Public Enemy releasing two new albums this year

Public Enemy’s lengthy set at ATP IBYM last year was certainly one of the festival’s most memorable performances, proving they’re still one of the greatest live hip-hop acts to see. I even got to shake Flavor Flav’s hand briefly, which was both amazing and weird. And now the legendary act has announced plans to release two new albums this year, one in the summer, and another in the fall. According to Pitchfork:

“The records, titled Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp and The Evil Empire of Everything, are two halves of a larger conceptual piece. "One [deals] with the whole movement of people...and the other deals with the situation of everything coming at you at once, like a blizzard," Chuck D said. They're slated to feature Brother Ali, Henry Rollins, Tom Morello, DMC, and more. No official release dates have been scheduled yet.”

Sounds awesome. Stay tuned for more details.

Yo! MTV Raps To Return For One Night Only Next Month

Oh wow, this is the absolute definition of Fucking Nostalgic. Yo! MTV Raps, the channel's seminal hip-hop show which ran from 1988 to 1995 and was instrumental in bringing some the genre's brightest stars (like, oh I don't know, A Tribe Called Quest and Public Enemy) to national attention, is returning to MTV2 at 11pm on December 4 for a half-hour special.

And just to be clear, this isn't a modern remake highlighting hip-hop's current stars. It's a full-on retrospective focused on the stories behind three of the era's classics cuts: A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario," Geto Boys' "My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me," and Ice Cube's "It Was A Good Day." And of COURSE the show's original hosts - Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover, and Dr. Dre (yeah remember that Dr. Dre?) - will be back to oversee the whole thing, with special appearances by Questlove, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes and more.

It's rare that I'm able to say this about anything MTV-related these days (minus Beavis and Butthead, of course), but this sounds legitimately awesome. Set your DVRs and check out what MTV considers the best episode of Yo! MTV Raps after the jump. (Cheers to The Wrap for the tip.)

Photos/Review: ATP I'll Be Your Mirror - Day Three (Deerhoof, Company Flow, Public Enemy)

Deerhoof

Company Flow

Public Enemy

ATP I'll Be Your Mirror @ Asbury Park, NJ (Day Three)

Photos: Chris & Nadia Chaudhury / Review: Chris

The third day of All Tomorrow's Parties I'll Be Your Mirror came to a close yesterday, but went out on a great note. After spending most of Saturday (and Friday) running back and forth from the two major stages, I decided to stay at Convention Hall most of Sunday and take in each act in full. Besides, I was able to meet Jeff Mangum and have him sign my passport and got to shake Flavor Flav's hand so those highlights certainly outweighed trying to see all ten acts that were scheduled. More on that in a bit...

Public Enemy given an extra hour at ATP NJ in Mogwai's absence

Earlier today we were wondering just who would be taking the time slot that Mogwai's cancellation suddenly left open. Well, we already have the answer to that question. Public Enemy will now be performing a two-hour set (7:15pm - 9:15pm) at Convention Hall. Which means in addition to performing Fear of a Black Planet in its entirety, we are certain to hear more classics from their catalogue. Updated time cards, which conveniently can be saved and downloaded for your iPhone, are below...

Who will fill Mogwai’s slot at ATP?

Late yesterday, Scottish post-rockers Mogwai postponed their tour (again), this time due to medical reasons. We’re hoping everything is okay, but in the meantime we can’t help but wonder who will fill the gaping hole between Sunday’s 8:15pm – 9:15pm slot at this weekend’s ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror Festival. Mogwai would have been playing Convention Hall in between Public Enemy and headliners (and curators) Portishead, which means it will have to be a pretty big act to fill their shoes. Here are some artists that are in town this weekend who just may step up to the plate…

Asobi Seksu – the Brooklyn-based shoegaze group certainly would fit in with a lot of the bands on the bill. Don’t know how well they’d be received after Public Enemy, but you never know. They play Brooklyn Bowl the night before, with nothing on their schedule until October 15.

Tapes ‘n Tapes – hey… remember Tapes ‘n Tapes? They put out that really great album The Loon in 2006 and then… I don’t really know what happened. That record still stands the test of time and I probably would have gone seen them at Bowery Ballroom on Friday if it were not for ATP. TnT play Maxwell’s on 10/1, but have nothing on their schedule until Monday in North Carolina.

Elvis Costello – who wouldn’t want to see Elvis Costello at ATP? It would be killer. Elvis will be playing United Palace in New York City on Saturday, and Count Basie Theatre on Monday, but nothing on Sunday. If they twist his arm to play This Year’s Model in full, there will be a lot of happy concertgoers.

Explosions in the Sky – Don’t quote me on it, but I’m almost certain Explosions in the Sky played ATP last year, and would definitely fill the void post-rock fans are yearning for. EITS play Wellmont Theater on Monday, October 3, but have nothing scheduled beforehand. There is a very good chance they will take the slot.

Radiohead – We’re probably the only ones who have been suggesting this might happen, but we don’t really care. Portishead’s drummer Clive Deamer also happens to be touring with Radiohead now (as seen on SNL), and aside from Wednesday and Thursday’s Roseland Ballroom shows, the band have nothing on their schedule. An announcement of Radiohead playing ATP will certainly sell out Sunday’s tickets (and possibly the entire festival), making it one of the most memorable weekends of recent times. We’ve been praying every morning when we wake up and every night before we go to sleep that this happens, but honestly, it would be a bit of a stretch. Stranger things have happened…

Anyone else in town you think might show up? A friend of mine suggested Bruce Springsteen yesterday, which would be ironically funny and actually really amazing. Until ATP actually announces something, anything is possible.

Public Enemy Added To ATP America's I'll Be Your Mirror Festival, Performing Fear Of A Black Planet In Full

Yeah, the title of this post summed it up and should have made the whole lot of you simultaneously yell "HOLY SHIT," but let's break it down anyway.

As reported by Pitchfork, the upcoming All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP) America: I'll Be Your Mirror Festival slated to take place in nearby Asbury Park, NJ from September 30 - October 2 is already packed to the brim with performances by festival curators Portishead, indie legend Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel), Mogwai, Deerhoof, and more. Well it looks like there was a bit more room for mindblowing greatness, as seminal hip-hop group Public Enemy is not only on the bill, but they'll be performing their genre-defining 1990 classic Fear of a Black Planet in full.

They'll be throwing down on Sunday at the Festival - check out the latest ticket options here and the video for "Fight The Power" below the jump, which I last saw a month or two ago at the Museum of Modern F&*king Art (MoMA). You'd better believe Fucking Nostalgic will be onsite for a special ATP report when it all happens.