|
| single1date = July 4, 1989
| single2 = [[Welcome to the Terrordome]]
| single2date = January 26, 1990
| single3 = [[911 Is a Joke]]
| single3date = April 9, 1990
| single4 = Brothers Gonna Work It Out
| single4date = June 8, 1990
| single5 = Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man
| single5date = October 29, 1990
}}
}}
In 1988, Public Enemy released their second album ''[[It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back]]'' to critical and commercial success.<ref name="Myrie121"/> Their music's dense textures, provided by the group's production team [[The Bomb Squad]], exemplified a new production aesthetic in hip hop.<ref name="CGD">{{cite magazine|last1=Christgau|first1=Robert|author-link1=Robert Christgau|last2=Dibbell|first2=Carola|author-link2=Carola Dibbell|date=September 1989|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/vr/pe-99.php|title=Public Enemy: Fight the Power Live|magazine=Video Review|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Myrie131">{{harvnb|Myrie|2008|p=131}}.</ref><ref name="Christgau2">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|year=1989|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/music/pe-law.php|title=The Shit Storm: Public Enemy|work=[[LA Weekly]]|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> The controversial, politically charged lyrics by the group's lead rapper [[Chuck D]], whose braggadocio raps contained references to political figures such as [[Assata Shakur]] and [[Nelson Mandela]], as well as endorsements of [[Nation of Islam]]-leader [[Louis Farrakhan]], intensified the group's affiliation with [[black nationalism]] and Farrakhan.<ref name="Myrie131"/>
''It Takes a Nation''{{'}}s success helped raise hip hop's profile as both art and [[political sociology|sociopolitical]] statement, amid media criticism of the genre.<ref name="Reeves76">{{harvnb|Reeves|2009|p=76}}.</ref><ref name="Hilburn2">{{cite news|last=Hilburn|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Hilburn|date=February 4, 1990|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-02-04/entertainment/-ca-470_1_public470-enemystory.html|title=Rap—The Power and the Controversy: Success has validated pop's most volatile form, but its future impact could be shaped by the continuing Public Enemy uproar|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> It helped give hip hop a critical credibility and standing in the popular music community after it had been largely dismissed as a [[fad]] since its introduction at the turn of the 1980s.<ref name="Hilburn2"/> In promoting the record, Public Enemy expanded their live shows and performing dynamic.<ref name="Myrie121"/> With the album's content and the group's rage-filled showmanship in concert, they became the vanguard of a movement in hip hop that reflected a new black consciousness and socio-political dynamic that were taking shape in America at the time.<ref name="Reeves73">{{harvnb|Reeves|2009|p=73}}.</ref>
[[File:Chuck D. Slakthuset i Malmö 1991.jpg|left|thumb|Public Enemy wanted to create an album more conducive to dynamic live performance (group leader [[Chuck D]] shown in concert in 1991).]]
''Fear of a Black Planet'' debuted at number 40 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard 200|Top Pop Albums]] chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=April 28, 1990|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1990-04-28|title=Billboard 200|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 1, 2016}}</ref> It also charted for 10 weeks and reached number four in the United Kingdom,<ref name="UKalbum">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/public%20enemy/|title=Public Enemy|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|at=Albums|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> while in Canada, it charted for 28 weeks and reached number 15.<ref name="CAN">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.7920&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=sp19smnjn4io5g2nmhli5tdfo5|title=Top Albums/CDs|volume=52|issue=4|date=June 9, 1990|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|access-date=October 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111101859/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.7920&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=sp19smnjn4io5g2nmhli5tdfo5|archive-date=November 11, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.9070&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=sp19smnjn4io5g2nmhli5tdfo5|title=Top Albums/CDs|magazine=RPM|volume=53|issue=3|date=December 1, 1990|access-date=October 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303040704/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.9070&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=sp19smnjn4io5g2nmhli5tdfo5|archive-date=March 3, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> By July 1990, it had sold 1.5 million copies in the US,<ref name="July8">{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|date=July 8, 1990|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/28762268.html?dids=28762268:28762268&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+08%2C+1990&author=Greg+Kot%2C+Rock+music+critic&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=A%2B+for+Chuck+D.+Public+Enemy+is+a+textbook+for+race+relations&pqatl=google|title=A+ for Chuck D. Public Enemy is a textbook for race relations|work=Chicago Tribune|page=8|access-date=October 17, 2011|archive-date=November 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103180818/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/28762268.html?dids=28762268:28762268&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+08,+1990&author=Greg+Kot,+Rock+music+critic&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=A++for+Chuck+D.+Public+Enemy+is+a+textbook+for+race+relations&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}}</ref> where it ultimately peaked at number 10 and charted for 27 weeks on the Top Pop Albums.<ref name="bb">{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=public enemy|chart=all}}|title=Fear of a Black Planet – Public Enemy|magazine=Billboard|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> After 1991, when the tracking system [[Nielsen SoundScan]] began tracking domestic sales data, ''Fear of a Black Planet'' sold 561,000 additional copies by 2010.<ref name="Concepcion">{{cite magazine|last=Concepcion|first=Mariel|date=March 13, 2010|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/959005/20-years-of-public-enemys-fear-of-a-black-planet|title=20 Years of Public Enemy's 'Fear Of A Black Planet'|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref>
The controversy surrounding the group and their exposure through the singles "Fight the Power" and "Welcome to the Terrordome" helped ''Fear of a Black Planet'' exceed the sales of their previous two albums, ''Yo! Bum Rush the Show'' and ''It Takes a Nation of Million to Hold Us Back'' at the time,<ref name="Myrie133">{{harvnb|Myrie|2008|p=133}}.</ref> 500,000 and 1.1 million copies, respectively.<ref name="Watrous"/> The latter single's lyrics were initially viewed by religious groups and the media as anti-semitic upon its release.<ref name="Watrous"/><ref name="Harrington"/> The album contributed to hip hop's commercial breakthrough at the beginning of the 1990s, despite its limited [[airplay|radio airplay]].<ref name="Hunt">{{cite news|last=Hunt|first=Dennis|date=April 27, 1990|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-27/entertainment/-ca-79_1_m79-c-hammerstory.html|title=Hammer Heads for the Top|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Light"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Hochman|first=Steve|date=May 17, 1990|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-17/entertainment/-ca-560_1_pop560-musicstory.html|title=The New Guard: Pop music|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> Its success made Public Enemy the top-selling act, both domestically and internationally, for Def Jam Recordings at the time.<ref name="Lommel52"/> Ruben Rodriguez, Columbia's senior vice president at the time, said in one of the label's press releases, "What's happening with Public Enemy is unbelievable. The album is selling across the board to all demographics and nationalities".<ref name="Forman472">{{harvnb|Dery|2004|p=472}}.</ref> In a December 1990 article, ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' writer Michael Corcoran discussed Public Enemy's commercial success with the album and remarked that "more than half of the 2 million fans who bought [''Fear of a Black Planet''] are white".<ref name="Corcoran"/>
== Critical reception ==
}}
''Fear of a Black Planet'' was met with rave reviews from critics.<ref>{{harvnb|Larkin|1998|p=4357}}.</ref> After asserting prior to its release that it was "bound to be one of the most dissected pop collections in years",<ref name="Hilburn2"/> Robert Hilburn of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that the album "rivals the force and the power of ''It Takes a Nation''" while "maintaining commercial and artistic credibility in the fast-changing rap world" with original music.<ref name="Hilburn">{{cite news|last=Hilburn|first=Robert|date=April 10, 1990|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-10/entertainment/-ca-938_1_public938-enemystory.html|title=POP MUSIC REVIEW: Public Enemy Keeps Up Attack|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> ''[[USA Today]]''{{'}}s [[Edna Gundersen]] called it "a masterpiece of innovation [and] challenging music" that makes the group's pro-black lyrics more interesting and plausible.<ref name="Gundersen">{{cite news|last=Gundersen|first=Edna|author-link=Edna Gundersen|date=April 12, 1990|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55987949.html?dids=55987949:55987949&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+12%2C+1990&author=Edna+Gundersen&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Fierce+%60Fear'%27+from+Public+Enemy&pqatl=google|title=Fierce 'Fear' from Public Enemy|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|location=McLean|page=1.D|access-date=October 17, 2011}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's [[Alan Light]] praised Public Enemy's self-assured and realistic lyrics, and viewed the album as a deeper, more focused version of "the careening rage of ''Nation of Millions''".<ref name="Light">{{cite magazine|last=Light|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Light|date=May 17, 1990|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/publicenemy/albums/album/141155/review/5941905/fear_of_a_black_planet|title=Public Enemy: Fear Of A Black Planet|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|location=New York|access-date=October 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014153810/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/publicenemy/albums/album/141155/review/5941905/fear_of_a_black_planet|archive-date=October 14, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Greg Sandow]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' found it powerfully relevant to contemporary American culture and unparalleled by anything in popular music: "It sounds like a partly African, partly postmodern collage, stitched together on tumultuous urban streets."<ref name="Sandow">{{cite magazine|last=Sandow|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Sandow|date=April 27, 1990|url=https://ew.com/article/1990/04/27/fear-black-planet/|title=Fear of a Black Planet|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|location=New York|access-date=October 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109063621/https://ew.com/article/1990/04/27/fear-black-planet/|archive-date=January 9, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Tom Moon of ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' observed "some of the genre's most sophisticated sound designs and unconventionally agile rapping" on the album and called it "a major piece of work, the first hard evidence of rap's maturity and a measure of its continuing relevance".<ref name="Moon">{{cite news|last=Moon|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Moon|date=April 10, 1990|url=http://articles.philly.com/1990-04-10/news/25916665_1_public-enemy-black-stereotypes-rap|title='Fear Of A Black Planet' – Concept Rap From Public Enemy|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref>
In ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Richard Harrington said because ''Fear of a Black Planet'' is a challenging listen, "How it's met depends on how it's understood."<ref name="Harrington">{{cite news|last=Harrington|first=Robert|date=April 15, 1990|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72582740.html?dids=72582740:72582740&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+15%2C+1990&author=Richard+Harrington&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Public+Enemy's%27s+%60Black+Planet'%27%3A+All+the+Rage&pqatl=google|title=Public Enemy's 'Black Planet': All the Rage|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|page=g.03|access-date=October 17, 2011}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> [[Robert Christgau]], writing for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', felt that its "brutal pace" loses momentum and that the group's lyrics are ideologically flawed, but wrote that although their "rebel music" is gimmicky, "this is show business, and they still think harder than anybody else working their beat."<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=July 3, 1990|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv690-90.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> Peter Watrous of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it "an essential pop album" and stated, "On their own, the lyrics seen{{sic}} functional. Taken with the music, they bloom with meaning."<ref name="Watrous">{{cite news|last=Watrous|first=Peter|date=April 22, 1990|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/22/arts/recordings-public-enemy-makes-waves-and-compelling-music.html?pagewanted=all|title=RECORDINGS; Public Enemy Makes Waves – and Compelling Music|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> Simon Reynolds of ''[[Melody Maker]]'' remarked that the content epitomizes the group's significance at the time: "Public Enemy are important ... because of the angry questions that seethe in their music, in the very fabric of their sound; the bewilderment and rage that, in this case, have made for one ''hell'' of strong, scary album".<ref name="Reynolds"/> ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' critic [[Greg Kot]] felt that with the album, "Public Enemy affirms that it is not just a great rap group, but one of the best rock bands on the planet-black or otherwise".<ref name="Kot">{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|date=April 15, 1990|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-04-15-9001310632-story.html|title='Fear of a Black Planet' touches universal concerns|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|at=sec. 13, p. 5|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref>
At the end of 1990, ''Fear of a Black Planet'' appeared in the top-10 of several critics' lists of the year's best albums.<ref name="Corcoran">{{cite news|last=Corcoran|first=Michael|date=December 28, 1990|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB3731F098B75A1&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Aragon books a potent pair: Public Enemy, Sonic Youth|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|page=11|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Jones">{{cite news|last=Jones IV|first=James T.|date=December 20, 1990|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/56039798.html?dids=56039798:56039798&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+20%2C+1990&author=James+T.+Jones+IV&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=MAINSTREAM+RAP%3BCutting-edge+sound+tops+pop+in+a+year+of+controversy%3BVideo's%27s+child+take+beat+to+new+streets&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108023051/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/56039798.html?dids=56039798:56039798&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+20%2C+1990&author=James+T.+Jones+IV&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=MAINSTREAM+RAP%3BCutting-edge+sound+tops+pop+in+a+year+of+controversy%3BVideo%27s+child+take+beat+to+new+streets&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 8, 2012|title=MAINSTREAM RAP; Cutting-edge sound tops pop in a year of controversy; Video's child take beat to new streets|work=USA Today|location=McLean|page=01.A|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> It was voted the third best record of 1990 in ''The Village Voice''{{'}}s annual [[Pazz & Jop]] critics' poll,<ref>{{cite news|date=March 5, 1991|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres90.php|title=Pazz & Jop 1990: Critics Poll|work=The Village Voice|location=New York|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> and the publication's Robert Christgau ranked it number 10 on his own "Dean's list".<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=March 5, 1991|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/deans90.php|title=Pazz & Jop 1990: Dean's List|work=The Village Voice|location=New York|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> It was named the second best album of the year by ''[[The Boston Globe]]'',<ref>{{cite news|date=December 20, 1990|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/61695412.html?dids=61695412:61695412&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+20%2C+1990&author=&pub=Boston+Globe+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=TOP+TEN+RECORDS+OF+1990&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103180906/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/61695412.html?dids=61695412:61695412&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+20,+1990&author=&pub=Boston+Globe+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=TOP+TEN+RECORDS+OF+1990&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 3, 2012|title=Top Ten Records of 1990|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|page=17|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> the third best by ''USA Today'',<ref>{{cite news|date=December 24, 1990|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/56042628.html?dids=56042628:56042628&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+27%2C+1990&author=&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=BEST+%26+WORST+1990%3BPOP%3A+Rock+'n'%27n%27+roll+got+hammered%2C+but+its+life+and+energy+haven't%27t+died&pqatl=google|title=BEST & WORST 1990; POP: Rock 'n' roll got hammered, but its life and energy haven't died|work=USA Today|location=McLean|page=04.D|access-date=October 17, 2011}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and fifth best by the ''Los Angeles Times''{{'}}s Robert Hilburn, who wrote that it "dissects aspects of the black experience with an energy and vision that illustrates why rap continues to be the most creative genre in pop".<ref>{{cite news|last=Hilburn|first=Robert|date=December 23, 1990|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-23/entertainment/-ca-9700_1_pop9700-musicstory.html|title=POP MUSIC: A Year of Confession and Rage|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> ''[[The State (newspaper)|The State]]'' named it one of the year's best albums and hailed it as "possibly the boldest and most important rap record ever made. A sonic tour de force".<ref>{{cite news|date=January 11, 1991|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CS&s_site=thestate&p_multi=CS&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB580D7F3E0A899&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Readers Make Some Surprising Choices|work=[[The State (newspaper)|The State]]|location=Columbia|page=12D|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> ''Fear of a Black Planet'' was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group|Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group]], presented at the [[33rd Grammy Awards]] in 1991.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 11, 1991|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB2A17631B9D021&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=A List of Nominations For the 33d Annual Grammy Awards|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|page=D08|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref>
== Legacy and influence ==
#"Revolutionary Generation (Instrumental)" – 5:46
#"War at 33⅓ (Instrumental)" – 2:07
#"Fight the Power ("Do the Right Thing/" Soundtrack Version)" – 5:23
#"Fight the Power (Powersax)" – 3:53
#"Fight the Power (Flavor Flav Meets Spike Lee)" – 4:34
{{Refend}}
== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=290–291|isbn=9781847862112|oclc=227198538}}
* {{cite news|last=DeRogatis|first=Jim|author-link=Jim DeRogatis|date=August 25, 2002|url=http://www.jimdero.com/News2002/GreatAug25PE.htm|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|title=The Great Albums: Public Enemy, 'Fear of A Black Planet'}}
* {{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=December 16, 1990|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/16/arts/radical-rap-of-pride-and-prejudice.html|title='Radical' Rap: Of Pride and Prejudice|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}
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