Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black
Encyclopedia
Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black is the fourth studio album
by American hip hop
group Public Enemy, released October 3, 1991 on Def Jam Recordings
in the United States. It debuts production team Imperial Grand Ministers of Funk, which consisted of producers Stuart Robertz, Cerwin 'C-Dawg' Depper, Gary G-Wiz
, and The JBL. The album peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200
chart and at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
chart. On November 26, 1991, it was certified platinum
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
, following sales in excess of 1 million copies.
and Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
.
The singles released from the album were "Can't Truss It", "Shut Em Down" and its B-side "By the Time I Get to Arizona" (samples "Two Sisters of Mystery" by Mandrill
and a live version of "Walk on By" by the Jackson 5), in which Public Enemy was depicted in the video
killing the Arizona governor, Evan Mecham
, who refused to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr.
's birthday as a national holiday.
The album also included the thrash cover of their earlier hit "Bring the Noise" featuring Anthrax
and "Get the Fuck Outta Dodge" - a previously released B-Side to the "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" single from Fear of a Black Planet
.
Additional personnel
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group Public Enemy, released October 3, 1991 on Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
in the United States. It debuts production team Imperial Grand Ministers of Funk, which consisted of producers Stuart Robertz, Cerwin 'C-Dawg' Depper, Gary G-Wiz
Gary G-Wiz
Gary Rinaldo , better known by the name Gary G-Wiz, is an American record producer and composer. Most known for being a member of the hip hop production team The Bomb Squad, G-Wiz is a longtime Public Enemy producer and contributed to many albums including: Apocalypse 91.....
, and The JBL. The album peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart and at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
chart. On November 26, 1991, it was certified platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, following sales in excess of 1 million copies.
Background
The album title refers to the film Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
and Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
.
The singles released from the album were "Can't Truss It", "Shut Em Down" and its B-side "By the Time I Get to Arizona" (samples "Two Sisters of Mystery" by Mandrill
Mandrill (band)
Mandrill is an American funk band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1968. The band was formed by three brothers: Carlos Wilson , Lou Wilson and Ric Wilson . The brothers were born in Panama and grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn...
and a live version of "Walk on By" by the Jackson 5), in which Public Enemy was depicted in the video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
killing the Arizona governor, Evan Mecham
Evan Mecham
Evan Mecham was the 17th Governor of Arizona. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mecham earned his living as an automotive dealership owner and occasional newspaper publisher...
, who refused to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
's birthday as a national holiday.
The album also included the thrash cover of their earlier hit "Bring the Noise" featuring Anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
and "Get the Fuck Outta Dodge" - a previously released B-Side to the "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" single from Fear of a Black Planet
Fear of a Black Planet
Fear of a Black Planet is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released April 10, 1990, on Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. Production for the album was handled by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expanded on the dense, sample-layered sound of the...
.
Reception
- Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
(10/3/91) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...attempts nothing short of setting a sociopolitical agenda for the black community....Apocalypse '91 needs to be watched..."
- Q magazine (9/95, p. 132) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...fine by any but their own Olympian standards...showed Public Enemy ploughing old furrows..."
- New York Times (9/29/91) - "...hip-hop's prophets of rage...with songs that mix political, personal and promotional statements in quick-cutting, often oblique language..."
- NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
(7/15/95, p. 47) - 7 (out of 10) - "...a more soulful, funkier stew than previously served but there were a couple of fillers....Good, but not as indispensable as its predecessors..."
- SpinSpin (magazine)Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
- Ranked #7 in Spin's list of the 20 Best Albums of 1991.
- Melody MakerMelody MakerMelody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
(12/91) - Ranked #21 in Melody Maker's list of the top 30 albums of 1991.
Track listing
All tracks written by Ridenour/Robertz/Gary G/Wiz/Depper, unless otherwise noted.- "Lost at Birth" – 3:49
- "Rebirth" – 0:59
- "Nighttrain" – 3:27 (Ridenhour/Robertz/Gary G/Wiz/The JBL/Depper)
- "Can't Truss It" – 5:21
- "I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Niga" – 4:23 (Drayton/Gary G/Wiz/Robertz)
- "How to Kill a Radio Consultant" – 3:09
- "By the Time I Get to Arizona" – 4:48 (Ridenhour/Robertz/Gary G/Wiz/Depper/Mandrill/Santiago)
- "Move!" – 4:59
- "1 Million Bottlebags" – 4:06
- "More News at 11" – 2:39 (Drayton/Gary G/Wiz/Robertz)
- "Shut 'em DownShut 'em Down (Public Enemy)Shut 'em Down is the fourth single from Public Enemy's Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black.The song gained notoriety when remixed by Pete Rock in the summer of 1991. The remix incorporated elements of a horn sample which interwove prominently in and out of the mix while a filtered ascending...
" – 5:04 - "A Letter to the New York Post" – 2:45 (Drayton/Gary G/Wiz/Robertz)
- "Get the Fuck Outta Dodge" – 2:38 (Ridenhour/Houston)
- "Bring the NoiseBring the Noise"Bring the Noise" is a song by the hip hop group Public Enemy. It was included on the soundtrack of the 1987 film Less Than Zero and was also released as a single that year. It later became the first song on the group's 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back...
" (w/AnthraxAnthrax (band)Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
) – 3:47 (Ridenhour/Shocklee/Sadler/Anthrax)
Sample credits
- "Lost at Birth"
- "Got to Get a Knutt" by New BirthNew Birth (band)New Birth is an American funk and R&B group, originally conceived in Detroit, Michigan by former Motown songwriter/producer and veteran musician Vernon Bullock, and co-founded in Louisville, Kentucky by Vernon, with former Motown songwriter/producer Harvey Fuqua, and music industry veterans, Tony...
- "Bring the Noise" by Public Enemy
- "Public Enemy No. 1" by Public Enemy
- "Can I Kick It?" by A Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
- "Got to Get a Knutt" by New Birth
- "More News at 11"
- "Rumors" by the Timex Social ClubTimex Social ClubThe Timex Social Club was an American R&B/Hip hop group, formed in 1982 by students of Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California. They are perhaps best known for their 1986 hit single, "Rumors" and for being major forerunners to the soon-incipient new jack swing movement.-History:Originally...
- "Rumors" by the Timex Social Club
- "Rebirth"
- "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
- "Security of the First World" by Public Enemy
- "Nighttrain"
- "Night Train" by James Brown
- "Shoot Your Shot" by James Brown
- "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" by James Brown
- "Flash Light" by ParliamentParliament (band)Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
- "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat and Tears
- "How Ya Like Me Now" by Kool Moe DeeKool Moe DeeMohandas Dewese , better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American Hip Hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was born in Manhattan, New York...
- "Can't Truss It"
- "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" by James Brown
- "Atomic DogAtomic Dog"Atomic Dog" is a song by George Clinton from his 1982 album Computer Games. The track was released as a single in December 1982 and became the P-Funk collective's last to reach #1 on the U.S. R&B Chart...
" by George ClintonGeorge Clinton (musician)George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost... - "Hihache" by Lafayette Afro Rock BandLafayette Afro Rock BandLafayette Afro Rock Band was a French funk rock band formed in Roosevelt, Long Island, New York in 1970. Though almost unknown in their native United States, they are now universally celebrated as one of the standout funk bands of the 1970s and admired for their use of break beats.Upon their...
- "Slide" by SlaveSlave (band)Slave was an Ohio funk band popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Trumpeter Steve Washington and Mark Hicks formed the group in Dayton, Ohio in 1975.-Career:Trombonist Floyd Miller teamed with Tom Lockett Jr...
- "Sing a Simple SongSing a Simple Song"Sing a Simple Song" is a 1968 song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, the b-side to their #1 hit "Everyday People". The song's lyrics, sung in turn by Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, Rose Stone, and Larry Graham, with spoken word sections by Cynthia Robinson, offer a simple solution for...
" by Sly & the Family StoneSly & the Family StoneSly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music... - "Dumb Girl" by Run DMC
- "I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Niga"
- "Hard to Handle" by Otis ReddingOtis ReddingOtis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
- "Hard to Handle" by Otis Redding
- "How to Kill a Radio Consultant"
- "Cold SweatCold Sweat"Cold Sweat" is a song performed by James Brown and written by his bandleader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. Brown recorded it in May 1967. An edited version of "Cold Sweat" released as a two-part single on King Records was a #1 R&B hit, and reached number seven on the Pop Singles chart...
" by James Brown - "Beats To The Rhyme" by Run DMC
- "I Got Ants in My Pants" by James Brown
- "It's a New Day" by Skull Snaps
- "Radio" by LL Cool JLL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
- "Death Penalty" by Robin HarrisRobin HarrisRobin Hughes Harris was an American comedian and actor, known for his recurring comic sketch about Bébé's Kids.-Childhood:...
- "Cold Sweat
- "By the Time I Get to Arizona"
- "Walk On/The Love You Save" by the Jackson 5
- "Two Sisters of Mystery" by Mandrill
- "Move!"
- "Fly Me To the Moon" by Lyn CollinsLyn CollinsLyn Collins was an African American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s. Contrary to some reports, she is not related to Bootsy Collins, nor Catfish Collins....
- "Fly Me To the Moon" by Lyn Collins
- "1 Million Bottlebags"
- "Make it Good to Yourself" by James Brown
- "Hot Pants... I'm Coming, I'm Coming, I'm Coming" by Bobby Byrd
- "Damn Right I Am Somebody" by The JB's
- "More Bounce to the OunceMore Bounce to the Ounce"More Bounce to the Ounce" is an influential funk single recorded by the Ohio-based band Zapp, led by singer-songwriter Roger Troutman. Released in 1980 on the Warner Bros. Records label, the song was originally recorded in 1979 while Troutman's group was part of George Clinton's Uncle Jam Records....
" by ZappZapp (band)Zapp is a soul and funk band formed in 1978 by brothers Roger Troutman, Larry Troutman, Lester Troutman, Terry Troutman, Bobby Glover and Gregory Jackson [Cincinnati Ohio Funk Keyboardist]... - "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" by Bob James
- "Shut Em Down"
- "The Rainmaker" by 5th Dimension
- "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" by James Brown
- "Ain't I Been Good to You?" by the Isley Brothers
- "Get the Fuck Outta Dodge"
- "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone
Personnel
Public Enemy- Chuck DChuck DCarlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
- Flavor FlavFlavor FlavWilliam Jonathan Drayton, Jr. , better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, is an American rapper and television personality who rose to prominence as a member of the rap group Public Enemy...
- Terminator X
Additional personnel
- AnthraxAnthrax (band)Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
– performer (track 14) - Frank Able – keyboards
- Allen Givens – horns
- Ricky Gordon – percussion
- Tyrone Jefferson – horns
- Al MacDowell – bass guitar
- Steve Moss – percussion
- Fred Wells – guitar
- Lorenzo "Tony" Wyche – horns
- Michael Angelo - mixing
Chart history
Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Billboard 200 | 4 |
| 1991 | Top R&B/hip-hop albums | 1 |
| 1991 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
8 |
External links
- Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black at Acclaimed Music
- Lyrics and review at Yahoo! MusicYahoo! MusicYahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
- Playboy review — By Robert ChristgauRobert ChristgauRobert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...