Public Enemy featuring Paris

It’s been almost two years since Paris revitalised incendiary rap group Public Enemy with his guerrilla funk production and songwriting contributions for Rebirth of a Nation, which was also helped by a heavy concentration of guest appearances from a wide range of militant MCs, including Paris, Dead Prez, Kam, MC Ren and more. For Remix of a Nation, Paris takes the very best songs from that album and gives them a bit of a fine-tuning, with alternate mixes, extended mixes and remixes, although Rebirth album opener "Raw Shit” should have replaced the inclusion of the lacklustre "Invisible Man.” Many of the tracks experience little change, with songs like "Rise,” "Hard Rhymin’” and "Can’t Hold Us Back” receiving extra sections with additional instrumentation. However, Paris does give stripped-down, aggressive reinterpretations to a few songs, as on "Hannibal Lecture” and political posse cut "Hard Truth Soldiers,” easily the best remix of the album. "Make It Hardcore,” pretty much a Paris solo track, appears as the LP version and is completely unnecessary; all its inclusion does is reinforce the possibility that Paris is using PE’s name recognition to further his own career. Still, like its predecessor, Remix of a Nation is PE in top form, and a new album from the world’s greatest political rap group is always warranted.