PUBLIC ENEMY
New Whirl Odor
SlamJamz/ Red Eye
· The PE is back in full effect.
With musicologist Chuck D rehashing classic Public Enemy tracks with DJ Spooky, and timekeeper Flava Flav clocking time on The Surreal Life, it seemed as though the glory days of Public Enemy were long gone. Separately, those two MCs have been making guest appearances here and there, but the release of a new greatest hits compilation earlier this year had all the hallmarks of the group’s final chapter. However, New Whirl Odor proves that isn’t the case.
Their first album in three years plays as a companion piece to their 1989 masterpiece, Fear of a Black Planet. Not only do they revisit similar subject matter (most recognizably talk radio), but they even go so far as to sample their own lyrics. It’s fitting – Fear of a Black Planet’s calling card track "Fight the Power" was appropriated by soldiers during the Persian Gulf War and now the U.S. is hip-deep in the second chapter of that conflict. American foreign policy has certainly had its effect on this album that’s not only reflected in the rhymes Chuck D spits, but also in the samples spliced and diced throughout. New Whirl Odor features tracks with relentless bass and beats that move with the determination of advancing tank treads. Guitars get clipped and tweaked until they resemble air-raid sirens and the sound of military aircraft.
Although some of Chuck D’s best turns of phrase (from the subtle "what, you under Iraq" to the blatant "make love, fuck war, peace will save us") have military connotations, he is just as adept at kneecapping corporate greed, the current state of hip hop and the power of celebrity. While the album sounds like classic Public Enemy, New Whirl Odor is as current as it can be. Channelling rage into a hook-filled hour-long testimonial to the power of the word, this album proves that as long as this world keeps slipping towards its own self-destruction, Public Enemy will be there to try to lead it back.
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