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Public Enemy: Inside the Terrordome
Since the group’s early career in 1982, Public Enemy has been the most musically and politically radical rap group in the country. Their sheer presence was revolutionary: from racially charged lyrics to the iconic b-boy in the crosshairs logo, Chuck D, Flava Flav, and the rest were at the forefront of a changing rap scene. Many of their songs have since become anthems for black communities throughout the world.
Public Enemy: Inside the Terrordome tells the whole story of the group’s prolific career. From the early success of the early eighties, to their influential “Fight the Power,” to their introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Tim Grierson’s comprehensive biography details the highs and lows of this innovative group.
Public Enemy: Inside the Terrordome tells the whole story of the group’s prolific career. From the early success of the early eighties, to their influential “Fight the Power,” to their introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Tim Grierson’s comprehensive biography details the highs and lows of this innovative group.
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2014
7 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Tim Grierson
20 books6 followersSenior U.S. critic for Screen International and chief film critic for Paste, as well as contributing editor at Backstage and writer at The New Republic,
Rolling Stone
and The Wrap.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 23, 2018
Why is it that there's so many of these books where the author, a white guy who seems like he might not actually listen to rap music, can't get so much as an interview with the artist, not even a phone call in which the author seems to be someone from the cable company? Recent examples would include the books Original Gangstas and 3 Kings, both of which I kinda liked. There's probably all kinds of gaps in the stories, but they might actually benefit from being able to discuss things the artist would try to avoid. Inside the Terrordome is similar to those books in that there's already an abundance of material on the artist, including Chuck D's Welcome to the Terrordome, which I'd imagine is more or less as incoherent as the transcript of one of his interviews.
Shamelessly pieced together from clips from old magazine stories, Inside is, to its credit, fairly comprehensive for what it is. Unless you're investigating Flavor Flav for law enforcement purposes, you could probably read this and skip the rest of those books. I like the fact that it goes into pretty good depth on PE's more recent material, some of which isn't half bad, but I could do without the author ensuring us, every six paragraphs or so, that he disagrees with some controversial thing that Chuck D once said, as if anyone cares what he thinks.
Shamelessly pieced together from clips from old magazine stories, Inside is, to its credit, fairly comprehensive for what it is. Unless you're investigating Flavor Flav for law enforcement purposes, you could probably read this and skip the rest of those books. I like the fact that it goes into pretty good depth on PE's more recent material, some of which isn't half bad, but I could do without the author ensuring us, every six paragraphs or so, that he disagrees with some controversial thing that Chuck D once said, as if anyone cares what he thinks.
July 19, 2020
Firstly, let's make one thing clear- I think Public Enemy are just fantastic. To me, their '89 effort, 'Fear of a Black Planet' is not only Hip Hop's finest moment but is one of the great albums of last century. That being the case, I should have devoured 'Inside the Terrordome'. Instead, it took me much longer to read than it should have. It is well researched, well written, comprehensive and the subject matter is solid and yet, I failed to engage. Occasionally, the mere mention of a song title or lyric was enough to give me chills as I recalled the sonic equivalent. I wonder then, if the real way to understand Public Enemy isn't so much about telling their history or working out what makes them tick. Instead, put on some headphones, drop the needle and then brace yourself for what comes next.
July 29, 2019
Cut and paste journalise trying to find a through-line through the back catalogue, where sometimes there isn’t one; trying to trace glimpses of a biography with limited access to the participants. For those who stayed close to the band, there is little news here. Chuck D has developed from an intense rapper to a generational spokesman through his university lecture role. This is a major achievement and the coverage of this is basically nil. It is somewhat even-handed in showing the haphazard decision-making and apologia of the band but essentially it is un worthy of its subjects and is perhaps of only interest as a guide to the lesser known tracks in the recent end of the back catalogue.
May 12, 2024
That Public Enemy has had a lasting impact on hip hop is largely disputed. As I write this, Chuck D is in the news for calling on superstar MCs Drake, J Cole, and Kendrick Lamar to use their high profile beef to call attention to sociopolitical issues that are facing young listeners today rather than perpetuating the vapid lyrical content that marks today’s most popular hip hop tracks.
This book focuses on strengthening the case for PE in the pantheon of rap gods by tracing the line of their musical output and making connections to contemporary social events and to musical trends. This approach has the benefit of inviting a new look at their later work which was overlooked and under appreciated by the masses.
As a listening guide, it is a solid and worthwhile read.
I suspect that anyone considering picking up a book on PE is already convinced of their importance and existing fans will find little new information about the band or its members.
This book focuses on strengthening the case for PE in the pantheon of rap gods by tracing the line of their musical output and making connections to contemporary social events and to musical trends. This approach has the benefit of inviting a new look at their later work which was overlooked and under appreciated by the masses.
As a listening guide, it is a solid and worthwhile read.
I suspect that anyone considering picking up a book on PE is already convinced of their importance and existing fans will find little new information about the band or its members.
February 16, 2017
Great, independent, thorough and totally compelling artist bio.
Grierson really knows his stuff, and the fact that he was able to compile a bio outside the finely crafted 'image' of P.E was really cool.
The most interesting thing about the whole bio is it presents Public Enemy as THE premiere American agit-prop band. Despite the copyright laws making it harder to push their sonic innovations, and the continual upheaval with production teams, and despite Flava become a reality-TV shlep the band continue to 'fight the power' albeit on on a more 'community' based level.
Chuck D's voice is always prescient, fierce and 100% ON THE MONEY for unveiling the myth of American society.
More power to them, and this book is a great testament to their awesomeness.
Grierson really knows his stuff, and the fact that he was able to compile a bio outside the finely crafted 'image' of P.E was really cool.
The most interesting thing about the whole bio is it presents Public Enemy as THE premiere American agit-prop band. Despite the copyright laws making it harder to push their sonic innovations, and the continual upheaval with production teams, and despite Flava become a reality-TV shlep the band continue to 'fight the power' albeit on on a more 'community' based level.
Chuck D's voice is always prescient, fierce and 100% ON THE MONEY for unveiling the myth of American society.
More power to them, and this book is a great testament to their awesomeness.
September 4, 2025
Comprehensive if sometimes dry account of public enemy. Suffers from not really having much access to the group.
September 10, 2015
When I first heard that "Inside the Terrordome," Tim Grierson's comprehensive history of the seminal hip-hop outfit Public Enemy, was an unauthorized biography, I was admittedly concerned. And to be fair, much of the book is constructed from quotes from Chuck D, Flavor Flav, et al. that are drawn from other media sources. But oh, what Grierson is able to assemble from this material. The result is trenchant, well-reasoned, unsparing, and honest, easily my favorite music book I've read all year, and quite possibly my favorite book, period.
Public Enemy was a band with whom I was somewhat familiar as a youth. But to be honest, I came to hip-hop just recently, and my peers knew the music much better than I did (I have vague but real memories of one of my classmates in my painfully white suburban grade school explaining to me what "S1Ws" were). But now that I've learned more about hip-hop's place on the great continuum of black American music, I am much better equipped to understand and appreciate the singular role that PE played in bringing positively skewed, politically aware music, even more important now that the rap game has mostly been given over to bling, bitches, and swagger, "values" for which PE's main MC and singular voice of vision, Chuck D, has never had much patience.
Grierson's book digs deep into the music, mayhem, and madness surrounding PE's rise, diminishment, and cautious contentment with their current role as hip-hop elder statesmen, as well as the fourth rap group ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor they enjoyed in 2013. (Still, the fact that they're still around and doing their thing does come as a surprise to some; a friend of mine was surprised to find out about the recent release of PE's latest album, "Man Plans, God Laughs.") He is unafraid to be critical of the music when it matters, and he does not shy away from tackling the darker aspects of PE and their legacy: Professor Griff's unpleasant statements about Jews, the Sister Souljah controversy, and the ongoing issues with the personal demons and behavior of Flav, which even members of the band have trouble reconciling with their positive message of black uplift. (Paris, who produced the band's 2006 disc "Rebirth of a Nation," is quoted in the book flatly calling Flav a "coon"...and this is without the book really delving into the loaded issue of him opening a short-lived fried-chicken franchise.)
Throughout, Grierson's prose is flavorful and delightful to read; I blew through this book in about two days, and would gladly read it again right now. He understands how Chuck and the Bomb Squad production crew, originally fronted by Hank Shocklee, created a sound and style that has been singular in hip-hop (even as it has threatened to date the band's recent releases). There may be higher-profile music-related releases than "Inside the Terrordome," but I will be surprised if I read a music book that I flat-out enjoy more than this.
Personal Note: I received this book as a going-away gift from the events manager at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at the Grove in Los Angeles, CA. It was my last day as an employee before I moved on to a new job, and it happened to be Record Store Day, which we were celebrating by hosting a signing of the "Man Plans, God Laughs" vinyl LP by Chuck D himself. I got a photo and a minute or two to chat with the man; we mostly talked Pittsburgh (it's my hometown, and some of the guys on his current production crew are from there). It was a great honor to meet someone who meant so much to the music, and if he reads the book, I hope he finds it as fair and real and I did.
Public Enemy was a band with whom I was somewhat familiar as a youth. But to be honest, I came to hip-hop just recently, and my peers knew the music much better than I did (I have vague but real memories of one of my classmates in my painfully white suburban grade school explaining to me what "S1Ws" were). But now that I've learned more about hip-hop's place on the great continuum of black American music, I am much better equipped to understand and appreciate the singular role that PE played in bringing positively skewed, politically aware music, even more important now that the rap game has mostly been given over to bling, bitches, and swagger, "values" for which PE's main MC and singular voice of vision, Chuck D, has never had much patience.
Grierson's book digs deep into the music, mayhem, and madness surrounding PE's rise, diminishment, and cautious contentment with their current role as hip-hop elder statesmen, as well as the fourth rap group ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor they enjoyed in 2013. (Still, the fact that they're still around and doing their thing does come as a surprise to some; a friend of mine was surprised to find out about the recent release of PE's latest album, "Man Plans, God Laughs.") He is unafraid to be critical of the music when it matters, and he does not shy away from tackling the darker aspects of PE and their legacy: Professor Griff's unpleasant statements about Jews, the Sister Souljah controversy, and the ongoing issues with the personal demons and behavior of Flav, which even members of the band have trouble reconciling with their positive message of black uplift. (Paris, who produced the band's 2006 disc "Rebirth of a Nation," is quoted in the book flatly calling Flav a "coon"...and this is without the book really delving into the loaded issue of him opening a short-lived fried-chicken franchise.)
Throughout, Grierson's prose is flavorful and delightful to read; I blew through this book in about two days, and would gladly read it again right now. He understands how Chuck and the Bomb Squad production crew, originally fronted by Hank Shocklee, created a sound and style that has been singular in hip-hop (even as it has threatened to date the band's recent releases). There may be higher-profile music-related releases than "Inside the Terrordome," but I will be surprised if I read a music book that I flat-out enjoy more than this.
Personal Note: I received this book as a going-away gift from the events manager at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at the Grove in Los Angeles, CA. It was my last day as an employee before I moved on to a new job, and it happened to be Record Store Day, which we were celebrating by hosting a signing of the "Man Plans, God Laughs" vinyl LP by Chuck D himself. I got a photo and a minute or two to chat with the man; we mostly talked Pittsburgh (it's my hometown, and some of the guys on his current production crew are from there). It was a great honor to meet someone who meant so much to the music, and if he reads the book, I hope he finds it as fair and real and I did.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews