It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Bring the Noise

Public Enemy

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

End

251

Internal

Multi

292

Slant

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight

[Intro: Malcolm X & Flavor Flav]

Too black, too strong

Yo, Chuck, these honey^✦ drippers are still frontin' on us

Show 'em that we can do this

'cause we always^✦ knew this

Haha,^✦ yeah, boy!

[Verse 1: Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Chuck D & Flavor Flav]

Bass! How low can you go?

Death row? What a brother^✦ know

Once again,^✦ back is the incredible

Rhyme animal, the uncannable

D! Public^✦ Enemy^✦ Number^✦ One

5-0 said, "Freeze!"—and I got numb

Can I tell 'em that I really^✦ never^✦ had a gun?

But it's the wax that the Terminator^✦ X spun

Now they got me in a cell 'cause my records, they sell

'Cause a brother^✦ like me said, "Well

Farrakhan's a prophet, and I think you oughta^✦ listen^✦ to

What he can say to you, what you oughta^✦ do is

Follow^✦ for now," power,^✦ the people say

"Make a miracle, D, pump the lyrical"

Black is back, all in, we're gonna^✦ win

Check it out, yeah, yo, come on, here we go again^✦

[Chorus: DJ Grand Wizzard Theodore, Chuck D, Flavor Flav]

Turn it up!

Bring the noise!

Say, turn it up

Ayo, Chuck

They sayin' we too Black, man (Bring the noise!)

Yo, I don't understand what they sayin', but little do they know

They can get a smack for that, man

[Verse 2: Chuck D, Chuck D & Flavor Flav]

Never^✦ badder^✦ than bad 'cause the brother^✦ is madder^✦ than mad

At the fact it's corrupt like a senator^✦

Soul on a roll, but you treat it like soap on a rope

'Cause the beats and the lines^✦ are so dope

Listen^✦ for lessons I'm sayin' inside^✦ music^✦ that the critics are all blastin' me for

They'll never^✦ care for the brothers and sisters, why? 'Cause the country has us up for the war

We got to get 'em straight, come on now

They're gonna^✦ have to wait 'til we get it right

Radio^✦ stations, I question their Blackness

They call themselves Black, but we'll see if they'll play this

[Chorus: DJ Grand Wizzard Theodore, Chuck D & Flavor Flav]

Turn it up!

Bring the noise!

Say, turn it up

Ayo, Chuck, they illin'^✦

We chillin' (Bring the noise!)

Yo, P.E. in the house, top billin'^✦

But, yo, Chuck, show 'em what you can do, boy

[Verse 3: Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Chuck D & Flavor Flav]

Get from in front of me, the crowd runs to me

My DJ is warm, he's X, I call him Norm, ya know

He can cut a record^✦ from side to side

So what, the ride, the glide should be much safer^✦ than a suicide

Soul control, beat is the father^✦ of your rock'n'roll

Music^✦ for whatcha,^✦ for whichin', you call a band, man

Making^✦ a music,^✦ abuse^✦ it, but you can't do it, ya know

You call 'em demos,^✦ but we ride limos,^✦ too

Whatcha^✦ gonna^✦ do? Rap is not afraid^✦ of you

Beat is for Sonny^✦ Bono,^✦ beat is for Yoko^✦ Ono^✦

Run-DMC first said a DJ could be a band

Stand on its own feet, get you out your seat

Beat is for Eric^✦ B. and LL as well, hell

Wax is for Anthrax, still it can rock bells

Ever^✦ forever, universal, it will sell

Time for me to exit,^✦ Terminator^✦ X-it

[Chorus: DJ Grand Wizzard Theodore & Chuck D]

Turn it up! Bring the noise!

[Bridge: Flavor Flav & Chuck D]

Yo, they should know by now that they can't stop this bum rush (Bring the noise!)

Word up, better^✦ keep tellin'^✦ me to turn it down

But yo, Flavor^✦ Flav ain't going out like that

[Breakdown: Chuck D]

Come on!

Come on now!

Come on!

[Verse 4: Chuck D, Chuck D & Flavor Flav]

From coast to coast, so you stop being like a comatose

"Stand, my man? The beat's the same with a boast toast"

Rock with some pizzazz, it will last, why you ask?

Roll with the rock stars, still never^✦ get accepted as

We got to plead the Fifth, you can investigate

Don't need to wait, get the record^✦ straight

Hey, posse in effect, got Flavor,^✦ Terminator^✦

X to sign checks, play to get paid

We got to check it out down on the avenue^✦

A magazine or two is dissing^✦ me and dissing^✦ you

Yeah, I'm tellin'^✦ you

[Outro: Flavor Flav]

Hey yo, Griff, get thirty^✦ S1W, we got to handle this

We ain't goin' out like that

Yo, man, straight up on the Columbo tip

We can do this, like Brutus

'Cause we always^✦ knew this

You know what I'm sayin'

There's^✦ just one thing that puzzles me, my brother^✦

What's wrong with all these people around here, man?

Is they clocking?^✦ Is they rocking?^✦ Is they shocking?...^✦

Technical Breakdown

8.9

Multisyllabic Rhymes7.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres7.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm10.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity6.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control9.5

Performance and control

Computed Score8.89

Production

— The Bomb Squad

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Critic Analysis

RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Chuck D utilizes rhythmic staccato and militant projection to bridge the gap between socio-political manifesto and high-energy performance art, setting the template for the late-80s golden age of hip-hop.

A+

7.5

Multisyllabic

9.5

Internal Rhymes

Cadence / Flow

Vocabulary

7.5

Wordplay

9.5

Delivery

Aggressive syncopationDynamic vocal projectionAnaphoric structureInternal multi-syllabic rhyming

Rhyme Architecture: Uses a mixture of tight, repetitive end-rhymes (low/row/know) transitioning into complex, dense internal multi-syllabic strings (incredible/animal/uncannable) that drive the momentum forward.

Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Rhyme animal, the uncannable"

① A performer who is so wild and raw that they cannot be contained or easily defined.② A play on 'uncanny' and 'cannot be canned' (recorded/packaged), suggesting he is too authentic to be sanitized by the industry.

"It's the wax that the Terminator X spun"

① Literally referring to the physical vinyl record rotated by the DJ.② Metaphorically positioning the DJ as an active weapon/operator in a conflict, transforming music into a tool of sonic warfare.

Commanding vocal presence

Exceptional rhythmic integration with the beat

Pioneering use of political rhetoric as lyrical content

Vocabulary breadth is limited by the focus on rhythmic precision

Some metaphors are didactic rather than layered

User Scores

Notes

The Bomb Squad's noise collage production and Chuck D's baritone assault define hip-hop as political warfare