Fear of a Black Planet

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Fear of a Black Planet
Fear of a Black Planet cover
Studio album by Public Enemy
Released March 20, 1990
Recorded Summer/Fall 1989 at Greene Street Recording in New York City; The Music Palace, West Hempstead and Spectrum City Studios in Long Island
Genre Hip hop
Length 63:21
Label Def Jam/Columbia Records
Producer(s) The Bomb Squad
Professional reviews
Public Enemy chronology
Fight the Power...Live!
(1989)		 Fear of a Black Planet
(1990)		 Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black
(1991)


Fear of a Black Planet is an East Coast rap album by the hip hop group Public Enemy, released on March 20, 1990 (see 1990 in music). The album's musical qualities were overshadowed by a controversy surrounding alleged anti-Semitic remarks by group member Professor Griff. After the controversy had been forgotten, however, the album's critical reception was generally very positive, with many commentators ranking it equal to or better than the previous album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988). In particular, critics were favourable to The Bomb Squad's innovative and diverse production and Chuck D's songwriting. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music credits Fear of a Black Planet's atmosphere to the "bunker mentality" of "clashes with the press", and specifically cites "Fight the Power", which "bites harder than just about any other track in rap's history" (p. 1864).

It was ranked 21 in Spin's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005". In 2003, the album was ranked number 300 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2004, Fear of a Black Planet was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 5:07
  2. "911 Is a Joke" (Drayton/Sadler/Shocklee) – 3:17
  3. "Welcome to the Terrordome" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 5:25
  4. "Pollywanacraka" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 3:52
  5. "Burn Hollywood Burn" featuring Ice Cube & Big Daddy Kane (Hardy/Jackson/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 2:47
  6. "Power to the People" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 3:50
  7. "Who Stole the Soul?" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 3:49
  8. "Fear of a Black Planet" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 3:45
  9. "Revolutionary Generation" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 5:43
  10. "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 2:46
  11. "B Side Wins Again" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee) – 3:45
  12. "Fight the Power" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee/Shocklee) – 4:42

[edit] Billboard Music Charts

[edit] Album

Year Chart Position
1990 Billboard 200 10
1990 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 3

[edit] Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1989 "Fight the Power" Hot Rap Singles 1
1990 "911 Is a Joke" Hot Rap Singles 1
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 15
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 26
Hot 100 (Sales) 34*
"Brother's Gonna Work it Out" Hot Rap Singles 22
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 20
Hot Dance Music/Club Play 31
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 36
"Welcome to the Terrordome" Hot Rap Singles 3
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 15
Hot Dance Music/Club Play 49
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 8
1991 "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" Hot Rap Singles 11
* First Sales Only Hot 100 single

[edit] Personnel

  • Chuck D - Rapper
  • Flavor Flav - Rapper
  • Professor Griff - Rapper
  • Big Daddy Kane - Rapper
  • Ice Cube - Rapper
  • Chris Champion - Assistant Engineer
  • Paul Eulin - Engineer, Mixing
  • Rod Hui - Engineer, Mixing
  • Steve Loeb - Engineer
  • Branford Marsalis - Saxophone
  • Carl Ryder - Arranger, Director, Producer, Sequencing
  • Nick Sansano - Engineer, Mixing
  • Keith Shocklee - Arranger, Director, Producer, Sequencing
  • Paul Shabazz - Programming
  • Christopher Shaw - Engineer, Mixing
  • Hank Shocklee - Arranger, Director, Producer, Sequencing
  • Howie Weinberg - Mastering
  • Kirk Yano - Engineer
  • Eric "Vietnam" Sadler - Arranger, Director, Programming, Producer, *Sequencing
  • Mike Bona - Engineer, Mixing
  • Norman Rogers - Scratching
  • Jules Allen - Photography
  • Dave Patillo - Assistant Engineer
  • Dan Wood - Engineer, Mixing
  • Tom Conway - Assistant Engineer

[edit] Partial list of samples

The following lists some of the songs and sounds sampled on Fear of a Black Planet.

Contract on the World Love Jam [Instrumental]

Brother's Gonna Work It Out

911 Is a Joke

Welcome to the Terrordome

Pollywanacraka

Anti-Nigger Machine

Burn Hollywood Burn

  • "Hot Wheels (The Chase)" by Badder Than Evil

Power to the People

  • "Gimme Some More" by The JB's
  • "Turn Me Loose" by Sly & the Family Stone

Who Stole the Soul?

  • "Getting Better" by The Beatles
  • "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins
  • "Make It Funky" by James Brown
  • "Stand!" by Sly & the Family Stone
  • "Bring the Noise" by Public Enemy

Fear of a Black Planet

  • "Flyte Time" by The Blackbyrds
  • "Different Strokes" by Syl Johnson
  • "Underdog" by Sly & the Family Stone

Revolutionary Generation

Leave This off Your Fuckin' Charts

B Side Wins Again

Fight the Power

[edit] References

  • The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Edited by Colin Larkin. 1992. London. Muze UK Ltd. ISBN 033374134X
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