Debut studio album for hip-hop group Digable Planets, consisting of rappers Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, of Seattle, Craig "Doodlebug" Irving, of Philadelphia, and Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, of Silver Springs, Maryland. The story about how these three met always changes depending on the sources, I'll just report the fact that they actually met and got a deal with Pendulum Records.
As on other rap albums, production is important. In fact, more than in other rap albums released at the same time in the hip-hop scene, in Digable Planets' debut production is fundamental. It's actually the only thing that matters. Lyrically, the texts are fully functional to the rhythms, these guys spit out sci-fi and space bars, most of them nonsense and without a real single direction, there isn't even all the braggadocio you expect from a jazz rap disk. They say nothing for 52 minutes, then suddenly, from the blue, it comes a casual cut on abortion rights in "La Femme Fétal", which immediately becomes one of the most impressive fillers of the year: sudden pearl of Butterfly that comes out with a single flowing stanza, which seems to be the only thing really thoughtful in the whole project. Except for this track and a few good lines scattered in this listening hour, the lyricism offered by the group moves between the generic and the mediocre, without ever impressing. The execution of the lyrics is slow and fluid, they cover the deficits in the rapping technique following the current of the rhythm, without ever going against it: their relaxed style is cool, calm and clean, in this sense, probably, Ladybug Mecca sounds better than the other performers.
Music is the great protagonist of the project: Butterfly produces the entire record, creating sublime, fresh, relaxing beats, thanks to splendid samples especially from jazz but also from funk, and an essential, light and accessible drum. A pleasant sound emerges that seems inspired by the major jazz rap acts of the period, those of Native Tongues: nonetheless, Butler later clarified that he randomly took records from his father's catalog to sample, and coincidentally most of the albums were jazz. Butler pays homage to fantastic artists' works, among the best samples stand out: Lonnie Liston Smith's "Devika (Goodess)" in "Pacifics", Mayfield's "Give Me Your Love (Love Song)" in "Nickel Bags" and "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle in "Swoon Units".
Released by Pendulum, a label still a subsidiary of Elektra Records (Warner) at the time, the album garnered universal critical acclaim and considerable commercial success, peaking #15 in Billboard 200, and #5 in the hip-hop chart. It's certified gold by the RIAA, while the single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)", also certified gold, wins a Grammy in 1994 as Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The Digable Planets album is made almost entirely in 1992 and comes out in the first months of the following year: it's practically a project of '92, and is linked to the sounds of the Native Tongues, with a production that sounds similar to that of A Tribe Called Quest and lyrics close to De La Soul.
It's released at a time when hip-hop is continuing its natural evolution and facing new stylistic changes, which is why standing out is less simple than expected: everyone is trying to spit gangsta bars on hard and dry jazzy beats, so only a few manage to stand out. Some are successful at going harder than those going hard (Wu-Tang Clan, KRS-One, Black Moon, Lords of the Underground, Queen Latifah, Onyx), others rely on a relaxed funky soundscape (Snoop Dogg, Mac Mall, Spice 1), while still others choose a relaxed performance over a hard production with melodic elements (A Tribe Called Quest, Souls of Mischief): these are the best performers of the season and they're joined by Digable Planets, whose debut combines relaxed execution with a much more relaxed than average production, despite a lyrical deficit doesn't allow it to stand higher. Fluid album, fresh and devoid of weak moments, recommended for fans of jazz rap and East Coast.
Rating: 9/10.
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