Autobiography of Mistachuck

Autobiography of Mistachuck is the debut solo studio album by Public Enemy frontman Chuck D.^[1] It was released on October 22, 1996, via Mercury Records.^[2] It peaked at No. 190 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned one single, "No."

Autobiography of Mistachuck
Studio album by Chuck D
Released	October 22, 1996
Recorded	1996
Studio	The Music Palace (New York, NY) Kala Studios (Atlanta, GA) Sonic Sound Studios (Freeport, NY) Platinum Island Studios (New York, NY) Soundtrack Studios (New York, NY)
Genre	Political hip hop
Length	53:18
Label	Mercury
Producer	Chuck D (also exec.) Eric "Vietnam" Sadler (also exec.) Gary G-Wiz (also exec.) Abnes "Abnormal" Dubose Gerald "Soul G" Stevens Mark Harrison Kerwin "Sleek" Young Isaac Hayes
Chuck D chronology
Autobiography of Mistachuck (1996) The Black in Man (2014)
Singles from Autobiography of Mistachuck
"No" Released: September 3, 1996

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Robert Christgau	A−[4]
Los Angeles Times	[5]
Muzik	[6]
RapReviews	8/10[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
USA Today	[9]

The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Turning to his roots—hard-hitting jazz-funk beats, proud urban poetry, the righteous fire of both the pulpit and the Panthers and an abundance of sports metaphors—he's pounded together a defiantly old-school document that seeks answers for the present in the past."^[5] The Toronto Star said that Chuck "sounds in dire need of inspiration, having descended to the depths of rapping about talk shows and hyping his personal 1-800 message line."^[10] USA Today determined that "with hard-driving beats that recall old school soul and funk and a voice that many vocalists would envy, Chuck D is as provocative as ever."^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Mistachuck"	C. Ridenhour G. Stevens	Gerald "Soul G." Stevens Chuck D Kerwin "Sleek" Young	4:23
2.	"No"	C. Ridenhour K. Jason M. Harrison	Mark "Mr. Elite" Harrison Chuck D	4:32
3.	"Generation Wrekkked"	C. Ridenhour K. Jason A. Dubose	Abnes "Abnormal" Dubose Chuck D	4:05
4.	"Niggativity...Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?"	C. Ridenhour G. Rinaldo	Gary G-Wiz	4:18
5.	"Free Big Willie"	C. Ridenhour G. Stevens C. Jasper The Isley Brothers	Gerald "Soul G." Stevens Chuck D Kerwin "Sleek" Young	4:40
6.	"Horizontal Heroin"	C. Ridenhour K. Young R. Griffin	Chuck D Kerwin "Sleek" Young	1:43
7.	"Talk Show Created the Fool"	C. Ridenhour A. Dubose C. Brewser	Abnes "Abnormal" Dubose	5:32
8.	"Underdog"	C. Ridenhour G. Rinaldo	Gary G-Wiz	4:12
9.	"But Can You Kill the Nigga in You?"	C. Ridenhour E. Sadler I. Hayes	Eric "Vietnam" Sadler Isaac Hayes (co.)	4:59
10.	"Endonesia"	C. Ridenhour G. Stevens K. Young M. Watkins R. Harding S. Dash	Gerald "Soul G." Stevens Chuck D	4:47
11.	"The Pride"	C. Ridenhour G. Stevens C. Dehaney M. Williams	Gerald "Soul G." Stevens Chuck D Carl Demann	4:26
12.	"Paid"	C. Ridenhour G. Rinaldo K. Walker M. Key S. Dash	Gary G-Wiz	5:41
Total length:				53:18

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[11]	190
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12]	47

References

1. Weisbard, Eric (Oct 1996). "Whatever". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 7. p. 139.
2. Piccoli, Sean (22 Oct 1996). "Chuck D Still Fights the Power". Sun Sentinel. p. 3E.
3. Autobiography of Mistachuck at AllMusic
4. Robert Christgau review
5. Hochman, Steve (20 Oct 1996). "Pop Music". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 86.
6. Ashon, Will (October 1996). "Chuck D: Autobiography Of Mistachuck" (PDF). Muzik. No. 17. p. 128. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
7. RapReviews review
8. Rolling Stone review
9. Jones, Steve (22 Oct 1996). "R&B/Rap". USA Today. p. 8D.
10. Howell, Peter (26 Oct 1996). "Chuck D Autobiography of Mistachuck". Toronto Star. p. J16.
11. "Chuck D Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
12. "Chuck D Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2020.