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It Takes a Nation of Millions was the sign that hip-hop had exploded like a grenade. A rap record as abrasive, hardcore, and eloquent as a JFK speech, the 1988 disc is one classic track after another: tense, multilayered, harmonically wild music. Chuck D. declaims like a master preacher with foil Flavor Flav's voice darting around his. They've got the desperate energy of people fighting for their lives, and everything from their pumped-up rhetoric ("Prophets of Rage") to the group's quasi-paramilitary organization to the sirens and sax squeals in nearly every track declares how urgent their mission is. It's a hugely influential album, and it still sounds fresh and frightening after all these years.Reviews:
''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back'' is the second studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released April 14, 1988 on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place at Chung King Studios, Greene Street Recording, and Sabella Studios in New York City. Noting the enthusiastic response over their live shows, the group intended with ''Nation of Millions'' to make the music of a faster tempo than the previous album for performance purposes.
The album peaked at number forty-two on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. By August of 1989, it was certified platinum in sales by the RIAA, after shipments of one million copies in the United States. The album was very well-received by writers and music critics, and appeared on many publications' "best album" lists.
''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back'' has been regarded by music writers and publications as one of the most significant albums of the 1980s, as well as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all-time. The work has been hailed for its production techniques as well as the politically-charged lyricism of lead MC Chuck D. In 2003, the album was ranked number 48 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the highest ranking of all the hip hop albums on the list. - Wikipedia
