| Brand Nubian | |
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Origin |
New Rochelle, New York, U.S. |
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Genres |
Hardcore hip hop, Conscious hip hop, Golden age hip hop, East Coast hip hop |
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Years active |
1989-present |
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Labels |
Elektra Records, Arista Records, Babygrande |
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Members |
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Past members |
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Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York. It was composed of three emcees (Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar), and three DJ's (DJ Sincere, DJ Alamo and DJ Stud Doogie). Their debut studio album, One for All, is one of the most popular and acclaimed alternative hip hop albums of 1990s, and is known for its socially conscious and politically charged content inspired by the teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earths.
In 1988, Grand Puba was looking to recruit new members to form a new band after his group Masters of Ceremony disabanded. Sadat X, Lord Jamar and DJ Alamo all joined together. The group did not have a name or any recorded demos to shop their music. While the group was at Tommy Boy Records looking for a deal, they came across Dante Ross, an executive A&R at Elektra Records who liked their talents, but told them that they need a group name and a song. The group recorded their first ever demo called "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" at DJ Jazzy Jay's studio in the Bronx. After the group recorded their first demo, they started looking for names, while at a session of Jazzy Jay's Studios. The word "Nubian" came about after Jamar was reading one of Dwight York's books that he found inside the pages. It was meant to be a new term for African-American people. "Nubian" was the name at the time, then later added the word "Brand" as in "Brand New". Then "Brand Nubian" was put together. The conclusion of naming the group in a mall in New Rochelle, when they finally made a decision for the group name. They've officially name theirselves "Brand Nubian".
Brand Nubian formed in 1989, they released their single "Brand Nubian" and the group got signed to Elektra Records by Dante Ross in the same year. Their debut studio album One For All, was released in December 4, 1990. Generally acclaimed, the album drew fire for militant Five-Percenter rhetoric on tracks: "Wake Up" and "Drop the Bomb".
Their 1993 album, In God We Trust, attracted controversy for their anti-Hispanic (hence anti-"bro"), anti-white lyrics, and for lyrics deemed to be homophobic, including "Yo I can freak, fly, flow, fuck up a f!*^ot" on "Punks Jump up to Get Beat Down." They were also anti-Rodney King, indirectly calling him a forgiving wimp on their song "Pass the Gat."
Discography[]
- 1990: One for All
- 1993: In God We Trust
- 1994: Everything Is Everything
- 1998: Foundation
- 2004: Fire in the Hole
- 2007: Time's Runnin' Out