Fear of a Black Planet is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was released on April 10, 1990, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records, and produced by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expanded on the sample-layered sound of Public Enemy's previous album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988). Having fulfilled their initial creative ambitions with that album, the group aspired to create what lead rapper Chuck D called "a deep, complex album". Their songwriting was partly inspired by the controversy surrounding member Professor Griff's anti-Semitic public comments and his consequent dismissal from the group in 1989.
Fear of a Black Planet
Public Enemy wanted to create an album more conducive to dynamic live performance (group leader Chuck D shown in concert in 1991).
An E-mu SP-1200 drum machine and sampler, one of the devices used by The Bomb Squad for the album
Flavor Flav (1991), Public Enemy's hype man and the lead rapper on the singles "911 Is a Joke" and "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man"
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group formed by Chuck D and Flavor Flav on Long Island, New York, in 1985. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as American racism and the American media. Their debut album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, was released in 1987 to critical acclaim, and their second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988), was the first hip hop album to top The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll. Their next three albums, Fear of a Black Planet (1990), Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black (1991) and Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age (1994), were also well received. The group has since released twelve more studio albums, including the soundtrack to the 1998 sports-drama film He Got Game and a collaborative album with Paris, Rebirth of a Nation (2006).
Public Enemy performing in March 2000
Flavor Flav performing in Malmö, Sweden, in 1991
Chuck D. performing in Malmö, Sweden, in 1991
Public Enemy performing in Las Vegas in October 2007. Left to right: DJ Lord, Chuck D, and Flavor Flav.