"Don't Believe the Hype" is a song by hip hop group Public Enemy and the second single to be released from their second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. The song's lyrics are mostly about the political issues that were current in the United States at the time of its release. "Don't Believe the Hype" charted at number 18 on the U.S. R&B chart and also reached a high of 18 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1988. Chuck D has stated the song was inspired by the works of Noam Chomsky.[2]
| "Don't Believe the Hype" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Public Enemy | ||||
| from the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back | ||||
| B-side | "Prophets of Rage" & "The Rhythm The Rebel" | |||
| Released | June 1988[1] | |||
| Genre | Political hip hop | |||
| Length | 5:23 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | The Bomb Squad | |||
| Public Enemy singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Don't Believe the Hype" on YouTube | ||||
The B-side includes "Prophets of Rage" and "The Rhythm The Rebel", an a cappella of the opening verse from "Rebel Without a Pause" which was a popular scratching phrase.[3]
Charts
edit| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 17 |
References
edit- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (October 21, 2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate U.S. p. 1226. ISBN 1841956155.
- ^ "Chuck D Talks Romney, Regrets And Why Public Enemy Are The 'Rolling Stones of Rap'". The Huffington Post. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ Smolenyak, Megan. "Don't Believe the Hype; Public Enemy". Rapgenius.com. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
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