Today signifies thirteen years since the memorable premier date of Brooklyn-based trio, Digable Planets. Donning the Pendulum brand banner, Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, Mary Ann “Ladybug” Mecca, and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving, introduced their brand of alternative Hip-hop, through their iconic debut album, Reachin' (A New Refute of Time and Space).
The album catered to a progressive, lighthearted ambience, painted through Butterfly's interesting sample palette, which included artists such as Kool & the Gang, James Brown, and Herbie Hancock.
Floating through the record's jazzy vibe, the group's clever lyricism transition to numerous subjects such as women's rights reflected through “La Femme Fetal”, as well as their vivid depiction of New York streets with the album's second track, “Pacifics”. Set atop a sublimely funky sample of Lonne Liston Smith's “Devika”, the track was reviewed as “one of the most concretely rooted statements of New York street life ever penned in rap music”:
“The hoods is on my block and the brothers at the court/ The baseball hats is on and the projects is calm/ Dreamtime's extended (and highly recommended)/ But early birds like me's up checkin out the scene/ Just come dig the essence while the decadence is hidden/ When people act like people, the theory is pigeon/ On Sunday's early hours, the city sprouts its flowers/ So get with the rhythms while you getting with the planets.”
Their single “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)”, became the album's flagship hit, peaking at #15 on Billboard magazine's single chart, and #67 off the UK Singles Chart. In the year that followed, the song accomplished RIAA certified gold, and imminently earned Grammy-award bragging rights as Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Be sure to invest some throwback sound-tripping today with Digable Planets' memorable debut record, Reachin' (A New Refute of Time and Space).
By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com
