Public Enemy Goes Atomic

04/15/1999 4:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(4/15/99, 1 p.m. PDT) - Public Enemy is living up to its vow to release its next album over the Internet, as the controversial rap act has pacted with Atomic Pop, the new Santa Monica, Calif.-based website/ record label helmed by former MCA Music Entertainment chief Al Teller, an Atomic Pop spokesperson confirmed today.

The album, titled There's A Poison Goin' On, is P.E.'s first since 1998's He Got Game, the soundtrack to the Spike Lee film of the same name. The group's remix album, Bring The Noise 2000, which was previewed on its website last year, is still yet to be released due to a dispute with its former label, Def Jam (LAUNCH, 12/8/98).

P.E.'s Poison will be available for download via Atomic Pop's website in early May. Although Billboard has reported that the album will be sold over the Web in downloadable form for $8, a spokesperson for the label says the price has yet to be determined.

In addition, Poison will also be on CD from Atomic Pop for $10, an Atomic Pop spokesperson confirms. It will hit traditional retail outlets on June 16.

This marks this first full-length album from Atomic Pop, which debuted earlier this year with a one-off deal with Los Angeles-based girl rockers L7. Atomic Pop has signed five other acts, including Jewish rappers Blood Of Abraham, once signed to the late Eazy-E's Ruthless Records.

Late last year in an interview with LAUNCH, Chuck D raged against the record industry machine, questioning the pricing of CDs and noting that the advent of digital downloading has allowed "everybody to pretty much come to the game and play fair ball" (LAUNCH, 12/8/98).

Following its split from Def Jam, P.E. issued the downloadable track "Swindler's Lust" via its website, www.public-enemy.com. In the track, Chuck D further railed against the injustices in the music business with the opening salvo, "A dollar a rhyme, but we barely get a dime" (LAUNCH, 1/11).

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