The Public Enemy frontman remains as important a voice as ever in a corrupt and troubled world, and this latest release is a tour de force of dynamic, dial-shifting hip-hop delivery, packed with brilliant breaks ‘n’ beats, his commanding, articulate voice, on race, politics, social media and culture, and a wealth of great newer guest rappers, including Schooly D, Stetsasonic’s Daddy-O and Donald D, and Jazzy Jay of Universal Zulu Nation, 1/2 Pint, ULTRAMAG7, Miranda Writes, and artists from Chuck's own SpitSLAM Record Label Group, The Impossebulls and Blak Madeen. It’s a jumping, energised, exciting pace-switching experience, as you’d expect from a radio channel-themed record, but there are many standouts, particularly What Rock Is, the super-slick Here We Are Heard (“Here we are heard, ahead of the word stirred/ The lines are thin blurred in these times of the absurd/ The words of cowards tweeted, deleted into the ether/ By our leaders, lie speakers who to spin cheaters”) a nuanced shout-out to younger people on New Gens, Superbagg, Carry On (“Carbon footprint, cancel all y'all want/ Relation between the races, all-time slump”) and Slight Story Style Sound. Old-school, golden age of hip-hop, call it what you like, but Chuck still feels like the top of the tree, his influence is elemental, and this is one of his best for years. Out on Def Jam.
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