Public Enemy has firmly salted the streets of Long Island again! These political hip-hop heroes, with Chuck D at the helm alongside Flavor Flav and DJ Lord, have completely unexpectedly dropped a new LP on Bandcamp. Without any alarm or drumbeat, but of course for the real heads, this is no surprise. Their first five records are already known as essential salt in any hip-hop collection, and the message pushed back then is still much needed today.
After parting ways with Def Jam Recordings in ‘98 with that classic ‘He Got Game’ soundtrack, they continued independently with ten albums to provide a comeback in 2020 with ‘What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?’ during the pandemic. Just recently Chuck dropped his official Def Jam solo debut ‘Radio Armageddon,’ and now he comes to the new record ‘Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025′ with that same fire.
The track “Siick,” produced by C-Doc, immediately sets the tone with its energetic raprock vibe focusing on the political chaos and hatred that has embraced the world. But when “Confusion (Here Come the Drums)” kicks off, Chuck and Flav come together to spit on the fact that they may be the last G.O.A.T.s of their kind in the scene. And then you have “What Eye Said,” which is reminiscent of The Bomb Squad with its instrumentation, questioning who can drop another verse without swearing. But rest assured, Flav is back on “C'mon Get Down” with those unmistakable old school vibes.
The track “Evil Ways” shows Chuck as the rhyme animal, where he himself is responsible for a solid raprock beat. Here he talks about how even the hardest thugs get leveled in the long run. Next you hear “Sexegenarian” where samples heavily dominate and Chuck raps about being 65 and speaking to 35-year-olds who are still trying to get there. If that's not enough, Flav pops with his solo “Messy Hens” in which he shits on haters because his legacy is thick, while “Fools Fools Fools” with live drums by Green Day's Tré Cool lets Chuck go wild with social media flamers.
“Public Enemy Comin Throoooo” rightly lets Flav play off their legacy, while Chuck's “swinger” mentality is praised. Elaborating on themes also covered in ‘Radio Armageddon,’ you get with “Ageism” where funk rules the roost. Then, with “The Hits Just Keep on Comin’,” to once again address the country's awakening in the midst of revolutionary struggles. The record closes with “March Madness,” a final solo from Flav that puts gun violence and corrupt politicians under fire.
‘What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?’ was originally intended as a reissue of ‘Nothing's Quick in the Desert. In a way, ’Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025‘ feels like a logical continuation of Chuck D's earlier work, full of that classic production and a message that is needed now more than ever.
Score: 8/10
So to all dieprooie hip-hop lovers: this record is a must-listen, a boundless salt explosion for the mind as well as the ear!
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