Man Plans God Laughs Public Enemy Spitdigital Three stars
When veteran bands chase the zeitgeist, the results are often horribly embarrassing. But hip-hop firebrands Public Enemy have been listening to three of 21st-century rap’s most distinctive voices — Run the Jewels, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar — and it shows on this 13th studio album.
It’s a concise beast — only two tracks exceed three minutes — with beats merging the band’s classic Bomb Squad production with contemporary adventures.
Leader Chuck D's booming delivery sounds harder-edged than it has in years, with his wordplay bubbling with portent, not least when he intones "It's cool to be black, until it's time to be black" on Mine Again. There are plentiful nods to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. Give Peace a Damn, for instance, opens with a child requesting a bedtime story, only for Chuck D to respond: "Yeah, you gonna grow up and die."
A few clumsy moments sneak through — the Rolling Stones-sampling Honky Tonk Rules is a misstep — but at its best, Man Plans God Laughs crackles with a danger many thought Public Enemy had lost decades ago.
