Digable Planets () is an American
hip hop trio formed in 1987. The trio is composed of
rappers
Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving.
The group is notable for their contributions to the subgenres of
jazz rap 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 in the late 1980s. Originally from Seattle, Butler was interning at
Sleeping Bag Records 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 ce ...
, while attending
Howard University 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 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, beh ...
. Their debut album ''
Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)'' was released in 1993 and certified
gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album's lead single, "
Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" became a crossover hit, peaking at #15 on
''Billboard'' magazine's 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 discontinu ...
at the
Grammy Awards. The track peaked at #67 in the
UK Singles Chart in February 1995.
1994–1995 ''Blowout Comb'' and breakup
The group's second album ''
Blowout Comb'' 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 do ...
and
communist 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, Sulaiman and
Guru 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 2 ...
.
In the same year, the group appeared on the
Red Hot Organization'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 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 ma ...
music festival in Toronto, Ontario on June 19, 2011.
A reunion show scheduled for December 2012 in
Seattle, Washington 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'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'' in 2005. She has continued to collaborate regularly with other musicians, notably on
Legacy/
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'', 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