It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Definition and Overview

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Album by Public Enemy
Released	April 1988
Recorded	Summer/Fall 1987 at Greene Street Recording & Chung King House of Metal in New York, New York & Sabella Recording in Roslyn, New York & Spectrum City Studios in Hempstead, New York
Genre	Rap & Hip-Hop
Length	57 min 51 sec
Record label	Def Jam
Producer	Hank Shocklee & Carl Ryder
Professional reviews
All Music Guide review	5 stars out of 5	link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:od47gjwrj6ip)
Public Enemy Chronology
Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987)	It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)	Fight the Power...Live! (1989)

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is a 1988 (see 1988 in music) album by the hip hop group Public Enemy. Enormously influential, the album's mix of The Bomb Squad's sample-heavy beats and revolutionary lyrics railing against corporate control, structural racism and police brutality turned the album into a sensation, peaking at #1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, and #42 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In 2003 the TV channel VH1 named It Takes A Nation Of Millions the 20th greatest album of all time.

Track listing

1. "Countdown to Armageddon" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
2. "Bring the Noise" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
3. "Don't Believe the Hype" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
4. "Cold Lampin' With Flavor" (Sadler/Shocklee)
5. "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Rodgers)
6. "Mind Terrorist" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
7. "Louder Than a Bomb" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
8. "Caught, Can We Get a Witness" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
9. "Show 'Em Whatcha Got" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
10. "She Watch Channel Zero?!" (Drayton/Griffin/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
11. "Night of the Living Baseheads" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
12. "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (Public Enemy)
13. "Security of the First World" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
14. "Rebel Without a Pause" (Ridenhour/Rodgers/Sadler/Shocklee)
15. "Prophets of Rage" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
16. "Party for Your Right to Fight" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)

Personnel

• Professor Griff - Vocals
• Chuck D. - Vocals
• Steven Ett - Mixing
• Fab 5 Freddy - Vocals
• Flavor Flav - Vocals
• Glen E. Friedman - Photography
• John Harrison - Engineer
• Rod Hui - Mixing
• Jeff Jones - Engineer
• Rick Rubin - Executive Producer
• Carl Ryder - Producer
• Nick Sansano - Engineer
• Hank Shocklee - Programming, Producer
• Terminator X - Turntables
• Chuck Valle - Engineer
• Eric "Vietnam" Sadler - Programming, Assistant Producer
• Norman Rogers - Scratching
• Bill Stephney - Production Supervisor
• Erica Johnson - Vocals
• Oris Josphe - Vocals
• Johnny Juice Rosado - Scratching, Turntables
• Greg Gordon - Engineer
• Jim Sabella - Engineer
• Keith Boxley - Mixing
• Chuck Chillout - Mixing
• Matt Tritto - Engineer
• Harry Allen - Vocals
• Christopher Shaw - Engineer

Charting singles

1988  Bring the Noise                   Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks  No. 56
1988  Don't Believe the Hype            Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks  No. 18
1988  Night of the Living Baseheads     Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks  No. 62
1988  Don't Believe the Hype            Hot Dance Music/Club Play         No. 21
1988  Don't Believe the Hype            Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles      No. 17
1989  Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos  Hot Rap Singles                   No. 11
1989  Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos  Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks  No. 86