Public Enemy Announce It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back 35th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue

Public Enemy have revealed a new vinyl reissue of their 1988 sophomore LP, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, to honor the seminal album’s 35th anniversary as well as the year-long Hip-Hop 50 celebration.

The vinyl release, due November 10th, comes as either a 2xLP or 4xLP set. The larger package features bonus tracks from the deluxe CD including instrumental and a cappella mixes, a Public Enemy logo sticker, and a booklet with liner notes by founding members Chuck D and Flavor Flav as well as hip-hop legends and luminaries Q-Tip and Questlove.

In a statement, Chuck D put It Takes a Nation in a historical context, sharing, “Thanks to Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Whodini, we knew that hip-hop albums could explode on cassettes. 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 35th Anniversary Edition arrives on November 10th via UMe. Pre-orders are ongoing.

Public Enemy appeared twice as part of our Hip-Hop 50 coverage. It Takes a Nation ranked No. 3 on our list of the Best Hip-Hop Albums of All-Time, while “Fight the Power” from their 1990 follow-up Fear of a Black Planet earned the top spot on our Best Hip-Hop Songs of All-Time list.

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back 35th Anniversary Edition Tracklist:
Side A:
01. Countdown to Armageddon
02. Bring the Noise
03. Don’t Believe the Hype
04. Cold Lampin With Flavor

Side B:
01. Terminator X to the Edge of Panic
02. Mind Terrorist
03. Louder Than a Bomb
04. Caught, Can We Get a Witness?

Side C:
01. Show ‘Em Whatcha Got
02. She Watch Channel Zero?!
03. Night of the Living Baseheads
04. Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

Side D:
01. Security of the First World
02. Rebel Without a Pause
03. Prophets of Rage
04. Party for Your Right to Fight

Side E:
01. Bring the Noise (No Noise Version)
02. Bring the Noise (No Noise Instrumental)
03. Bring the Noise (No Noise A Cappella)
04. Rebel Without a Pause (Instrumental)

Side F:
01. Night of the Living Baseheads (Anti-High Blood Pressure Encounter Mix)
02. Night of the Living Baseheads (Terminator X Meets DST And Chuck Chill Out Instrumental Mix)
03. The Edge of Panic

Side G:
01. Terminator X to the Edge of Panic (No Need To Panic Radio Version)
02. The Rhythm, The Rebel (A Cappella)
03. Prophets of Rage (Power Version)

Side H:
01. Caught, Can We Get a Witness? (Pre Black Steel Ballistic Felony Dub)
02. B-Side Wins Again (Original Version)
03. Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos (Instrumental)