Entertainment

Listen to: Public Enemy – Man Plans God Laughs

Public Enemy, with Chuck D (far left) and Flavor Flav (centre)
Public Enemy, with Chuck D (far left) and Flavor Flav (centre) Public Enemy, with Chuck D (far left) and Flavor Flav (centre)

Public Enemy – Man Plans God Laughs

LEGENDARY hip-hop unit Public Enemy's new album Man Plans God Laughs clocks in at just shy of 30 minutes.

Lead man Chuck D has been vocal on how 'the third verse' is a waste of time for rappers in an age where attention spans are growing shorter by the second: the 55-year-old elder statesman of hip-hop practises what he preaches here, with most tracks bowing out well before the three minute mark on the group's most concise record ever.

Thus, highlights like From Me To We's groovy ode to people power, the skeletal, pulsing Those Who Know Know Who, the gutsy title track's moody culture commentary and Give Peace A Damn's head-nodding community bulletin seem to blow by a tad too quickly.

And, while Earthizen's funky A-Z alphabet aerobics are crammed into a tightly effective two-and-a-half minutes, Honky Tonk Rules rewrites the Stones for almost four without ever really gaining traction.

Production by OG Bomb Squad member Gary G-Wiz is lean, mean and a far cry from the bulldozing sonic barrage of 'vintage' Public Enemy.

On Mine Again, Chuck's thoughtful Africa-themed flow, is backed only by a stabbing/sweeping synth and minimal beats to fine effect, while scratching, samples and Flavor Flav-age are deployed sparingly on the taught, stutter-beat powered struts of Corplantationopoly and Lost In Music.

Naturally, even 'snack-sized' PE offers more substance than most: with 'be the change you want to see' as their recurring motif on Man Plans God Laughs, Public Enemy remain as refreshingly real and righteous as ever.