The return of Public Enemy to Def Jam is quite something. Sure, the legendary American rap group also released What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down under their own label, Enemy Records. But it’s the return to their roots which makes this album truly symbolic. Since the New York band has been producing music for almost thirty-five years now, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Well, it’s quite simple – this is undoubtedly the best album they have released in a long time. Joined by a whole host of legends, Public Enemy isn’t just making old-school rap music for fans over the age of forty. In this new album, you can enjoy George Clinton bringing his crazy funk-rock energy to GRID (also featuring Cypress Hill), the return of the Beastie Boys and the 80’s rap-rock trio Run-DMC on Public Enemy Number Won, as well as the legendary Ice-T and PMD (half of EPMD) in Smash the Crowd. Almost all of the tracks have transitions to remove any breaks between songs, giving the impression you’re in a train that’s going full steam ahead (except Go At It feat. Jahi). There’s not much to dislike about this album, from the calm and melancholic Blackat, a homage to a deceased friend, to the remix of Fight The Power which brings together a dream team of gangsters featuring Nas, Rapsody, Black Thought, Jahi, YG and Questlove from The Roots. Drawing on old-school sounds packed with heavy breakbeats and scratches and combining them with a deliberately organic sound (the group has always distinguished itself by its ability to bring the production equipment alive), Public Enemy has produced a complete and passionately urgent album which is entirely relevant and far from stuck in the past. © Brice Miclet/Qobuz