Public Enemy Reissues Deluxe Editions Of ‘It Takes A Nation’ And ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’

It would be tempting to turn on the news and say Public Enemy's work is becoming relevant again. But the truth is that Chuck, Griff, Flava, and the gang live on in an infinite loop. The urgency, the indignation, the humanity—those things never really leave. Time is a flat circle.

So as part of their 30th anniversary celebration, Def Jam is reissuing Public Enemy's twin classics, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back and Fear Of A Black Planet. The former, originally released in 1988, cemented the group as a critical and cultural force; the latter is enshrined in the Library of Congress.

Each reissue includes the album in its original form. It Takes A Nation will come complete with alternate versions of "Bring The Noise" and "Night Of The Living Baseheads" among other cuts, plus several instrumental and acapella tracks. Additionally, the Nation set includes the Fight The Power...Live DVD footage, long out of print. Fear Of A Black Planet will come with a second disc featuring multiple mixes of "Fight The Power," plus more alternate versions of albums cuts and singles like "Terrorbeat." Each reissue will include brand-new liner notes written by Questlove and Andre Torres, editor-in-chief of Wax Poetics.

[Billboard]

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