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. It also garnered much critical acclaim, and was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll.

In 2003 the TV channel VH1 named It Takes A Nation Of Millions the 20th greatest album of all time.

Track listing

1. "Countdown to Armageddon" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
2. "Bring the Noise" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
3. "Don't Believe the Hype" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
4. "Cold Lampin' With Flavor" (Sadler/Shocklee)
5. "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Rodgers)
6. "Mind Terrorist" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
7. "Louder Than a Bomb" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
8. "Caught, Can We Get a Witness" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
9. "Show 'Em Whatcha Got" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
10. "She Watch Channel Zero?!" (Drayton/Griffin/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
11. "Night of the Living Baseheads" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
12. "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (Public Enemy)
13. "Security of the First World" (Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
14. "Rebel Without a Pause" (Ridenhour/Rodgers/Sadler/Shocklee)
15. "Prophets of Rage" (Drayton/Ridenhour/Sadler/Shocklee)
16. "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