Sy ShacklefordProduced and mixed by C-Doc for DefBeat Posse Productions, “Chuck D Presents Enemy Radio: Radio Armageddon” is the sixth solo record for Public Enemy front man Chuck D. This album also marks his first solo record for Def Jam which, along with the label releasing Public Enemy’s 2020 album “What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?”, brings things full circle considering the group’s acrimonious departure from Def Jam in the late ‘90s. That aside, “Radio Armageddon” isn’t just about social and political messages. It also shows a level of self-awareness on Chuck’s part: He’s a rapper in his 60s, but he hasn’t allowed that to stop him. He hasn’t lost his booming, authoritative voice or what raps he chooses to deliver with it. His guests for this album consist mostly of fellow hip-hop elder statesmen, but that goes hand-in-hand with part of the album’s concept: Addressing hip-hop’s generational gaps.
Utilizing the album cover depicting the Hindenberg Disaster coincides with the explosion of sounds on the introductory title-track. The next track shows just how similar C-Doc’s sonic palette is to the Bomb Squad’s, blending many samples into a cohesive aggregate on the rock-n-roll dissection on “What Rock Is”. King Tee from the Alkaholics provides the intro on “Black Don’t Dead”, in which Chuck adds his own caveat to the “Black don’t crack” adage. The lead single “New Gens” gets an assist by Daddy-O from Stetsasonic, and Chuck acknowledges how the current generation of hip-hop may view the iteration Chuck comes from, and how many of the former claim legend status while having done nothing to earn it:
The “Station Break” interlude features a verse from CM aka Creative and lasts for less than a minute before giving way to “Rogue Runnin” where Chuck laments being “eschewed by many losers still stuck in the matrix / Lack the power of persuasion against this hatred”. Connecticut emcee Phill Most Chill helms the third verse with similar frustration. There’re multiple forms of boom-bap on “Is God She”, where 1/2 Pint and Miranda Writes ponder with Chuck over the gender of a Supreme Being. The “Station Identification” interlude’s scratching and coalescing of sound is reminiscent of Terminator X.
“Here We Are Heard” is Chuck being his most directly political with references to current events, including immigration policies with a feature from The Impossebulls. “Superbagg” seems to be a more aggressive take on hip-hop’s current state, with Chuck mocking mumble rap with “Goo-goo for gaga, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs”. There’s the funk-driven “Carry On” and then the more rock-rap “What Are We To You?” which tackles racism in corporate levels. Jazzy Jay and Donald D lend their voices on “Sight, Story, Style, Sound”, big upping the elements of hip-hop before Schooly D closes the album on “Signing Off”.
For the current generation of rap fans, I think it’s safe to say that only a very small percentage of that demographic researches hip-hop and has appreciation for its pioneers. For my generation, we heard Public Enemy’s music and their logo was immortalized by Eddie Furlong in 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”. But for fans of non-preachy conscious rap with a consistent chaos in the production, “Chuck D Presents Enemy Radio: Radio Armageddon” is for you.