Public Enemy: Chuck D, Flavor-Flav (rap vocals); Norman "Terminator X" Rogers (scratches); The Security Of The First World.

Additional personnel: Vernon Reid (guitar); Bill Stephney (guitar, bass); Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler (synthesizer, drum programming); Steve Linsley (bass); Johnny "Juice" Rosado (scratches).

Recorded at Spectrum City Studios, Hempstead, New York.

From "Strong Island" (Long Island, New York) came the unstoppable sound of Public Enemy, a rap band that saw itself as a vital, explicitly political voice in the black community.

YO! BUM RUSH THE SHOW, their debut album, filled a gap in hip-hop: raps that attempted to delineate black suffering in America, and instill pride in the place of hopelessness. The balance between Chuck D's explosive raps and Flavor Flav's humorous asides played perfectly off the scratching of DJ Terminator X. While some critics branded them "too hostile," their message spread to fans of all colors.

What the critics say...

Q (9/95, p.132) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...a stunning opening...just the first, in retrospect almost shy, step on a remarkable journey...a hard, droning extension of the basic drum`n'scratch Def Jam template that had served LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys so well..."
Melody Maker (7/22/95, p.35) - Recommended - "...It wasn't just a new sound, a discovery. It was like being struck by a meteor..."
NME (Magazine) (9/25/93, p.19) - Ranked #49 in NME's list of The 50 Greatest Albums Of The '80s.
NME (Magazine) (7/15/95, p.47) - 9 (out of 10) - "...YO! BUM RUSH THE SHOW announced a hip-hop group who smouldered beneath dark, sparse beats like no other, introduced us to the coolest vocal double act ever...and featured as striking a statement of intent as you could wish for in `Public Enemy Number 1'....brilliant..."