Song · Public Enemy
“Don't Believe The Hype” by Public Enemy
From the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
“Don't Believe The Hype” by Public Enemy appears on 4 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2002 and 2023. It was first released in 1988 on the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Its best result is #516 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,096 alternative song of all time.
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"Don't Believe the Hype" came off Public Enemy's second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, as the Def Jam single that followed "Bring the Noise", and it drew a bead on the American politics of the moment it landed in. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Eric Sadler and Hank Shocklee share the writing credit, and Chuck D has pointed to the works of Noam Chomsky as the spark.
It went to number 18 on the US R&B chart and reached the same spot in Britain in July 1988. Flip it over and there was "Prophets of Rage", plus "The Rhythm The Rebel", an a cappella of the opening verse of "Rebel Without a Pause" that DJs loved to scratch. "Night of the Living Baseheads" came next.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1700 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1176 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 516 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2023 | 612 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
Also listed as: Don't Believe the Hype.
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