Artist:Digable Planets
Song:Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
Album:Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)
Rebirth of Slick was a top twenty hit in 1992. It was the only big hit for Digable Planets. They only recorded two albums. Digable Planets was an attempt to incorporate jazz samples into rap. The leader of Digable Planets was Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler. He was interning at Sleeping Bag Records in Brooklyn in 1988. While visiting his grandmother in Philadelphia, Butler met Craig "Doodlebug" Irving who was rapping with Dread Poets Society. Irving called his friend Mariana "Ladybug" Vieira who he met while attending Howard University in Washington, DC. The three started working together and a demo got them a record deal at Elektra's Pendulum label. They all moved to Brooklyn. The single Rebirth of Slick reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the rap chart. The album was certified Gold. The appeal of Digable Planets is they sounded different and more laid back than other rap acts. A lot of that was the jazz influence from Butler listening to his dad's record collection when he was a kid. Rebirth of Slick sampled Stretching by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Most of the album sampled jazz. For the 1994 album Blowout Comb, Pendulum switched distributors to EMI. The album had a harder and more political edge. And though this album was critically acclaimed, there were no hit singles and the album didn't sell. Then Digable Planets split up. The reason given was "creative differences". And even in interviews, Butler refuses to be specific. Obviously, somebody wasn't happy. Digable Planets has reunited a couple of times. They toured but never recorded though a live album was released in 2017. Part of the problem is Butler moved back to Seattle in 2003 to take care of his sick mother. It's hard to do business long distance. Butler has recorded as Cherrywine and more recently with Tendai "Baba" Manaire as Shabazz Palaces on Sub Pop Records. Butler also works in Sub Pop's A&R department. Irving has released two albums as Cee Knowledge & the Cosmic Funk Orchestra. Mariana is a member of the hip hop groups Dino 5 and BROOKZILL!. Here's the video for Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) by Digable Planets.
Frank, thanks so much for the video. I remember on MTV there was commentary on Digable Planets saying the critics liked them because they were trying something different at a time when Rap artists were loud and going for shock value. At the time I agreed with them, and still do. It was a different approach and worth listening to even today. Yours David.
ReplyDelete