"Buddy": De la Soul feat. The Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love and Queen LatifahDanTres: To this day, I am a huge Native Tongues fan. Back then, I wanted to be a Jungle Brother and I knew all the lyrics to Straight out the Jungle. So when I first heard this joint on Kool Dj Red Alert's mix show on 98.7 Kiss, I was amped. First up, it was monumental. You had Posdnous, Trugoy, Queen Latifah, Afrika Baby Bam, Mike G, Monie Love, and Q-tip on one track? Seven MCs. That was a risk. Commercially it did not make a lot of money for this group, but overseas this song was remixed so many times it's ridiculous. It's 2008 and I still run into remixes for this song. Although the Juice Crew and Boogie Down Productions (BDP) were the first to put crews down but Native Tongues was deep! If you look at the video, you will see all of the members from Black Sheep all the way down to Chi Ali.
HumanityCritic: As a kid raised in Virginia Beach, who had to create his own Hip Hop reality without any "..and then the DJ plugged his equipment to the light pole" stories to speak of - this song reminds me of what a magical place I envisioned New York to be around that time, as if I planned a pilgrimage to it like Mecca and shit. I know the glass licking Lil Wayne apologists will wince at this, but you can't get a collaborative Hip Hop effort like this nowadays if you tried. There is still great Hip Hop being made, but more times than not if multiple MC's decide to coexist on a track - it would probably be rife with sub par wordsmiths and some drooling lunatic shouting "We Da Bess!" in the background. That being said, this is a great song. There doesn't seem to be an ounce of one-upsmanship that we usually find in posse cuts, I'm a big fan off all the parties involved, and my crush on Monie Love will last until I'm literally worm food.
DanTres: I dug the fact that they were talking about sex without talking about it. Everyone had their own take on it. This is a clear demonstration on how hip hop music can discuss topics maturely and wholistically. Prince Paul was light years ahead of everyone with his production. You never hear folks put him on any top producers lists and he is the cat that started it with the skits. Clearly, a classic joint.
HumanityCritic: This is going to be hard to believe, coming from a germaphobic sex addict like myself who spends an inordinate amount of time discussing the intimate details surrounding my penis - but I miss the days when rappers had the skill to tackle the most graphic of subjects and still get unedited radio play.
"Scenario": A Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of the New School (LONS)HumanityCritic: Before I go into why this posse cut is so dope, let me give you my personal backstory with this song: Mere moments after witnessing nurses aggressively pour buckets of ice over my fathers shriveled body ravaged from prostate cancer in hopes of lowering his body temperature, right after I found myself consoling my mother after the man I'm named after flat-lined as I prayed at the foot of his hospital bed - this is the song that played on my car radio as I drove home from the hospital that night. The sadness of my fathers death, the regret that our relationship was never as good as I wanted it to be, both feeling that would forever nag me were momentarily postponed as I rapped "Scenario" as if I was auditioning to be the New member of Tribe. Sappy I know, but the truth.
DanTres: I always point out to cats that The Scenario is the classic example of a commercially viable song that does not need a gimmick. Everyone came off and it was all a good time. This is another party favorite. Even the sisters rock to this one. I remember hearing this joint while in Marseilles, France and all the French cats knew every word on this song. They did not speak one word of english but when this track came on, they sounded like it was their first language. It was an ill moment for me way back in 1992 to see a culture I grew up in making a stamp in a foreign country. It's funny cause Humanity Critic and I went back and forth about whether we should talk about this one or the original which became the remix that featured the late MC Hood. We opted for this one because a lot of heads never heard the "remix" or are familiar with it. Only the hardcore b-side fanatics know about it.
HumanityCritic: The video for this song was pretty dope as well, remind me to get Spike Lee to direct one of my videos if I ever decide to become an MC. I also remember ATCQ and LONS performing this on "The Arsenio Hall Show", thus propelling Busta Rhymes to bona fide stardom - before he started assaulting gays and being uncooperative with the police that is. This is a weird tick that I have, but wherever I happen to be when this song comes on, I always feel compelled to perform it regardless the venue and how much I embarrass myself. From pretending to throw a pass when Phife references Joe Namath, to waving my arms in an exaggerated fashion as Busta tries to explain the sound a "Dungeon Dragon" makes - I can't tell you how many strangers know my affection for this song
DanTres: There are so many reasons to like this joint. I always felt that on wax, the studio just could not capture the energy of LONS. Busta Rhymes, Dinco D, Charlie Brown, and later Cutmonitor Milo (a group named by Chuck D) were such an ill group. It is sad that they broke up. As usual Busta rips it. I really enjoy the composition of the song. Each MC was placed properly and there are no dull moments. Any DJ did not have to skip verses. I know at times we get nostalgic when we talk about songs like this but honestly who is making songs like this right now? And you know I am the positive one in all this.
4 comments:
Just listening to Scenario I had to get up out of my seat. That song is powerful.
You need to talk about the remix featuring Hood though. I still remember when it came out up here spring 92 just before the mini riots jumped off in t-dot. remember being in chem class arguing whether kris kross'jump or scenario remix was going to be the summer joint.
I dont know but for me that was the first time hearing a remix that sounded so completely different to the original. Scenario remix was not just a new mc added it was an entirely new song. forget puffy , tribe and LONs invented the remix.
oh and for some reason I just love phife's verse on the remix. he hit it hard. vanilla ice platinum that shits ridiculous, ya better off calling d-nice to ya rescue, as for corny mcs like chuck d i shut em down, do like michael jackson and remember the time. it was like he was hitting it back to back to back with the lines, bam bam bam
Plus as a non-new yorker, a non-american at that time , first year in the t dot, the larry davis reference by Hood was kind of like what the hell is he talking about. Had to go research that whole story.
I agree with the 1st commenter. I vividly remember That Arsenio show when Busta Rhymes took off the hat, turned it inside out, put it back on, then ripped the hell out of his verse. I'm getting all nostalgic and such thinking about this cut but I'm sad at the same time because nothing this dope will ever again be made.
I actually understood what yall were talking about in this post, and I have to say that I wholehartedly agree! These posse songs were great!
L
Scenario ans Scenario remix and G.O.A.T. posse rap tracks. For the reasons you mentioned and because this was pre-HGH Busta
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