Happy 30th Anniversary to Brand Nubian’s debut album One For All, originally released December 4, 1990.
Few groups made things look as easy as Brand Nubian did with One For All, their debut album released 30 years ago. For their first effort, they were remarkably refined and talented at nearly everything that they attempted. Few groups seem as fully formed from their outset as they did, but the crew exuded the confidence of a collective wise beyond its years.
Brand Nubian came from the streets of New Rochelle (a.k.a. Now Rule), New York, a city located near the Bronx. Maxwell “Grand Puba” Dixon, a local legend during the mid-1980s, brought the group together after enlisting Derek “X” Murphy (a.k.a. Sadat X) and Lorenzo “Lord Jamar” Dechalus, two other young, aspiring emcees that he’d been interacting with over the years. Together, with DJs Alamo and Sincere, they released One For All through Elektra Records and became legends.
One For All is a stunning debut, filled with rock solid beats and lyrics, accompanied by heavy doses of politically charged rhetoric. Dante Ross, famed A&R and producer, has said it’s unquestionably his favorite album that he’s ever been involved with, which is high praise, considering his extensive resume at Def Jam, Tommy Boy, Elektra, and other spots. It’s a quintessential early ’90s New York album, reflecting its East Coast sensibilities, yet appealing to anyone who loves well-crafted hip-hop music.
Grand Puba Maxwell was already a bit of an industry veteran by the time he recorded with Brand Nubian. Along with cousins Don Baron and Dr. Who, he was part of the Masters Of Ceremony, who released a few successful singles and their full-length Dynamite (1988). Adept at both rapping and producing, he began to mentor and cultivate talent in artists that he knew. Two of these emcees were Sadat X and Jamar, who both started as DJs, and began producing demos with them initially as solo emcees. They eventually recorded the unreleased “I Ain’t Going Out Like That” as Brand Nubian, then continued to record music.
Part of what made Brand Nubian work so well were the three emcees’ distinct styles. Grand Puba had a smooth, conversational flow that rolled off his tongue like a stream. Sadat X became known for his unmistakable bray and unorthodox rhyme patterns. Jamar’s vocal talents have always been underrated, as he was sharp in his tone and delivery, able to sound comfortable over both fast-paced and slower tracks.
The beats for One For All were produced by Puba and the crew, with some contributions from The Stimulated Dummies aka SD50s (which included the aforementioned Ross) and Skeff Anselm (the group’s engineer). All involved delved deep into the soul, jazz and rock crates, creating a backdrop that could be both funky and ethereal.
Conceptually, you can see some of the DNA of crews like Native Tongues in Brand Nubian’s music, as the three core emcees were often relatable everymen. However, there is a strong strain of militancy advocating for the rights and freedoms of the Black population that echoes groups like Public Enemy and X Clan. And, of course, the teachings of the Five-Percent Nation or NGE (Nation of Gods and Earths) permeate just about every track.
As a disclaimer, I should share that I’m not a member of the NGE, nor do I have anything beyond a basic understanding of their key tenets. As such, I concede that I may not be able to pick up on all of the intricacies of Brand Nubian’s lyrics. I just know that One For All is special and is one of the best albums of any era.
Puba, Sadat, and Jamar were all extremely adept at kicking straight lyrical shit or using their rhymes to try to educate and inspire action. The group could trade verses about engaging in verbal slaughter, and then lament the effects of the crack epidemic, with all of it sounding like natural extensions of their rhyming personalities. Puba could rap all about “hitting skinz,” then turn around to rhyme about elevating the consciousness of Black people in America. As a whole, they delivered the right balance of lyrical exercises and upliftment.
The group’s initial release in 1989, a 12” featuring “Brand Nubian” and “Feels So Good,” was a modest success; the singles were successful enough to get the group an album deal, but aren’t considered their best work. Both songs were decent enough, but they also felt a little too lightweight and failed to accurately capture Brand Nubian’s talents. Both songs appeared on the CD version of One For All as bonus cuts, and could have been easily excised without much of a fuss, especially considering the growth that the group showed once they really started work on the album.
One For All starts off extremely strong with “All For One,” which really encapsulates the group’s ethos. It’s a musically laid-back endeavor where all three emcees introduce the listeners to their unique styles. Puba takes a brief string and piano snatch from James Brown’s instrumental “Can Mind” to make one of his most distinctive and unorthodox beats. Both Puba and Ross have said that they expected the song to be the album’s breakout hit. And while it was the third single for the album, by the time it was released with a video to support it, the group had already made their mark.
Brand Nubian really made everyone sit up and take notice with “Wake Up,” One For All’s first single. The Grand Puba solo track focuses on spreading knowledge to the Black community, with the emcee dispersing NGE-based knowledge and encouraging members of the Black community to recognize their talents and cultural contributions, and not get caught up in false teachings.
The track was originally produced by the SD50s, but Grand Puba remixed it and takes it to the next level on the best-known version of the song. Both mixes appear on One For All, but it’s Puba’s musical take on the song that’s become the definitive version. He takes a sample from Ray, Goodman, & Brown’s “Another Day,” and adds in vocals from Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.” The result shimmers with energy, inspiring in its execution. The song didn’t quite blow up as large as it could have, considering the video was banned by MTV, despite being directed by Fab 5 Freddy himself (the network took issue with a devil character being depicted in white face).
Brand Nubian had no such issues getting video play for their single “Slow Down,” arguably the group’s biggest hit. Part of the result is the beat, which samples Edie Brickell & New Bohemians’ “What I Am,” a mega pop-rock hit from the late ’80s. Sadat X apparently brought the record to the group, who flipped the guitar riff and added horns from Kool & The Gang’s “Kool It (Here Comes the Fuzz).”
The song itself features the trio expounding on the “fast” behavior of three different women. Sadat X’s opening verse is an all-time great, as he laments how crack addiction has turned the neighborhood fly girl into “the mighty queen of vials.” Jamar and Puba’s verses are solid as well, bemoaning women who trade sex for money or prestige. “Even Monty Hall could have himself a ball if his assets were in order,” Jamar raps.
The three emcees work well as a unit throughout much of One For All’s first half, whether it comes to dispensing education or demonstrating their skills on songs like “Ragtime” and “To the Right.” “Drop the Bomb” is a prime example of a conscious track. Inspired by the Trouble Funk track of the same name, the group drops knowledge bombs on the “Yakub crew” and the “Ignorance Crew.” Jamar opens the song proclaiming that he has “no tolerance for Black ignorance,” while preaching unity and declaring “on equal planes we can bring forth change.”
Sadat X and Jamar’s solo tracks both focus on the group’s more conscious side. “Concerto In X Minor” is Sadat’s examination on racism in New York City, as he encourages an in-depth discussion on “racial issues and tensions” over a sped-up sample of Cannonball Adderley’s “Walk Tall.” The song reflects the aftermath of Yusef Hawkins’ murder and the strong ethnic divides that could be found throughout the city. He also speaks passionately about police brutality and broken homes within the Black community, adding “when speaking on the black man, I gets fiery.”
Jamar gets loose on “Dance To My Ministry.” As the title suggests, the song is constructed to move crowds on the dance floor, as it’s built around a sample of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Bad Tune.” However, Jamar spends the entire track working to empower the audience with knowledge. “Seminar I give, is for you to live,” he raps. “Not try to keep your mind captive / I break shackles, tear down tabernacles / Any problem in sight, Jamar tackles.”
The back half of One For All turns ostensibly into a solo showcase for Grand Puba. Aside from the aforementioned “Slow Down” (and “Brand Nubian” on the CD version), Sadat X and Lord Jamar are largely absent from the second half on the proceedings. In Brian Coleman’s Check the Technique, Sadat X stated that this was a conscious decision on Puba’s part and became a source of tension within the group.
Truthfully, Puba’s solo cuts are incredibly dope, so the tension resulted in great music. “Step To the Rear” is one of the best songs to ever appear on a Brand Nubian album, and still one of their most beloved recordings. It’s a downhome funk-filled romp, produced by the SD50s, with Puba riding the track effortlessly. His flow is perfectly tailored to the beat, which samples The Mar-Keys’ “Plantation Inn.” I can’t think of many better examples of an emcee being in the pocket with his raps than Puba here, as he boasts, “Busting is a trick that's not up my sleeve / It’s possessed with finesse and it works when I breathe.”
However, not everything goes well, as Puba’s pop dalliances on “Try To Do Me” temporarily throw the album out of whack. Appearing after “Step To the Rear” and “Slow Down,” the new jack swing tones bring One For All’s momentum to a screeching halt. The song is bad by any measure and sticks out on an album as great this. Dave “Jam” Hall, a member of the Untouchables production collective, put together the track, and not even his incorporation of traditional breakbeats can save the song. He would go on to successfully work with artists like Mary J. Blige, Usher and Mariah Carey, but “Try To Do Me” isn’t his or Puba’s finest hour.
Things get back on track with “Who Can Get Busy Like This Man?” which features Puba at his smoothest on One For All. He seemingly riffs off the head, mixing some crooning in with his laid-back raps. Behind the boards, Puba takes a funky groove from James Brown’s instrumental “Popcorn With Feeling” and turns it into a dancehall influenced track.
The aptly named “Grand Puba, Positive, & L.G.” moves the album towards a more upbeat direction, as Puba teams with “the gentleman, the rapper” and his DJ. Puba had known Positive K for a while, through their mutual manager Lumumba Carson aka Professor X of X Clan. Carson had brought Puba over to the famed First Priority Records, Positive K’s first label, for production purposes, and he ended up helping mentor the rapper.
Here the pair show they have some solid chemistry, as they rap over a chunk of Steve Arrington’s “Nobody Can Be You.” They start off going line for line, then trading four-bar verses, then closing with each dropping a full 16-bar final statement. Years later, Island Records (Pos K’s label) hoped to record a full collaboration album with Puba, but it never materialized. Pos revealed the furthest that they got was recording a track called “Back Together Again,” intended to appear on a mid-1990s hip-hop soundtrack, but the song has since been lost.
Brand Nubian in its original configuration broke up after One For All, as Puba left the crew to pursue a solo career. The moved turned out to be mutually beneficial for all involved, as Puba recorded a pair of dope albums, while Jamar and Sadat really matured as artists after turning Brand Nubian into a duo. None of those endeavors were quite as good as One For All, but were important to the group’s development nevertheless. Puba rejoined the fold in the late 1990s and remains with the crew to this day.
One For All retains its power three decades on, capturing a moment in time. The album evokes an era when crews strove to have versatility in their approach. The members of Brand Nubian aspired to be the best emcees possible, but also kept the plight of the Black community at the forefront of their rhymes. Few artists today do both with such conviction as this crew did, and fewer do it without breaking a sweat.
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