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.

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