Man Plans God Laughs
by Public Enemy
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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  1. Boston Globe
    Jul 27, 2015
    80
    The disc clocks in at less than 30 minutes, but its short songs hit like a hatchet to the head.
  2. AllMusic
    Jul 27, 2015
    80
    Early Public Enemy was formatively innovative, but on this latter-day record PE explore and deepen that signature not unlike master jazzmen -- or the Stones, for that matter--and that's not only worthy of an album, it's groundbreaking in terms of hip-hop.
  3. Spin
    Sep 18, 2015
    70
    The blunt-tipped guitar chop on the title tune, glassy music boxes and slurping synths of “Give Peace a Damn,” and the more-Stones-than-country “Honky Tonk Rules” are all genuine surprises that no other legacy act is giving up.
  5. Consequence
    Jul 27, 2015
    67
    Man Plans God Laughs could have been a slab of endurance-testing ambition for the group’s latter-day era, but really, things only sound hopelessly awkward during the anti-establishment rendering of The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women” (“Honky Talk Rules”).
  6. Pitchfork
    Jul 27, 2015
    62
    Where previous PE releases this century have often sounded dated, this one often sounds forcibly modern, the sonic equivalent of your tech-challenged granddad trying to use Spotify.
  7. Rolling Stone
    Aug 12, 2015
    60
    A couple of tracks here push an argument for their relevance by echoing the spacey minimalism of today's hip-hop.
  8. New Musical Express (NME)
    Aug 3, 2015
    60
    At times, you want more rage. Other times, more clarity. You can’t doubt Public Enemy’s resolve. But on Man Plans God Laughs, music and message remain a notch out of synch.

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User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 3 out of 8
  1. nirvanafreak
    Aug 5, 2015
    3
    This is the same band that made It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. Just think about that for a second. I like Public Enemy butThis is the same band that made It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. Just think about that for a second. I like Public Enemy but their attempt to modernise their sound is messy and forgettable.… Full Review »
  2. junior436068
    Aug 19, 2015
    10
    Public Enemy might be the one group we need most right now. Fantastic album.

    (Public Enemy's New album is the most under appreciated album    Public Enemy might be the one group we need most right now. Fantastic album.

    (Public Enemy's New album is the most under appreciated album so far this year, people really have forgotten who the legendary originators are if it wasn't for people like P.E Half of today's Hip Hop artists wouldn't exist they paved the way for so many artists and created a platform for the Kendricks, Lupes, and Kanyes to run with. P.E sparked a revolution which a lot of today's artists are still speaking on today. It's time to show respect to the pioneers instead of just forgetting them when the next big thing arrives cause if anything they're the ones which started it all off.)    … Full Review »
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