Digable Planets
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Digable Planets () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987. The trio is composed of
rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
s Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving. The group is notable for their contributions to the subgenres of
jazz rap Jazz rap (or jazz hip hop) is a fusion of jazz and hip hop music, as well as an alternative hip hop subgenre, that developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. AllMusic writes that the genre "was an attempt to fuse African-American music of th ...
and
alternative hip hop Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising " hip hop groups that refuse to confor ...
.


History


Origins

Butler and Irving met in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
in the late 1980s. Originally from Seattle, Butler was interning at
Sleeping Bag Records Sleeping Bag Records is a defunct New York City-based independent record label founded by musician Arthur Russell and entrepreneur Will Socolov. It was active between 1981 and 1992, and specialized in dance music and hip hop. Background and ...
in New York and would visit his grandmother in Philadelphia, where he met local native Irving, who was rapping with a group called the Dread Poets Society. Irving had in turn met Vieira, who was originally from
Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...
, while attending
Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
in Washington, D.C. The initial demos recorded under the name Digable Planets featured only Butler, but after a brief stint with two other members, Butler began collaborating with Irving and Vieira in 1989.


1992–1993: ''Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)''

The group signed to
Pendulum Records Pendulum Records is a hip hop-oriented record label originally founded in 1991 by Ruben Rodriguez, who was then working as a senior vice president for urban music at Elektra Records. In 1992, Rodriguez resigned his position at Elektra to devote m ...
in 1992 and all three band members moved to
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. Their debut album ''
Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) ''Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)'' is the debut album by alternative hip hop group Digable Planets released on February 9, 1993, by Pendulum/ Elektra Records. The album has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA. Production ...
'' was released in 1993 and certified
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). The album's lead single, "
Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" is a song by American hip hop trio Digable Planets, released as the first single from their debut album, '' Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)'', in November 1992. The black-and-white music video was ...
" became a crossover hit, peaking at #15 on ''Billboard'' magazine's
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
chart, earning gold certification by the RIAA, and winning
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group was awarded between 1991 and 2011, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. The award was discontinue ...
at the
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
. The track peaked at #67 in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in February 1995.


1994–1995 ''Blowout Comb'' and breakup

The group's second album ''
Blowout Comb ''Blowout Comb'' is the second studio album by American hip hop group Digable Planets, released October 18, 1994, on Pendulum/EMI Records. The album was written and recorded in Brooklyn, New York, where the group moved, with recording sessions be ...
'' was released in 1994. The album was noted by critics as a stark departure from the previous album, being darker, less hook-oriented and more overtly political in its references to
Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
and
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
imagery. Writing for ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' in December 1994, Craig Marks declared it "... a beguiling, demanding, damn near revolutionary follow-up." ''Blowout Comb'' features guest appearances from artists
Jeru the Damaja Kendrick Jeru Davis (born February 14, 1972), known as Jeru the Damaja, is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for his 1993 single " Come Clean" from his debut album, ''The Sun Rises in the East'', ranked as one of the 100 great ...
, Sulaiman and
Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
of
Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 20 ...
. In the same year, the group appeared on the
Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...
's compilation album, '' Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool''. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the
AIDS epidemic The global epidemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2021, HIV/AI ...
in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by ''Time'' magazine. The band subsequently disbanded in early 1995 citing "creative differences".


2005–present: Reunions and live album

In February 2005 the trio reunited and embarked on a reunion tour, which was followed by the release of a compilation album titled '' Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles ''on October 15, 2005. The album combined previously released material with remixes and B-sides. From 2009 to 2011, Butler and Irving toured across the U.S., Canada, and Europe with a live band, the Cosmic Funk Orchestra. The group performed at Numbers, in Houston, Texas, on May 15, 2010, alongside the hip hop duo
Camp Lo Camp Lo is an American hip hop duo, formed in 1995, which hails from The Bronx, New York. The duo consists of rappers Sonny Cheeba (Salahadeen Wilds) and Geechi Suede (Saladine Wallace). The duo is perhaps best known for their 1997 hit " Luch ...
. During an interview with the ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
'' near the time of this show, Irving stated that a new single would be released, called "Fresh Out", and that a new album was planned for digital release in summer of 2010. The group also performed alongside hip-hop group
The Pharcyde The Pharcyde (currently known as The Far Side) is an American alternative hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown ...
at the
North by Northeast North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual music and arts festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival's main focus is live music, but it also includes an eSports gaming tournament, comedy, a conversations series, a flea mark ...
music festival in Toronto, Ontario on June 19, 2011. A reunion show scheduled for December 2012 in
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
was cancelled days before the performance. When asked in a subsequent interview about the group's status, Butler stated "I think it's the end." Despite Butler's previous statement, it was announced in October 2015 that the trio would again reunite for a concert at Seattle's Neptune Theatre on December 30 alongside
Shabazz Palaces Shabazz Palaces is an American hip hop group from Seattle led by Ishmael Butler a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro (formerly Butterfly of jazz rap group Digable Planets). Much of the Butler's work as Shabazz Palaces has been made in collaboration with multi- ...
. Digable Planets held a reunion tour during spring and summer 2016, followed by the release of their live album ''Digable Planets Live'' in June 2017.


Solo work and collaborations

Butler released ''Bright Black'' under the moniker Cherrywine in 2003 before going on to collaborate with multi-instrumentalist Tendai "Baba" Maraire as the group Shabazz Palaces, which has released five albums. Butler has also been employed by
Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...
's A&R division and is helping the label build its repertoire of artists that are "imaginative" and "daring". Butler and Maraire later collaborated with Hussein Kalonji as Chimurenga Renaissance to release ''riZe vadZimu riZe ''in March 2014 on Brick Lane Records. Irving, also known as Cee Knowledge, released two albums under the name Cee Knowledge & The Cosmic Funk Orchestra. Vieira, also known as Lady Mecca, released ''
Trip The Light Fantastic To "trip the light fantastic" is to dance nimbly or lightly to music. The origin of the phrase is attributed to John Milton.Kirkpatrick, Betty and Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth McLaren (1999) "light fantastic" ''Clichés: Over 1500 Phrases Explored and ...
'' in 2005. She has continued to collaborate regularly with other musicians, notably on
Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
/
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
's
Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...
'' Remixed and Reimagined'' album,
Del tha Funkee Homosapien Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings Born in O ...
's ''
Eleventh Hour The Eleventh Hour may refer to: * "The eleventh hour", a phrase in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in the Bible Film * ''The Eleventh Hour'' (1912 film), an Australian silent film * ''The Eleventh Hour'' (1922 film), a British adapt ...
'', and with hip-hop supergroup eMC. Vieira joined hip hop group Dino 5 as the voice of Tracy Triceratops. Vieira later joined Brazilian hip hop fusion group BROOKZILL! with fellow Dino 5 member Prince Paul.


Discography


Studio albums


Compilation albums

* '' Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles'' (2005)


Live albums

* ''Digable Planets Live'' (2017)


Singles


Notes


References

{{Authority control African-American musical groups Blue Note Records artists Five percenters Grammy Award winners for rap music Hip hop groups from New York City Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Musical groups from Brooklyn Musical groups reestablished in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2011 Musical groups reestablished in 2015 American musical trios Alternative hip hop groups 1987 establishments in New York (state) East Coast hip hop groups Musical groups established in 1987 EMI Group artists