In the same 1990s gangsta rap era that birthed the likes of Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang, and Mobb Deep, a mild mannered trio called Digable Planets quietly emerged on the scene and, for a short time, burned bright on that acid-jazz vibe. Looking like the younger cousins of De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, the group consisted of Seattle rapper and producer Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler—who named the group while reading though volumes of Jorge Luis Borges—along with East Coast MCs Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving.
After first connecting over their love for jazz, poetry, and the street culture of hip-hop in 1991, the group soon began recording their debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space), in New York City. The record featured a sample of James Brown’s immortal “Funky Drummer,” and within a year of its February 1993 release, Digable were opening up for the iconic soul man on tour. Meanwhile, the album’s effortlessly smooth, horn-laden single “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” became a Top 20 hit, eventually earning them a Grammy Award.
Things were going great, so of course it couldn’t last. After their sophomore album Blowout Comb failed to repeat their initial success, the group splintered and started working on separate projects. After relocating back home to Seattle, Butler formed Shabazz Palaces; Irving returned to Philly and founded Cee Knowledge and the Cosmic Funk Orchestra; for the past six years, Vieira has been working on an ambitious project with producer Prince Paul that is scheduled to be released this fall.
But now, 25 years after they initially got together, Digable are heading out on a U.S. tour this summer—including a stop at our own Pitchfork Music Festival next month—backed by a band that Butler compares to Earth, Wind & Fire. And though they have reunited for shows before, they are now even considering a return to the studio to record a new album. Here, all three members reminisce about their artistic beginnings and why their particular sensibilities came together so well.
Pitchfork: How did you meet each other?
Craig “Doodlebug” Irving: When I was at Howard University, I started hanging-out with guys that were part of the Five-Percent Nation who were into partying and the hip-hop scene. Back then, I was DJing and had turntables set-up in my room, made some beats. Ladybug was connected to that scene, and our relationship went from there.
Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler: I was always seeing [Irving] around. He’s from Philadelphia, where my father also lived, so I’d see him at the Penn Relays or at Howard’s homecoming, and then again at the West Indian Parade in Brooklyn. We just ended up talking, and I found out he had a group in D.C. I was like, “Man, we should do some shit together.” He knew Mecca and introduced her to me; we all ran together in D.C. and then we all lived together in Philly for about a year.
Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira: When they started working together, they suggested I write a rhyme too. So I did, and their reaction was like, “Wow.” They went upstairs and had a meeting, and when they came back down, they asked me if I wanted to join the group. I’d always wanted to be in music, but until becoming a part of Digable Planets, that wasn’t something I shared with everyone. When I was a kid, I would write my thoughts down on these small pieces of paper and stuff them in a grocery bag that hung on my door. I was an introvert.
Irving: Ish was the heart of Digable Planets, without a doubt, but we all had chops and brought something to the table that added to the flavor that made the group what it was.
What was it about Mecca’s flow that made her right for Digable Planets?
Butler: She had a certain off-beatness that was unique back then—a rhythmic approach and pronunciation of things that was just different. And though we’d all heard of Brazil, I didn’t know any Brazilian females.
Vieira: I grew up listening to Brazilian singers as well as Dakota Staton, Billie Holiday, and Sade. And listening to Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Roxanne Shante gave me confidence and the strength to do it too. Those women weren’t taking shit from anybody, and I was like that. When I was a kid I wasn’t into Barbies or baby dolls, I was playing with G.I. Joe’s in the dirt with the boys.
In developing the Digable Planets sound, how did you decide to take the group in that jazzy funk direction that is so prominent on your debut?
Butler: At the time, I wasn’t thinking about musical categories. I was just using the samples that I could get my hands on; they were from records that belonged to my moms, my pops, and my uncles. My father was a stated jazz aficionado and he was into all the avant-garde stuff; he was a big Eric Dolphy fan. Mom liked Motown and CTI jazz; Donald Byrd kind of stuff. That shit was fly too. My sound also came from what I was listening to: DJ Premier, Prince Paul, Cocteau Twins, P-Funk, Prince. A gumbo of all of that stuff became our sound.
After signing with Pendulum Records, the three of you moved to New York to work with producer/engineers Shane Faber and Mike Mangini. What was that experience like?
Irving: Ish already had the album laid out and knew how he wanted to do it, but the label decided [Shane and Mike] would be the best production team to supervise the project. They had worked on some Native Tongues projects and helped us bring our vision to life. They had a studio in Bergen, New Jersey, and we’d take the dollar bus over there at 10 in the morning and work all day.
Butler: We had a record coming out—that’s all they had to tell me. I was so excited you would’ve thought we were going to Disneyland every day.
Vieira: Shane’s studio was actually his apartment, and the vocal booth was in the closet—when you closed the door, a light came on. It was a tiny apartment, but it was just like kickin’ it at friend’s place. I was happy to just be making music, so I didn’t care about the size of the studio.
What memories do you have surrounding your first single, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)”?
Vieira: One of Ish’s friends had used that Art Blakey sample [”Stretchin’”] on another song, so out of respect he asked that friend if he could use it—and then he flipped it in a completely different way. It was super tight. Working together was always smooth and easy. We just had this special connection. We liked the same kind of sounds, vibes, and energy. That was my first experience with that kind of magic. We didn’t have a lot of money, so sometimes we split a pizza three ways just to eat, but those guys were my family.
Irving: When our manager handed us the cassette single, I just stood there staring it. Like, Wow, I finally have a real record. A few minutes later I was walking down the street and I saw Q-Tip on the other side and I ran over to say hi. I didn’t know him at the time, but I was fan. I gave him props, shook his hand, and showed him the Digable single. I was so happy.
Butler: We had gone to Europe on a promotional tour and by the time we got back to the States, the record had blown-up, and video channels were playing the clip over and over. It was a good feeling.
“Cool Like Dat” went onto win a Grammy in 1994 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, beating out Arrested Development, Cypress Hill, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and Naughty by Nature. Were you surprised when you won?
Irving: Personally, I thought Snoop and Dre were going to win. When they called our names, it was like time stood still. It was mad surreal.
Vieira: It was a bittersweet night for me, because my mom was very close to passing away; I was grateful that we got to perform with [legendary jazz trumpeter] Clark Terry, but my head and my heart were with her. After that, we went back into the studio to start working on Blowout Comb, but whenever we weren’t in the studio, I was back with my mother.
Although Blowout Comb was a critical success, it didn’t match the first album in terms of sales. However, it’s considered a slept-on classic today.
Butler: Slept-on always has the notion that it’s good, otherwise nobody would care; it’s like the music has a nice second existence. Sonically and lyrically, it was a step away from the first album, which was intentional. When Light in the Attic Records approached us about doing reissues of our music [in 2013], they wanted to release Blowout Comb first. So yeah, it was slept on, but I’m cool with that.
Not long after Blowout Comb was released, your label Pendulum Records folded, and Digable Planets broke up. What happened?
Irving: We’re just human beings and we go through things: emotions, stress, up and downs. We were also young and immature and dealing with certain things in life. There were obstacles because of the music industry and we didn’t know how to handle it. But, at this stage in our lives, we have kids and responsibilities; back then, we were just wild. I don’t regret anything that happened, but I’m glad we could get over it and get back together and do things.
Butler: When we split-up, it was more about changing directions in life and creativity rather than about having problems with each other. I was taken aback by the response to us getting back together. The friendship is still there, so whatever obstacles we had are easy to jump over.
Digable Planets will play the Pitchfork Music Festival on Saturday, July 16.