“Bring the Noise” – Public Enemy
(Words/music: Carlton Ridenhour, Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler, available on It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Def Jam 1988)
It would be foolish of me to try to put It Takes a Nation… into the proper social context; other people have done it and did a much better job than I ever could. I only came to this record a couple years ago but it immediately struck me as sounding fresh and vital, especially for an album that just surpassed its twentieth birthday. Even though the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique gets credited as one of the first sample-heavy “masterpieces,” the production by the Bomb Squad loops together dozens of samples without it sounding like a jumbled sound collage. Even with such a rich backing track, Chuck D’s voice cuts through loud and clear, delivering his messages with both skill and conviction. Hell, even Flavor Flav sounds competent (especially when compared to the ridiculous self-parody that reality TV has turned him into) when he chimes in.
I was pleasantly surprised my first time through when I realized how different the album version of “Bring the Noise” was to the Chuck D / Anthrax thrash version of the song, one I knew from hours of playing the Tony Hawk 2 demo stage on the Sega Dreamcast in high school. I imagined that the original wouldn’t have the same edge without the relentless double kick drum action, but the album version keeps the intensity enough to prevent Chuck D from sounding like a raving maniac. In particular, the horn sample that weaves throughout the verse gives the track another sonic texture behind the siren sound and the prominently mixed scratching (the most dated part, at least to my ears). Where the Anthrax version blurred the lines between rap and rock (and look at the horrors that has wrought), the original makes the connection between soul, funk, and hip hop explicit.
Listening again, it makes perfect sense that Public Enemy would tap The Roots to be the backing band for a live performance of the album – their diverse musicianship and devotion to detail will help make this album breathe as a funk-fueled riot. Earlier tonight, I watched Public Enemy’s performance with The Roots (and the Antibalas Horns) on Jimmy Fallon’s show last night (embedded below, but go to Hulu and skip to about 37 minutes in to watch it in a higher resolution) and a few things jumped out at me. First, Chuck D still sounds great and Flavor Flav looks more ridiculous than ever in a jacket that looks like a NASCAR series car (by the way, happy 50th, Flav). Additionally, The Roots are an incredible asset to Jimmy Fallon’s show if for no other reason than serving as the potential to bring more live hip hop to television. I have to think that the opportunity to perform with the Roots on TV (see: Ludacris’ excellent performance during Fallon’s first week) will make more skilled MC likely to perform on a late night show. It goes without saying, but the Roots are flat-out excellent in this clip. The most telling part, aside from their faithful interpretation of the original’s semi-chaotic funk, was Black Thought’s verse in last night’s performance. The fact that he held his own with Chuck D says volumes about his abilities, and I’m looking forward to hearing him join plenty of other rappers in the coming months.
More on Public Enemy: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm
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