Summoning Public Enemy, rises again with Definitive Collection

by Whitney Richardson

Public Enemy strikes again with The Public Enemy Vinyl Box Set, a definitive, ceremonial reflection of their work. Bringing the noise, scratching open your ears, Public Enemy has worked miracles in the land of hip hop since the late 80s. The group cultivated a movement within the masses of frustrated souls, reacting to the squeeze of society by releasing a new sound that shed light on stories of those who’d been overshadowed for too long.

The set is compiled of songs from Yo! Bum Rush The Show, It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Fear of a Black Planet, Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Back, and Muse Sick in Hour Mess Age & He Got Game. Public Enemy has reaked fervor using hypnotic, rhythmic rhymes that pulls an audience up by their ears. The songs act like a call to action. Their first, seminal album,Yo! Bum Rush the Show, lit the bush on fire, commanding the attention of common man to listen; represented first on the vinyl box set, it burns a pathway through the rest of the album.

As vivacious and cutting as ever, the message remains relevant. High voltage currents slice through the shit piled up by generations of social ills. The collection is best listened to at points of the day when you need an invigorating slap of truth, when you are fed up with the world around you and need some conviction. These are the words you need to hear. Reflecting on the golden age of hip-hop, Commander & Chief Public Enemy can’t be silenced after 25 years.