Naughty by Nature, the amazing trio out of New Jersey, consists of Anthony Criss (AKA Treach), Vincent Brown (AKA Vin Rock), and Keri Lamont Gist (AKA DJ Kay Gee). Formed in 1986 under the original name The New Style, they brought exactly that into the game. After releasing their initial album, Independent Leaders, they caught the attention of a legendary figure in the game, Queen Latifah — she would become their mentor and the group changed their name to Naughty By Nature. Their very first hit came with O.P.P., which sampled Jackson 5’s ABC. The track peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and propelled them into stardom. Since then, this incredible trio have won Grammy for Best Rap Album, they have been nominated for 3 Grammy awards, created 7 studio albums, 2 top 3 albums on the Billboard 200, 2 gold albums, and 2 platinum albums. This is truly a legendary group that influenced the culture and sound tremendously with their unique flow and vision.
Black Sheep will be performing alongside Naughty by nature on Saturday night. This funky duo, composed of Andres “Dres” Vargas Titus and William “Mista Lawnge” McLean, hails from Queens, NY. The group was an affiliate of the Native Tongues, a hip-hop collective with some of the best artists in the game that prided themselves on creativity, positivity — they also pioneered the use of eclectic and diverse sampling as well as jazz-influenced beats. The collective consisted of iconic and revolutionary groups such as Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and of course Black Sheep. Formed in 1989, they came out with their first album 2 years later, titled A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (1991). The album reached #30 on the Billboard 200, #15 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Chart, and it is certified gold. Two of its singles were huge hits in The Choice is Yours (Revisited) and Strobelite Honey, which reached #9 and #1 respectively on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play. In 2008, The Choice is Yours (Revisited) was ranked #73 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Hip Hop songs.
The final group that will be taking the stage is Arrested Development, the incredible rap group that came out of Atlanta in 1988. It was created as a positive, afrocentric alternative to strict gangster rap in the late 80’s. The two founding members of Arrested Development were rapper and producer Todd Thomas, AKA “Speech”, and turntablist Timothy Barnwell. This is a critically acclaimed group, with their first ever album, 3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of… going 4x platinum in the US. In 1993, the following year, they won two Grammy Awards. The first was Best New Artist, which made them the first hip hop artist to ever win that award at the time. They also won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. That year, they were also named Band of the Year by Rolling Stones Magazine. Since then, different members of the group have come in and out, but they have still released 13 studio albums. They are still putting out music today, with their most recent release in 2018 with the album, Craft & Optics. These are 3 very well-established, influential, and legendary rap groups that will be on the stage together this Saturday. All fans of hip hop better gear up for an incredible night!
Saturday, February 22 2020
Show time: 8:30
$45+
Franklin Music Hall
421 N 7th St
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Tickets here
