Chuck D Details Making Of Public Enemy's "It Takes A Nation" Amid Anniversary Re-Issue

Public Enemy is set to release a new vinyl reissue of their sophomore album, 1988’s It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. The album is being reissued to celebrate both its 35th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. 

"Thanks to Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Whodini, we knew that Hip Hop albums could explode on cassettes," Chuck D said in a statement. "At about the same time, [The Bomb Squad producer] Hank Shocklee was the manager of a record store, and he would point out how rock bands like Iron Maiden, The Rolling Stones and even Bruce Springsteen were getting the most out of the album concept. So, we took that and went further with ‘It Takes a Nation,' approaching it like a rock band. It ended up becoming a part of rap’s evolution from a singles-driven genre into the dawn of rap’s album age.”

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back was released on June 28, 1988 via Def Jam Recordings. Singles included “Rebel Without a Pause,” “Bring The Noise” and “Don’t Believe The Hype.” Public Enemy and Anthrax later converged for a remix of "Bring The Noise." Watch it below and pre-order the re-issue here.