Wow... I just had a quick scan through the new album and it's booooomin', now really... just like Stevie on his new release they give a shit about current trends & sounds and deliver some plain old school PE like we got on their earliest albums... still I need to get a closer listen, but this could be growing into another classic... THEY'RE BACK!

Most recent track I own is "he got game". Thats a good track.

thesexofit said:

NWO is a MUST LISTEN

APAROBBIE said:

It's available at Best Buy for $9.99. I think it's only available there.
Could ya'll post an in depth review. Lost my job (due to corporate downsizing so funds are low) and I haven't been able to get it. PE is by far my rap group of choice.
Thanks,

PAPAROBBIE said:

Bfunkthe1 said:

Chuck D calls for an American revolution, where people rise up and wrest control from what he views as an oppressive, hate-mongering government.

"Power to the people because the people want peace," Chuck exclaims in one of the many politically charged moments on "New Whirl Odor," the stirring comeback CD from his rap group Public Enemy.

Racists, greedy corporations and bling-and-thug obsessed rappers also draw Chuck's ire on a 58-minute disc featuring brand new material with the exception of "MKLVFKWR," recorded with techo-rocker Moby for the 2004 summer Olympics.

You remember Public Enemy, the group whose militant "It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back" made the New York Times' "25 Most Significant Albums of the Last Century" list. That same 1988 album finished No. 2, between Nirvana and Radiohead, in Spin magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Albums (1985 to 2005)."

While Chuck became a spokesman for rap, Public Enemy's other star, Flavor Flav, supplied comic relief that has helped him find a second career as a lovable goof in the VH1 reality programs "The Surreal Life" and "Strange Love."

Flavor Flav is back on the new Public Enemy disc, adding a few lighter moments. Still, "New Whirl Odor" brims with lyrical intensity, as Chuck blasts Bush and Blair, takes a shot at Bill Cosby's social posturing and slams a culture that's too engrossed in Xbox video games to realize the inequality that's going down.

Chuck wishes today's rap stars showed more social conscience instead of glorifying guns and wealth.

"In this get-rich-or-die-trying-time do you all see the greed I see?" he says on a song that identifies celebrity as the new American drug.

Possibly the most lyrically provocative CDs of the year, Public Enemy's independently released "New Whirl Odor" will be sold exclusively at Best Buy stores beginning Tuesday, and then at other major retail outlets starting Nov. 1.

In a time of war and decadence, it will be fascinating to see if the mainstream embraces or ignores such a combative CD.

PAPAROBBIE said:

if 50 cent reads that i'm sure he'll be just scratching to write a song about Chuck D. which will add yet another artist to his shit list. Like Chuck or the rest of us would care though....Chuck tells the truth...

.
[Edited 7/21/18 16:56pm]

oh shit, I gotta get this.

soulsike said:

-----
There in bed with a company that is going to put the CD on the shelf were the public can find it. That will not happen at Mom and Pop CD store.

Nice. This is not only what hip hop needs, but popular music in general. We need more artists to step up and speak on things other than sex and money.

PAPAROBBIE said:

Yeah I definitely need to pick this up.

soulsike said:

That's called taking the business side and the future of your art into your own hands. He has to think business-like for it to be seen and heard. I can't fault him for that at all.

missfee said:

50Cent VS. Chuck D

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Seriously, Chuck D would take 50's ass to school in a battle rap!

Dancelot said:

How does it hold up musically? Is it spare and stripped-down like first CD or multi-layered and thick like Fear of a Black Planet? Lyrically I'm not worried as Chuck always comes correct.

Bfunkthe1 said:

It kinda reminds me of the "It Takes a Nation...Fear Of A Black Planet...Apocalypse 91" era stuff.

PAPAROBBIE said:

Agreed. Those were also my first associations.

TonyVanDam said:

who has the guts to start a thread with that title?

PAPAROBBIE said:

Nice. Thanks for info. Now I'm off to Best Buy. Report later.
I wish more people would understand the importance of PE. They need to be heard by Everyone.

And another....


You might ask yourself, "Why Public Enemy?" At least five other new hip-hop albums came out the week of October 4th. The first new album by Twista in over a year. The debut of female seductress Ebony Eyez. A brand new live performance album from Tupac Shakur. There's no need to run further down the list - you get the gist.

The answer is to the question is remarkably simple though - WE NEED PUBLIC ENEMY. At no time in human history has their confrontational and inspirational music been more needed. Chuck D is one of the greatest orators of the last 20 years, but he's so much more than that. When White America wanted to hide from it's own ugly racism, Chuck D was the man to drag them to the truth kicking and screaming. When Black America wanted to pretend that malt liquor and teenage pregnancy weren't destroying the fabric of the community, Chuck D's strident voice was a wake-up call to the sleeping. Never at any time in his career has Chuck D been afraid of controversy, and whether right or wrong he's always going to give you a piece of his mind the way he sees it. The reason his words upset people is that more often than not, he's 100% right. When Chuck D speaks with that deep, powerful and commanding voice he's the E.F. Hutton of hip-hop. No, fuck that - he's BETTER than E.F. Hutton. When Chuck D speaks, people don't just listen - they HEAR.

Hypocrisy in America may at this moment be at an all time high. "Compassionate conservatism" is a glib phrase to disguise the fact inner cities are crumbling and the exodus of wealth erodes an already disenfranchised educational system. It's a glib phrase to disguise the fact that hurricanes destroy the low-tide poverty stricken neighborhoods of New Orleans, while federal officials twiddle their thumbs and do nothing to help. It's a glib phrase to cover the fact the Patriot Act strips Americans of their basic rights, rights guaranteed not just by the Constitution but that are inherent "natural law" for basic human dignity. It covers for the fact that the so-called "war on Terrorism" is actually provoking more acts of terror than it is disrupting. Someone needs to come along and address the horrors of what the elder George Bush once described as a "new world order." And who better than Chuck D? He was kicking up dust and pissing off people back when we had Bush one point oh. Now that we're on Bush Part Deux Chuck D is here to remind us that just because the shit is new doesn't mean it smells any better. There couldn't be a better title for any such reminder than "New Whirl Odor."

There was a time in the 1990's when Public Enemy's sonic and lyrical attack fell out of fashion. In part it was because a fickle rap audience tired of what they perceived as being preached to switched to gangster boogie and mafioso hip-hop. In part Public Enemy were themselves to blame. The signature Bomb Squad sound that gave Chuck D fiery beats to match his fiery rhethorhic disappeared, and albums like "Greatest Misses" and "Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age" left P.E. fans scratching their heads, confused and dissapointed. A much publicized split with their label Def Jam robbed P.E. of their natural distribution channels, so even when their sound and Chuck's bravado were reborn on recent albums like "There's a POISON Goin On.." and "Revolverlution," nobody was hearing the message. It seems that on "New Whirl Odor," Public Enemy has finally found a partner who can put their music on the store shelves - REDEYE Distribution. Their motives may be strictly financial, but nobody said Public Enemy weren't trying to make money on their music either. There may be a message with the beats, but Chuck and Flavor Flav still have to eat, not to mention pay their bills. Some people have let the pursuit of money - whether for survival or for bling bling - water down or reshape their message. Not Chuck D.

"Who in the hell told you that you were in heaven?
Platinum, gold, the house and the car
But poverty all around you by far
People living under bridges or in a car
[...]
Cause heaven for whites, is hell for blacks in America
Heaven or hell are two conditions of life
Not a place up there or a place down there
It's a condition of life, on earth, so value life
Heaven is not things, it's a higher level of thinking"

Truth on wax, culled straight from the aptly titled "Superman's Black in the Building." This nearly 12 minute long G-Doc produced opus closes out the album, and is phrased in several different sections - from a traditional style rap at the start to the slower slam poetry style found in the latter portion of the song these lyrics are cited from. It's not as though this is the only quotable part of the album. From beginning to end "New Whirl Odor" is nothing if NOT quotable. Chuck D continously throws bombs out that will blow up in the face of the regimented society long since conditioned to complacent acceptance of the uncontroversial. Just take the halfway point of this album "Makes You Blind" for example:

"Black man came first in the sweet name of Jesus
Cost me a Dollar, at the flo' of Creflo
Like how the hell he supposed to know or see to ask?
In the name of Allah, runnin to the radio
And the TV issues and views shaped by one-sided news
Got us like _Planet of the Apes_ under CD's and tapes
[...]
Radiation of a radio TV movie nation
on yo' God damn mind, makes you blind!
You don't matter, and they don't mind
Cause these be the things that make you blind"

When was the last time you listened to a rap album that told you NOT to listen to rap albums? But that's Chuck D for you. He'd rather make sure you're tuned in to reality and not blinded by all of the media, whether it's entertainment or fiction disguised as info-tainment. Of course even Chuck needs the beats to tell you these tales. Perhaps the title of their misunderstood 1994 album had it right - there's as much music in the message as there is message in the music. Songs like the chunky headnodding funk of the Abnormal produced "Bring That Beat Back" prove it:

"They die in Iraq, what you don't know I rock?
What you under a rock? What you under Iraq? (Get it)
Old cats be beggin us to bring that beat back
Each generation be thinkin that the next one is whack
[...]
I pray to God, I feel like I've got a church in myself
Good God uhh, I can't get no help
I say again health care cut back and it's whack
Yeah Ab, bring that beat back, c'mon"

From start to finish "New Whirl Odor" is an album informed by strong beats and even stronger rhymes. Chuck D once again proves fearless in his criticism of all areas of life, not even afraid to criticize himself when called for. Even if you don't agree with everything that Public Enemy has to say you'd be foolish not to respect the dialogue. What Public Enemy brings to the table goes beyond just dope beats and rhymes - and they are definitely dope - it's an opportunity to open closed discussions and spark new ones altogether. Why is there a war on terrorism and not on poverty? Why is there a war on drugs and not on hunger? Let's address the issues. P.E. is not afraid to take on this new world order.

Music Vibes: 8 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 8.5 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 8 of 10

great review PAPAROBBIE, thanx for posting! I really, really loooove that new joint, awesome

Dancelot said:

On November 1st (this Tuesday) Pe's new CD will be available everywhere and there is a special edition with a DVD. It will have some videos and a small documentary on the making on the new CD New Whirl Order.I'm glad I didn't buy the CD yet because I will buy the CD/DVD version. Reports later.
All the orgers seem to really dig it. Can't wait.

Bfunkthe1 said:

Forget to mention that New Whirl Order is the first in a trilogy of new PE music! The second is titled Rebirth of a Nation and is due in January. The third is titled How do You Sell Soul to a Soulless People who sold their Soul, date TBA.
Great time to be a PE fan.

here be a review pitchfork...








Public Enemy
New Whirl Odor
[Slam Jamz; 2005]
Rating: 5.9





Hip-hop's aging process can be a real bear. How these men and women are siphoned of their meaningful juice after the age of 32 is a mystery. I have no answers for this. Rock and r&b stars make comebacks all the time, proving force into their thirties, forties, beyond, and debunking over-the-hill-isms. Rap, eh, not so much on the revitalization tip. Rakim, LL Cool J, Marley Marl, Kool G Rap, et al-- titans the lot of them-- seem incapable of conjuring the fire they had in their youth. It's baffling. Public Enemy, a group so long on importance they have actually become hyperbole ipso facto, have struggled for more than 15 years to make anything as resounding as their first three albums.

Their newest record-- with the stupendously stupid title New Whirl Odor-- opens with the same sort of blustery black-conscience quote that marked previous albums. Instead of Dr. King or Bobby Seale, they have employed the booming bridle of Rev. Al Sharpton-- a telling move clearly bound to questions of relevance. Quickly, a familiar voice, the at-attention roar of Chuck Ridenhour booms. "I smell a new whirl odor! I smell a new whirl odor." As a punny Maytag commercial, this is genius. As rapt political commentary it's lacking depth. PE is a group the world direly needs right now. Not simply as culture police or Karl Rove rovers-- and not to combat bling technocracy -- but to enliven dialogue, keep it in check maybe, but mostly to play social ping-pong. Paul Wall and PE should have fun together. Sniping is for suckers. Throughout the album, Chuck D often goes all Bill Cosby on us: Over the cheap Casio production of "Makes You Blind" he raps: "Radiation of a radio TV movie nation/ On yo Goddamn mind, makes you blind!/ You don't matter, and they don't mind/ Cause these be the things that make you blind." Gah. There's a fine line between deflating institutional bullshit and a curmudgeon's condescension. PE fell prey to the latter years ago.

Musically, the album is sorely missing the Bomb Squad's Jenga-stacked whirlwind compositions, replacing the Shocklee Brothers and Eric Sadler with Squad utility players Johnny Juice and Abnormal. It's not all bad, just mostly copycat stuff. Most of the songs start with that familiar blitzkrieg intensity. "MKLVFKWR" and "Preachin' to the Quiet" in particular slam through at the outset. It quickly becomes clear, however, that there's not much variety in these producer's repertoire. A song like "Night of the Living Baseheads" has so many elements, it's like getting dragged through a mine field every time you hear it. By contrast, here we get "Makes You Blind", the worst metal song of the year. Maybe the decade. Chuck needs to stop this fixation right now. Professor Griff needs to stop rapping, too-- his flow is broken.

It's no fun disliking this album, but it's no fun to listen to, either. If you align yourself with Public Enemy, you'll be thrilled with all the shouting and sloganeering. But that's precisely what they should be combating: homogenization, t-shirt politics, musical uniformity. Instead they get closer to Fiery Cover Band status. The cracks really start showing when the phrase "Power to the people cuz the people want peace" starts to mean nothing. What could once move the crowd, now just sounds empty.

-Sean Fennessey, November 3, 2005

That review is actually pretty funny

okay i went to the store and saw the price, $17.00, didn't get it... now this review has put me off more....

ufoclub said:

Hmmmm you just saw TWO positive reviews and one negative & it put you off?

I've heard some of the new album.....


Pitchfork is pretty wretched on anything they review.. but whoever wrote that one was kindof dead on it.. especially about all the rappers losing their "touch" after a certian age...

" "I smell a new whirl odor! I smell a new whirl odor."As a punny Maytag commercial, this is genius. As rapt political commentary it's lacking depth. PE is a group the world direly needs right now. Not simply as culture police or Karl Rove rovers-- and not to combat bling technocracy -- but to enliven dialogue, keep it in check maybe, but mostly to play social ping-pong. Paul Wall and PE should have fun together. Sniping is for suckers. Throughout the album, Chuck D often goes all Bill Cosby on us: Over the cheap Casio production of "Makes You Blind" he raps: "Radiation of a radio TV movie nation/ On yo Goddamn mind, makes you blind!/ You don't matter, and they don't mind/ Cause these be the things that make you blind." Gah. There's a fine line between deflating institutional bullshit and a curmudgeon's condescension. PE fell prey to the latter years ago. "


sorry but thats dead on it...