Brand Nubian

• 1. Introduction

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  Brand Nubian came out of New Rochelle, New York, in 1989, and within a year had released one of the most acclaimed alternative hip-hop albums of the decade. Their debut, One for All, sold in excess of 400,000 copies and sparked real controversy. A video for its single "Wake Up" was banned from MTV. The group's lyrics drew on the teachings of The Nation of Gods and Earths, a framework that shaped everything from their name to their worldview. By 2008, About.com would place them on its list of the 25 Greatest Rap Groups of All Time. But before any of that could happen, three young men in New Rochelle had to first agree on what to call themselves.

• 2. Finding the Name

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  Grand Puba had been a member of Masters of Ceremony before that group broke up, and by 1988 he was looking to start something new. Sadat X, Lord Jamar, and DJ Alamo all came together around him, but they had no name and no recorded demos to shop to labels. The path to a name began at Jazzy Jay Studios, where the group cut their very first demo, a track called "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That". While still at those sessions, Lord Jamar read one of Dwight York's books. The word "Nubian" jumped out at him as a new term for African American people, and the group adopted it. "Brand" came next, as in "Brand New". Grand Puba later recalled, in an interview with Jamar on the Yanadameen Godcast, that the final decision on the name happened at a mall in New Rochelle. It was also at Jazzy Jay Studios that they encountered Dante Ross, an executive A&R at Elektra Records who liked what he heard but told them they needed a group name and a song before he could do anything for them. That encounter at Tommy Boy Records, where they happened to cross paths with Ross, set the direction of what followed.

• 3. One for All

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  Signed to Elektra Records by Dante Ross, Brand Nubian released their first single, also called "Brand Nubian", in 1989. One for All followed in 1990. The album drew critical praise and commercial momentum, but it was the controversy that pushed it past 400,000 copies sold. Tracks like "Drop the Bomb" and "Wake Up" drew fire for what critics called militant Five-Percenter rhetoric. The video for "Wake Up", directed by Fab Five Freddy, featured a Black man in white-face makeup. MTV banned it. On the channel and through official WEA sources, the image was replaced by footage of a Baptist preacher. Three singles from the album climbed the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart in 1991: "Slow Down", "All for One", and "Wake Up". The album's impact was wide enough that its fingerprints remained on alternative hip-hop for years.

• 4. Breakups and Controversy

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  Shortly after One for All, Grand Puba quarreled with Sadat X and Lord Jamar and left, taking DJ Alamo with him to pursue a solo career. In 1992, Puba released his solo debut, Reel to Reel. Lord Jamar and Sadat X brought in DJ Sincere to fill the gap. Late in 1992, Brand Nubian released the single "Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down", which drew serious criticism for its homophobic content. A line by Sadat X read, "I can freak, fly, flow, fuck up a faggot / I don't understand their ways; I ain't down with gays." The single reached number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later pressings dropped the line and substituted different lyrics, including the version that appeared on the greatest hits compilation The Very Best of Brand Nubian. Their second album, In God We Trust, arrived in early 1993, carrying "Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down" and the single "Love Me or Leave Me Alone". That same year, the group contributed "Lick Dem Muthaphuckas" to the Menace II Society soundtrack.

• 5. Dissolution and Solo Paths

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  Everything is Everything, Brand Nubian's third album, arrived in November 1994. Reviews were mixed and sales mediocre, even though "Word Is Bond" and "Hold On" both cracked the top-40 of the Hot Rap Tracks chart. In 1995, the group dissolved and each member moved into solo work. Grand Puba released his second solo album, 2000, that year. It included "I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are)", which charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sadat X followed with his first solo album, Wild Cowboys, in 1996. Lord Jamar moved toward acting, eventually landing roles on The Sopranos, Oz, Third Watch, and Law and Order.

• 6. Reunions and Foundation

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  The original members came back together in 1997. That year they contributed "A Child is Born" to the Soul in the Hole soundtrack and placed "Keep It Bubblin'" on the Money Talks soundtrack. In 1998, Foundation arrived on Arista/BMG Records. The album brought in producers DJ Premier, Buckwild, Lord Finesse, and Diamond D. Its lead single, "Don't Let It Go to Your Head", reached number 54 on the Hot 100, making it the group's highest-charting single on that chart. In 1999, Grand Puba and Sadat X appeared on "Once Again" from the first Handsome Boy Modeling School record. The group released the single "Rockin' It" with Buckwild of D.I.T.C. in 2000, and then the members scattered again into solo projects. Sadat X put out a solo EP that year, The State of New York vs. Derek Murphy.

• 7. Later Work and Ongoing Presence

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  Grand Puba's third solo album, Understand This, came out in 2001 to little commercial notice. Brand Nubian reunited again in 2004 for Fire in the Hole, released on Babygrande Records. Sadat X followed with Experience and Education in 2005, which earned mostly positive reviews. Lord Jamar released his first solo album, The 5% Album, in June 2006, also on Babygrande Records. Sadat X's third solo record, Black October, appeared in October 2006. In 2007, the group put out Time's Runnin' Out, built from sessions recorded roughly ten years earlier during the Foundation recording period. Since 2007, Brand Nubian have continued performing live, with sold-out shows across the United States and Europe. DJ Stud Doogie, who had been a member since 1997, remained with the group until 2021.