Emerging in the early 90s after the buzz of Native
Tongues affiliates had somewhat dissipated, Brooklyn group Digable Planets were
self-styled revivalists of the thoughtful, soothing style of hip hop pioneered by groups like
De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, undeterred by entrenched and dominate West
Coast-based gangsta rap and g-funk acts at the time. In 1993, their debut
release Reachin’ (A Refutation of Time
and Space) contained an unlikely hit in the form of “Return of the Slick
(Cool Like Dat)”, a jazz-infused revamp and tribute to the East Coast “jazz
rap” scene, and their efforts continued in 1994 with the follow-up and
ultimately final album Blowout Comb.
Where their debut release was mostly sample-based, Blowout Comb features live
instrumentation mixed with samples, creating a vibrant, organic atmosphere resembling
a live performance probably situated in a dark, dusty club somewhere in the
streets of Brooklyn. Often it’s difficult to differentiate between genuine,
organic sounds and sampled beats in this album, a good example being “Black Ego”,
a brilliantly produced number that combines a slightly sped-up, mesmerising
guitar sample of “Luanna’s Theme” by Grant Green with a cymbal-thrashing drum
track from The Meters’ “Here Come the Metermen”, aided by a very subtle,
unobtrusive cello, an instrument not particularly commonplace in typical hip
hop releases at the time. It’s also one of the album’s longer tracks, running
in at 7 minutes, but almost seems to pass like a breeze – likewise, the album
closer “For Corners” acts as a superb representation of what the group were
trying to create in this album, overlaying the sounds of Brooklyn (people
shouting, cars zooming in and out of earshot) with a jazz-blues-tinged Shuggie
Otis sample, an understated drum track from Skull Snaps, and a sedated Roy
Ayers horn sample, all combining in a 7-minute snapshot of the group’s home
while they give shout-outs to the people and places they identify with and
respect, for better or for worse.
There’s a remarkably relaxing, carefree feel to Blowout Comb – not just in the
soundscapes, but none of the three MCs sound particularly rushed or anxious
during delivery, each throwing down verses somewhat lackadaisically, shaping
the album in the vibe of a mammoth spoken word/poetry jam session. A lot can be
said for a rapper’s flow, and this group
ride these beats perfectly, and
surprisingly even guest rappers Guru and Jeru the Damaja (known for their slightly
harsher, emphatic rapping) match the low-key, chilled nature of the tracks they
feature in. Where some groups rely on particularly strong personas to grab the
listener (think Wu-Tang Clan), Digable Planets truly operate as a group with no
sense of contest between the three, all working together with the same purpose,
promoting the same positive, socially conscious messages. Only through close
attention does it become apparent that ringleader Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler dominates
the microphone, but so often he makes way for his fellow MCs (Craig “Doodlebug”
Irving and Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira) that it’s almost impossible to
notice, with at times the three rotating verses indistinguishably and in quick
succession.
In that sense, as you may have guessed, lyrically Blowout Comb doesn’t barrage the listener
with insanely complex, spitting verses. Instead, the laid-back sounds of the
album are beautifully matched by simplistic, direct lyrics that reference jazz
legends, afrocentricity, coping with adversity, or just describing the streets
of Brooklyn, simultaneously constructing an image and soundtrack of their environment,
making it as easy as possible for the listener to appreciate and understand the
vibe of the album. In this way Blowout
Comb acts as an important counterweight to the macho, aggressive hip hop
that dominated the mid-90s, dealing with similar subject matter but approaching it
in an eloquent, calmer fashion with just as much focus and passion.
It seems that Digable Planets should have been poised to
spearhead the second wave of jazz rap, but with creative differences within the
group and hard-nosed, confrontational hip hop dominating the mainstream
airwaves (not just from the West Coast – 1994 saw the rise of Nas, Notorious
B.I.G. and Gravediggaz) it just wasn’t to be. Still, the concept of
producing studio-based, organic sounds didn’t completely die off, with The
Roots debuting in 1993 with a record unsurprisingly titled Organix, in a way owing much of their success to the work of groups
like Digable Planets, with albums like Blowout
Comb acting as a sort of blueprint or foundation for this particular
offshoot of hip hop.
But set aside an hour, leave your preconceptions at the
door and prepare to feel as mellow as mellow gets when listening to Blowout Comb, easily one of the most
hypnotic, immersive albums I’ve ever heard. Asked about the album’s title in
1994, Butterfly responded with “It means the utilisation of the natural, a
natural style”, in the same interview he referenced hearing George Clinton
discuss how things that are initially inaudible for the listener add indefinite
replay value to an album, something that is unmistakably apparent in Blowout Comb – it won’t necessarily
strike on the first, second or third listen like you may expect from a hip hop
release, but it deserves close attention and as much recognition as any other
seminal release from the period.
A
-Karl
