Public Enemy ‎– It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Genre:

Hip Hop

Style:

Year:

1988

Notes:

Album Sales: 1,000,000+
First Release Date: April 1988

The second studio album from Public Enemy. It is considered one of their most commercially successful albums as well as one of the most influential rap albums. By August of 1989, it was certified platinum in sales by the RIAA, after shipments of one million copies in the United States.

"It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" reached Number 42 in the Billboard Top 200 and produced four singles:
"Don't Believe The Hype"
"Night Of the Living Baseheads"
"Bring The Noise"
"Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos"

Tracklist

	Countdown To Armageddon
	Bring The Noise
	Don't Believe The Hype
	Cold Lampin With Flavor
	Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic
	Mind Terrorist
	Louder Than A Bomb
	Caught, Can We Get A Witness?
	Show Em Whatcha Got
	She Watch Channel Zero?!
	Night Of The Living Baseheads
	Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos
	Security Of The First World
	Rebel Without A Pause
	Prophets Of Rage
	Party For Your Right To Fight

Versions

Title	Label	Cat#	Country	Year
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	527 358-1	US	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	527 358-2	UK & Europe	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	DEF 462415 2	Europe	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Album)	Def Jam Recordings, Columbia	462415 2	Europe	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Album)	Def Jam Recordings, Columbia	CK 44303	US	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Cass, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	BFCT-44303	Canada	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Cass, Album)	Def Jam Recordings, Def Jam Recordings	FCT 44303, CT 44303	US	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Cass, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	314 527 358-4	USA & Canada	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Cass, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	462415 4	UK	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Cass, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	BWT 44303	US	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Cass, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	DEF 462415 4	Europe	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album)	Def Jam Recordings, CBS	462415 1	Australia	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	DEF 462415 1	Netherlands	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album)	Def Jam Recordings, Def Jam Recordings	C 44303, FC 44303	US	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album)	Def Jam Recordings, CBS	462415 1	UK	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album)	CBS	DEF 462415 1	Greece	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	BFW 44303	US	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album)	Epic	177.180/1-462415	Brazil	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album)	Def Jam Recordings, Def Jam Recordings	BFW 44303, FC 44303	US	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album, W/Lbl, Promo)	Def Jam Recordings	BFW 44303	US	1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Pic, Album, RE, Unofficial)	Def Jam Recordings	5273583		1988
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Album)	Def Jam Recordings, Columbia, CBS	462415 2	Australia	1990
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Album, RE)	Def Jam Recordings	527 358-2	UK & Europe	1995
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, RE, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	314 527 358-2	US	1995
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Album)	Def Jam Recordings, Mercury	PHCR-94075	Japan	1999
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Enh, Album, RM)	Def Jam Recordings	542 423-2	Europe	2000
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album, RE)	Simply Vinyl (S12)	SVLP 214	UK	2000
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Album, RE)	Def Jam Recordings	527 358-1	US	2000
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Album, RE)	Moon Records (2)	MR-934-2	Ukraine	2004
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, Album, RE, RM + DVD-V, PAL)	Def Jam Recordings	0602498141731	Europe	2004
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (2xLP, RE)	Def Jam Recordings	9827880	US	2005
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (LP, Pic, Album, RE)	Def Jam Recordings	SVLP 5273583	UK	2007
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (CD, RE, Album)	Def Jam Recordings	314 527 358-2	Canada

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Reviews & Discussion

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Rated 5/5

Fotis-N. Jan 26, 2011

referencing It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, CD, Album, 462415 2

Prophets of rage or rebels without a pause, the words of the black panthers
mixed with every kind of "black" music were for a short while very popular!!
Those little miracles that music can bring.
Great black music ancient to the future.

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Plasticonegro Oct 31, 2010

referencing It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, LP, Album, RE, SVLP 214

This edition (Simply Vinyl) has a bug in the track 15 (Prophets Of Rage). In the 1:57 minute of the song is a recording break. It is a fault in the master, not a scratch on my copy, and therefore exists in all copies were sold by Simply Vinyl.

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Rated 5/5

Review by ijunor Mar 12, 2010

referencing It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, LP, Album, RE, SVLP 214

WOW!!!,where do i begin to review this?.There's the school of thought within the hip-hop community that the individual recomending something is a music snob (rap fans are not always right,apart from your's truly).In this instance giant leaps were made by P.E as they broke new ground.This album sits comfortably in any collection whatever your taste.An out and out masterpiece at the time,i'm not saying rush out and buy this but you'll never understand the difference between pre "nation of millions" to what we hold so dear today unless you've copped this.Chuck D,Terminator X and rap's class clown Flava Flav on top of their game,no dizzout.peace.

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Review by bringitsingit Jan 12, 2006 (edited over 6 years ago)

referencing It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, CD, Album, CK 44303

The bomb squad in full effect. You hear something new each time you listen. The density of the cut-and-paste sampling here is incredible. Doesn't sound dated and Flav isn't even too grating.

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Rated 4/5

Review by KStor Oct 16, 2004 (edited over 7 years ago)

referencing It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, LP, Album, BFW 44303

Main sample for song She Watch Channel Zero?! is a sample of the Slayer's song Angel of Death, from the album Reign in Blood

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Review by andysword Nov 18, 2003

referencing It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, CD, Enh, Album, RM, 542 423-2

Public Enemy were a political group from the word go. Whether you are like-minded or not, this album is worth an ear. Production far superior to that of their previous release. Studio tracks interspersed by snippets of live shows, news reports. Bring the Noise was a good show-opener, but it's not the best track here. Don't Believe the Hype is a swipe at the band's bad press. Other topics tackled are prison, drugs, copyright law and black rights in general. Prophets of Rage and Party for Your Right to Fight are great vehicles for the scratching/mixing talents of Terminator X. No hard-core rap fan's collection is complete without this particular P.E. record.

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Rated 5/5

Review by tekkno-guy May 31, 2003

referencing It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, LP, Album, BFW 44303

This was repressed in 2000 and was in limited quantity. All these releases have stickers on them with the number of the pressing on it.

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