul. Hardcore political hip hop was out, a more mellow, concious sound was in. Still, Chuck D and co. don't let this album completely slip into a gutter, with still plenty of great cuts, and a genius combination of metal and hip hop via an Anthrax collaboration, something that wasn't the first, but was far ahead of it's time, and still one of the best takes on that combo. A good album that wasn't quite as impactful, but crtically it still hits all the right beats to be a good and proper Public Enemy release.

Bit of a mixed bag, big nearly as good as their first 3 albums. But the production is good, and quite inventive as I read they tried to avoid using any well know samples to save money. Some good highlights in "Yo Niga", "Arizona" and "Shut Em Down". But the re-released track with Anthrax just feels like a cash grab.

I enjoyed this album, but I'm kind of uneducated on good vs. bad hip hop. 3*
Highlight: bring the noise (shoutout to tony hawk pro skater 2)

early rap isnt realy my thing but giving it a cup of tea due to its importance. good album!

It was ok. Nothing very special to me, but ok.

Dynaaminen räppisstyge. 3/5

It’s a decent album, I vastly prefer Fear of a Black Planet and It Takes a Nation of Millions

I liked it, but felt it wasn't quite as strong as Fear Of A Black Planet. Good beats though, and I like the contrast between Chuck D's and Flavor Flav's voices.

Another great album from public enemy that more than deserves to be on this list, but really isn’t in the same league as their masterpiece “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back”

Given this also came in 1991 it maybe hasn’t dated as well as the low end theory. So good album, but not a classic.

“By the Time I Get to Arizona” was something of a revelation. What a fucking track! Great writing overall, but the rest of it musically doesn’t do much for me.

3/5

Nice upbeat songs! Classic sound, liked the vibes

4 ⭐️

Brilliant production, explosive lyrics, dizzying use of samples, contemporary relevance, absolutely wonderful

good one

It feels important. Like kids should learn about it in school. As music itself, I don't know. Some day I'll listen to it again