After the release of "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back", Spike Lee approaches the group by proposing a song for his 1989 film "Do the Right Thing", focusing on racial tension in a neighborhood of Brooklyn: Public Enemy give him "Fight the Power", which therefore doesn't have a real theme, however ends up being an immortal hymn and the definitive signature song of the group, performed devastatingly by Chuck D.
In May 1989, the same rapper, the Bomb Squad producer Hank Shocklee and Bill Stepheny are in negotiation over a major distribution deal, however, during the deal, during an interview with the Washington Times group member Professor Griff external anti-Semitic comments: the group receives criticism from the media and the religious organizations, as well as being soon labeled with every possible epithet. PE don't know how to handle the situation: in a series of press conferences, Professor Griff is first fired, then spontaneously left, and finally never left the group. Def Jam chiefs Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen still believe in the group (and the money they can bring) and are pressing for Chuck D & Co. to build another disk: the Public Enemy leader personally apologizes for Griff statements and fires him, then subsequently reintegrates him into the group, causing further protests by insiders. This was followed by the dissolution of the group itself: it didn't last long, however, the Def Jam continues to press and Griff is definitively excluded from the Public Enemy, later joining another group and embarking on a mediocre solo career (he'll return to the staff in 1994). The group confirms the work for the third effort and in four months between June and October 1989 records the entire project.
The production of the Bomb Squad is aggressive, relentless, unstoppable, it provides very hard, dense and heavy rhythms, it's a dark and hearty soundscape, surprisingly cohesive despite the industrial quantity of layered samples (over 200), managing to perfectly reflect the mood of the lyrics chosen by the rapper: it's simply one of the best musical moments in the history of the Bomb Squad, here they're [still] perfect. Chuck D's lyricism is powerful, strong and varied, focused on political and socio-conscious themes: it touches on topics such as racism in different forms, corruption, empowerment within the black community, whites who do not tolerate interracial relationships, feminism, blacks who they refuse to attend blacks, white supremacy, power elites, and other social issues affecting the African American community fueling their unease, including drug dealing and the prevalence of liquor stores in poorer neighborhoods. Each cut is dedicated to a specified topic, with rare exceptions (the aforementioned "Fight the Power" and "Welcome to the Terrordome", which is a bomb more effective than ever, musically impressive with cured rhymes). The MC brings awareness within the African American community, interpreting its hard and important bars with an out of the ordinary determination and realism, with a fierce activist attitude: he's passionate, angry and inspired, he presents himself with one of the heaviest and powerful deliveries ever and an untouchable flow, killing every cut by spitting some of his best bars ever with a dominant style.
Public Enemy's third work, published by Def Jam and Columbia Records, is a commercial and critical success, marking the first time that MCs from different rap teams collaborate on an album with Big Daddy Kane (Juice Crew) and Ice Cube (N.W.A) — both excellent in "Burn Hollywood Burn" — and its success brings popularity to the afrocentric and political topics in hip hop and the resurgence of the genre within the mainstream: this effort clearly shows you why the trio is widely considered to be the most powerful rap group of all time. Despite all the praise and the abused power of adjectivation that I can bring out, the album is difficult to deal with, it's really difficult, it's not a game: the soundscape that the Bomb Squad builds on this LP is very demanding and the production reflects the political and conflicting tones of the lyrics, while Chuck D, with his complex socio-conscious and political commentary, seems to fight with the sound of very strong, heavy and unstoppable deliveries against the sound wall of the Bomb Squad in a fight without exclusion of blows, without respite and practically without end, trying to flatten this wall with the unexpected surrealism of Flavor Flav, perfect hype-man which adds the humorous element with its skits that intersperse the songs, in addition to having two solo cuts (the extravagant and fun "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" and the thematic filler "911 is a Joke").
Critically acclaimed as a classic despite having some imperfections (too many skits and instrumentals, and there's a useless and often overlooked homophobic line in the skit "Meet the G That Killed Me"), by that moment, the album is seen as one of the better, most influential and important records of the genre, musically and culturally significant, producing an exceptional record and succeeding in the impossible task of proving to be almost as good as its predecessor: as a bright unexpected star in the midst of the darkness of the game, it's complex, bright, expresses a lot of energy and a fantastic power that you cannot do without and it's among the most impressive forms of its time, this is an effort of pure authority, too strong, one of the best of the year and the entire decade, a sensational document that inaugurates the nineties hip hop in the best way and which unfortunately on the other hand, seems close the epic of Public Enemy with the last of three atomic albums.
Highlights: "Brothers Gonna Work It Out", "911 is a Joke", "Welcome to the Terrordome", "Burn Hollywood Burn", "Fear of a Black Planet", "Revolutionary Generation", "Fight the Power".
Rating: 9.5/10.
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