Fear of a Black Planet is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on April 10, 1990, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. It was produced by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who sought to expand on the dense, sample-layered sound of Public Enemy's previous album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988). Having fulfilled their initial creative ambitions with that album, Public Enemy pursued a different direction and aspired to create what lead MC Chuck D specified as "a deep, complex album."
In its first week, the album sold one million copies in the United States, where it charted at No. 10 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Fear of a Black Planet was praised by music critics for its sonic quality, societal themes, and insightful lyrics, and was named one of the best albums in 1990. It has since been recognized as one of hip hop's greatest and most important albums, as well as musically and culturally significant. In 2003, it was ranked No. 300 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and in 2005, the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry.
Writes Wax Poetics editor-in-chief Torres in the liner notes, "Though it sits in the shadow of It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back, Fear of a Black Planet is a formidable contender for one of the finest hip-hop albums ever recorded."
Tracklist:
Side A
1. Contract On The World Love Jam
2. Brothers Gonna Work It Out
3. 911 Is A Joke
4. Incident At 66.6 FM
5. Welcome To The Terrordome
6. Meet The G That Killed Me
7. Pollywanacraka
8. Anti Nigger Machine
9. Burn Hollywood Burn
10. Power To The People
Side B
1. Who Stole The Soul?
2. Fear Of A Black Planet
3. Revolutionary Generation
4. Can’t Do Nuttin’ For Ya Man
5. Reggie Jax
6. Leave This Off Your Fu*kin’ Charts
7. B Side Wins Again
8. War At 33 1/3
9. Final Count Of The Collision Between Us And The Damned
10. Fight The Power