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Born in the era of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, Brand Nubian laid down its mark on the socially conscious and politically charged realm of hip hop. A group comprised of some amazing emcees like Sadat X, Grand Puba, and Lord Jamar and joining forces with two well known DJs by the name of Alamo and Sincere, they produced over 7 full length albums to date. But unfortunately they did not stay together for very long. Grand Puba left (he was the most “known” member, originally apart of Masters of Ceremony) with Alamo and went on to produce his own music. But he came back a few years later fortunately to produce this wonderful album entitled Foundation (1998).

Right when I was looking for some feel good hip hop, this album dropped in my lap. It was sitting in my CD binder unplayed in over 4 years. Given to me as a gift along with 50 other CDs, I gave it the same listen as I did most of the other 50 some albums. I really didn’t know who was apart of the group or who they had worked with, but I just put it into my car on a 2 hour trip down to D.C. And to my surprise, I kept it on repeat the whole way down and back up. Then as I got home, I did my research on the crew and all the other great music they’ve produced over the years.

Foundation goes through a host of topics and themes that stay on the conscious tip. Sincerely is an apology and way of showing appreciation to all women for all they have done to support the men in their lives. Whether it was motherhood, being a supportive wife, or leading the movement towards bettering oneself. Love vs. Hate is an expose on black american life over the last century and how hate has been planted into their minds. As they spit, “Millions of people died just so that we can survive, So this knowledge i provide cause these facts can’t be denied. Nowadays it’s new ways, sixties it was the smack, Eighties it was the crack, nineties it be the gat. Time to recognize how uncivilized we got, Get wise and unify and not fall victim to the plot.” But they chant a chorus that focuses on leaving the hate behind and allowing love for yourself and for your own people to persist. The Beat Change is my favorite track because of how well the emcees lyrics and flow fit so well together. The track makes me think of Jurassic 5.

Foundation is not the group’s most notable album. That would be One For All (1990), Brand Nubian’s debut album, which got rated in MTV’s top 25 all time hip hop albums back in 1999. But Foundation has a much more mature sound with a group of emcees whose flow and lyrics grew over the years.