Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Digable Planets — the Brooklyn-based rap trio of Butterfly, Ladybug Mecca and Doodlebug — was always a group that I felt both should’ve been more revered while also understanding why maybe they weren’t. They’re an enigma, I suppose. For starters, they made two absolutely amazing albums in 1993’s “Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space)” and 1994’s “Blowout Comb,” the latter being one of the Blackest musical offerings of all time — I will forever die on that hill.
But even the group’s first album is an absolute production marvel. The album is a beautifully produced (and mixed; that cannot be stated enough) “jazz rap” album. It features jazz-heavy samples in a way that I’m sure even Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest had to appreciate. Digable Planets’ most famous musical offering from their debut album, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat),” is as perfect a song as you’re going to get, perfectly meshing Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers’ “Stretching” with hip-hop drums and lyrical catchphrases that still work in 2023 — 30 years later. There’s a reason why it was a chart hit and won a Grammy — it’s dope, plain and simple. And if you ever needed an example of “jazz rap,” this is your song.
But that jazz-rap label is limiting. The album doesn’t necessarily just feel like jazz. Naw, to me, the album feels like New York City. When I listen to songs like “What Cool Breezes Do” and “Nickel Bags,” I feel like I’m listening to the soundtrack for a walk down a Brooklyn street. It’s Timberland…
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