100 Greatest Albums of All Time

48. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy, Def Jam, 1988

Loud, obnoxious, funky, avant-garde, political, hilarious ”“ Public Enemy’s brilliant second album is all of these things, all at once. Chuck D booms intricate rhymes with a delivery inspired by sportscaster Marv Albert; sidekick Flavor Flav raps comic relief; and production team the Bomb Squad builds mesmerizing, multi-layered jams, pierced with shrieking sirens. The title and roiling force of “Bring the Noise” is truth in advertising. “If they’re callin’ my music ”˜noise,’ ” said Chuck D, “if they’re saying that I’m really getting out of character being a black person in America, then fine ”“ I’m bringin’ more noise.”