The Definition of Early '90's Hip-Hop: The Native Tongues

What's up people!  I thought I would take a look back to the earlier days of "hip-hop" for the youngin's in the class.  I'm not much into the rap or hip-hop scene these days like I used to be, but there was a time back during my original college days in the early 90's when I was all in! 

I would only dabble in some of the harder "gangsta rap" like NWA or Ice-T, and I had more love for some of the hard-edged but conscious acts like Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions.  But my biggest passion was for the new sound that was being created by the MC's that came together to form the Native Tongues crew.  They consisted of The Jungle Brothers, Monie Love, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, and DeLa Soul.

Although each act was part of the Native Tongues crew, they each had their own signature sound.  The sound that I came to love the most was the Tribe Called Quest sound.  They were the pioneering force that were the first to use jazz samples as backing tracks to their rhymes, and are mentioned still as one of the most influential acts among even the most current "hip-hop" stars.

Here's a short look at the members of the crew, with a more obscure ATCQ track holding it all together:





Any other fans of early hip-hop?  How do they stack up to today's artists?  Let's hear it!

Jeff Kearney