Native Tongues

Ushering in a new era of hip hop that downplayed violence and sexual exploits, the New York City based Native Tongues took the rap world by storm in the late 80's/early 90's. The base of the group originally consisted of the Jungle Brothers, Afrika Bambaataa, and Queen Latifah, with the purpose being to perform with each other and promote one another's projects in order to get noticed by the mainstream. They shared a common goal, and that was to spread a positive message through music without taking away the gritty realism and street logic that came with hardcore hip hop. De La Soul was the next to join the group, taking Stetsasonic producer Prince Paul and upstart teenagers A Tribe Called Quest with them. This would fill the initial lineup, and De La Soul's "Buddy" and the Jungle Brothers' "Doin' Our Own Dang" became early recorded examples of their collaborations. Bambaataa made it known that he had helped to form the group, but otherwise took a backseat role...