Public Enemy to perform 'It Takes a Nation of Millions...' - live in UK

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Public Enemy

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New York hip-hop group, Public Enemy are touring the UK in May from 21st through to 28th. Three of those dates are part of the 'Don't Look Back' series of concerts, which will see them perform their classic 1988 album 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back' in its entirety. These special events will take place at London's Brixton Academy on 23rd May, at the Manchester Academy on 26th May, and at the Glasgow ABC1 on 27th May.

'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back' regularly ranks as one of the greatest and most influential recordings of all time in various publications including Rolling Stone and TIME. Enormously influential, the album's mix of The Bomb Squad's relentless, sample-heavy, guitar-laden production and Chuck D's politically charged lyrics turned it into a sensation - and one of the biggest-selling hip-hop albums of all time.

Public Enemy (PE) are well known for their political songs and views, criticism of the media and have an active interest in the concerns of the African American community. In the wake of PE's success came a whole host of Hip Hop acts who owed much to Chuck, Flav and Terminator X. They have played an important part in helping hip-hop to crossover into the mainstream and to spread its popularity into Europe and Asia.

In 1991 PE collaborated with the thrash metal band Anthrax - something which seemed to come from the leftfield for the casual observer - producing a new version of the hit single 'Bring the Noise'. The 'rap-rock' foundations were already set by Run DMC's 'Walk This Way' collaboration with Aerosmith, but 'Bring the Noise' built on that success, helping to bridge the gap between hip-hop and heavy metal, creating 'rap-metal' or 'rapcore'.

So if you want to catch up with PE, check out their tour dates below. Tickets for all the shows are now available.

Daniel O'Connell