Digable Planets - Blowout Comb

In 1993, the Digable Planets, a trio of New York MCs with happy insect monikers (Doodlebug, Butterfly, and Ladybug) and nonthreatening auras, created manna for the pseudo-beatnik crowd. On Reachin': A New Refutation of Time and Space they melded jazz records, hip-hop beats, and rhymes--like Gang Starr and the Dream Warriors before them. Much to their dismay, the single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," which combined their be-boppy flows with a catchy Art Blakey loop, captured the clove cigarette contingent. Their sleeper follow-up, Blowout Comb was a De La Soul-esque reaction to their pop success. They forsook the bohemians (and probably scared them as well) by waxing poetic about the Black Panthers and Fidel Castro and giving shout-outs to their peeps in the Five Percent Nation of Islam. Loaded with live instrumentation, the album includes "Black Ego," an interpolation of a popular Meters composition laced with nice guitar plucks, and "K.B.'s Alley," where a schizophrenic trombone perfectly complements their wordplay. Despite strong guest spots by vet female DJ Jazzy Joyce, Guru, and Jeru the Damaja, it's the hidden messages, somber mood, and understated beats of "9th Wonder (Blackitolism)" or "Dial 7 (Axiom Of Creamy Spies)" that outshine the gloss of their debut. --Dalton Higgins Amazon.com

1994's most slept on hip hop album.......

i remember when i first purchased this album. once i heard it, i couldnt stop listening to it. it has the same effect on me now, and i recently purchased the compilation album which was also great w/the unreleased songs from this album. the bling of rap music's commercialism is one of the reasons why this album was slept on, on top of the fact that pendulum just didnt promote this the way they were supposed to. the art cover, photos, and liner notes that came from DP on this album was hotness...i miss them and i hope that they will come back. their solo efforts are great, but theyre gifts compliment each other, the chemistry between the 3 of them is crazy....and by the way, am i buggin or is Lady Bug Mecca one of the most slept on female mc's ever...her lyrics and metaphors is fire....her style is hotness. i was so disappointed when vibe came out with their book on female mc's and did not include her in it once... unfortunate. March 8, 2008

G*d Save the DP's

Got this album when it first came out, then let someone borrow it and never saw it again. I just recently picked it up again. After listening to the whole thing through, I realized that this has to be the most nuanced hip-hop album ever made. It's almost depressing to listen to because this album makes you realize just how incredibly horrible hip-hop has become since. Of course, there's the ever-present but useless debate about which DP album is better but it just doesn't matter anymore. The DP's are artists in every sense and each track on this album is lovingly crafted and the whole thing just resonates with fierce creativity and a sensitivity not found anymore in this once groundbreaking genre that isn't so groundbreaking anymore. April 27, 2007

Just the best hip-hop album ever.

Well this is the fourth time I've bought this album, but if something happens to this copy I will be happy to buy it again. It's just that good! This album is a must have for anyone who likes real hip-hop. February 12, 2007

The Quintessential RapJazz Fusion Album!

I first got hooked on this abum in my college days in the mid 1990's. It's awesome: rap, jazz, hip hop and infectious grooves all mixed together. I loved it and subsequently went to their concert. The concert was an out-of-this world experience - 25 piece band and all.

The first of this album that I bought was a cassette tape which got played so much that it broke. I then went out and bought a CD: it got played so much that my CD player damaged it. I've yet gone out and bought the CD yet again and this time play it on MP3. This is the only album that I've ever bought a record 3 times! It's that good!

Now years later, I have yet to hear anything quite like this.
Long live the Dig P's! February 10, 2007

PUT THIS IN YOUR STEREO AND GET BLOWN OUT!

I FIRST HEARD THIS ALBUM BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN IT CAME OUT. I WAS HONEST TO MY FRIEND WHO BOUGHT IT, ABOUT THE FACT THAT I DID NOT REALLY FEEL THIS ALBUM THEN. IN 1991-1992, I LISTENED TO GROUPS LIKE "TRIBE CALLED QUEST", " DE LA SOUL" AND "MAIN SOURCE" AND THEY HAD THAT JAZZ FEEL, BUT THEN SUCH HARDCORE ACTS FROM 1993 AND ON LIKE "SNOOP DOGGY DOGG", "DR.DRE", "ONYX", "BLACKMOON", "WU-TANG CLAN" AND MORE ECCLECTIC ACTS LIKE, "JERU THE DAMAJA" "PUDGEE THE PHAT BASTARD", AND "THE ALKAHOLIKS" WERE PLAYING IN MY STEREO.

I WASN'T USED TO THE JAZZY SMOOTH BEATS OF A "COOL LIKE DAT" TYPE OF HIP-HOP GROUP FOR A WHILE. AFTER ABOUT 1 MORE YEAR, GANGSTA/STREET RAP WERE THE LEAST FAVORITE OF RAP, AND THE SMOOTH JAZZ FLOWED BACK THROUGH MY HEADPHONES AGAIN. SO I TOOK MY FRIENDS ADVICE AND BOUGHT "BLOWOUT COMB". I AM HONEST TO SAY, THAT THIS ALBUM HAS NOT BEEN OUT OF MY STEREO SINCE THEN.

THE GROUP CONSISTS OF THREE INDIVIDUALS,
1. BUTTERFLY - Ishmael Butler, Brooklyn, New York, USA
2. LADYBUG - Mary Ann Vierra, Silver Springs, Maryland, USA
3. DOODLEBUG - Craig Irving, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

THE THREE ALL LIVED IN DIFFERENT STATES, BUT MET UP, AND LOVED EACH OTHERS STYLES, SO GOT TOGETHER AND RECORDED. EACH MC'S FLOWS ARE ON POINT, YET DIFFERENT. ALL HAVE SINCE GONE ON TO MAKE THEIR OWN SOLO CAREERS, AND RELEASE A 2005/06 ALBUM CONSISTING OF 3 NEW TRACKS, AND REMIXES OF THEIR OLD BANGING TRACKS.

THIS ALBUM IS GOOD FOR EVERYTHING. RELAXING, SMOKING WEED, WAKING UP, FALLING ASLEEP, IN YOUR CAR, IN YOUR HOME, ETC. BELOW IS THE TRACK LISTING, WHICH IS THE ENTIRE ALBUM, AND NOT ONE OF THESE TRACK, SHOULD BE SKIPPED, BECAUSE THERE IS
1. NO FILLER
&
2. NO MEDIOCRE TRACK

1. The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug
2. Black Ego
3. Dog It
4. Jettin'
5. Borough Check
6. Highing Fly
7. Dial 7 (Axioms Of Creamy Spies)
8. The Art Of Easing
9. K.B.'s Alley (Mood Dudes Groove)
10.Graffiti
11.Blowing Down
12.9th Wonder (Blackitolism)
13 For Corners

MY PERSONAL FAVE IS TRACK 8. I HOPE THIS HELPED. PEACE. July 27, 2006

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