Public Enemy - Back In Effect

As an impressionable young white kid in the late eighties/early nineties, I was caught up in the emergence of hip-hop's "golden era", as the genre exploded out of the inner city and permeated the white middle-class suburbs, thanks primarily to exposure on mainstream radio and music video shows like Yo! MTV Raps! (big up to Dr. Dre and Ed Lover). The Beastie Boys and Run DMC were the first acts to "crossover", the trailblazers who opened the ears of white American youth to this new sound and opened their eyes to new ideas of style and attitude.

Public Enemy emerged on the scene soon after. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, and the rest of the crew never seemed particularly concerned with appealing to this new white audience, but their political lyrics, confrontational style, and innovative production techniques (such as the deft use of vintage soul samples) made them one of the most iconic groups in the history of hip-hop. But Public Enemy lost their immediacy and general relevance long ago, as hip-hop and rap music in general became less politically conscious and more concerned with materialistic pursuits (money, women, and the things that money can buy, like women).

Over twenty years have passed since the release of their seminal album, 1990's Fear of a Black Planet. The band has periodically resurfaced over the years, releasing a series of albums featuring titles involving rather inelegant wordplay (Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age, Revolverlution, New Whirl Odor). Public Enemy doggedly marches on, and have just announced plans to release not one, but two albums this year.

The first single, "Get It In", is now available on YouTube, so I decided to give it a half-hearted listen. To my surprise, it's pretty damn good! I'd even go so far to say that it marks a return to form for the band. All the elements are there, Chuck D's rhythmic baritone, a funky guitar lick, and of course, Flavor Flav's ebullient exclamations, as charged and frenetic as ever.

Check it below, and props to PE for reminding us just how potent a musical force they can be.