Bass! How low can you go…That was a little old school Public Enemy for you but the legendary hip-hop music group will release an all-new album, Man Plans, God Laughs, on July 15th via its own digital music store at RCSMusic.com and exclusively through Spotify (through July 27th). The long-awaited new record from hip-hop icons and champions of change will also be available in CD and vinyl formats and on digital from all other major retailers on July 27th. In an interview with Maxim, PE frontman Chuck D called Man Plans, God Laughs a “commentary on the 21st century in this technological – yet highly political – world” and revealed that the sounds on the album’s title track were inspired by the recent work of Run The Jewels, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. He later described to Ebony.com how seriously he took his role as a hip-hop music pioneer when recording MPGL by saying, “If I’m going to be looked upon as somebody that is an elder, I got to say things that stick and count. Make sure your words drop like cinder blocks.” Thousands of fans throughout the world will be the first to hear several new songs from MPGL when they make their debut during Public Enemy’s summer festival tour.Man Plans, God Laughs was created as a reminder that, according to Chuck D, “once we win one victory, another battle develops.” The album is driven by anthems that echo Public Enemy’s longstanding calls to break down institutional blockades and stand up for the rights of the oppressed, imploring listeners to “Give Peace A Damn” while name checking Charles Mingus, work together as one in “Earthizen” (with a bit of brilliant wordplay, declaring “The earth without art is just, eh”) and see each other as one on “Me To We” (featuring turntable scratching from the group’s original DJ, Terminator X). Chuck D’s lyrics blend powerfully with the raw poetry of longtime S1W James Bomb who recounts the group’s emotional journey to South Africa on “Mine Again, one of the most moving tracks on MPGL. “The sounds range from bracingly modern ratchet beats and EDM-styled textures to fresh new takes on P.E.’s signature blend of funk noise,” described Rollingstone.com.
