Being one of the most paramount rap groups of all time means that the standard you‘ve set is your worst competition. On the track “Rise” and throughout the album, Public Enemy‘s Chuck D still “reps like he‘s possessed by Malcolm X.” Yet Rebirth lacks the Bomb Squad‘s beautifully chaotic production and the sense of urgency it garnered. Paris‘s beats fall short of Shocklee & Co.‘s creations, and the album‘s MC guest list is unnecessarily full. Though Chuck D is still the wiser and Flava Flav continues to be one-of-a-kind, Rebirth pales in comparison to PE‘s brilliant backcatalog.