Carlton "Chuck D" Ridenhour was born on Long Island, New York, and grew up listening to Motown records. At Adelphi University he met William "Flavor Flav" Drayton Jr., then with him Ridenhour creates the hip-hop group Public Enemy in 1985. After releasing five LP and a compilation album, around 1996 Chuck D deals with Mercury and publishes is soloist debut album.
The same MC of Public Enemy is also the lead producer, along with Gary G-Wiz, Eric Sadler, Sleek, Soul G, Mark Harrison, Isaac Hayes and Abnormal. There are no accredited guests. The questionable rhythm selection creates a more solid and coherent second part than an incredibly fluctuating first one that features a series of meager and cheap rhythms that don't corroborate the few good samples present.
On these slow downtempo dry drums, Chuck D's rap sounds less loud than it should, despite thoughtful socio-political lyrics. The album exceeds in the quantity of material, due to the last song which is about a quarter of an hour, practically all avoidable. Released by Mercury, promoted by the unique single "No", the CD disappoints in the charts (top 50 among rap records with struggles) and among fans, ignored by insiders, positively welcomed by music critics, proving that his greatest records are labeled Public Enemy.
Rating: 6/10.
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