It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is a 1988 (see 1988 in music) album by the hip hop group Public Enemy. Enormously influential, the album's mix of The Bomb Squad's sample-heavy beats and revolutionary lyrics railing against corporate control, structural racism and police brutality turned the album into a sensation, peaking at #1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, and #42 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Table of contents

1 Track listing
2 Personnel
3 Charting singles

Track listing

"Countdown to Armageddon" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Bring the Noise" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Don't Believe the Hype" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Cold Lampin' With Flavor" (Sadler/Shocklee)
"Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Rodgers)
"Mind Terrorist" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Louder Than a Bomb" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Caught, Can We Get a Witness" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Show 'Em Whatcha Got" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"She Watch Channel Zero?!" (Drayton/Griffin/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Night of the Living Baseheads" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (Public Enemy)
"Security of the First World" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Rebel Without a Pause" (Ridenhour/Rodgers/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Prophets of Rage" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
"Party for Your Right to Fight" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)

Personnel

Professor Griff - Vocals
Chuck D. - Vocals
Steven Ett - Mixing
Fab 5 Freddy - Vocals
Flavor Flav - Vocals
Glen E. Friedman - Photography
John Harrison - Engineer
Rod Hui - Mixing
Jeff Jones - Engineer
Rick Rubin - Executive Producer
Carl Ryder - Producer
Nick Sansano - Engineer
Hank Shocklee - Programming, Producer
Terminator X - Turntables
Chuck Valle - Engineer
Eric "Vietnam" Sadler - Programming, Assistant Producer
Norman Rogers - Scratching
Bill Stephney - Production Supervisor
Erica Johnson - Vocals
Oris Josphe - Vocals
Johnny Juice Rosado - Scratching, Turntables
Greg Gordon - Engineer
Jim Sabella - Engineer
Keith Boxley - Mixing
Chuck Chillout - Mixing
Matt Tritto - Engineer
Harry Allen - Vocals
Christopher Shaw - Engineer

Charting singles

1988  Bring the Noise	                Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks  No. 56
1988  Don't Believe the Hype	        Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks  No. 18
1988  Night of the Living Baseheads	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks  No. 62
1988  Don't Believe the Hype	        Hot Dance Music/Club Play	  No. 21
1988  Don't Believe the Hype	        Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles      No. 17
1989  Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos Hot Rap Singles	                  No. 11
1989  Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks  No. 86