since the beginning days of hip hop the
crew has always been important it's been
the symbol of strength in numbers from
ghetto boys to slaughterhouse or from
boogie down productions to salt and
pepper
it's undeniable that the crew is
essential to hip hop there's nothing
bigger than crew love
having a crew group entourage whatever
you want to call it
is a necessary part of the rap game and
joining forces was like-minded
individuals have proved to be beneficial
in hip-hop since the culture was born
but in the late 80s the native tongues
did something a little different
they took the idea of a crew to a whole
other level by creating an even bigger
collective a crew of crews
originally made up of three conscious
rap groups the jungle brothers a tribe
called quest and de la soul
the native tongues was founded on the
principles of the universal zulu nation
focusing on afrocentric lyricism and a
positive minded philosophy
the jungle brothers was the first group
of the native tongue ever to gain
notoriety the rap duo consisted of mike
g and africa baby bam a student of
zulu's africa bambada
their road manager at the time was a
young guy from the bronx by the name of
chris lighty who carried records for
pioneering hip-hop dj red alert
red alert gave the jungle brothers the
cosign they needed to break into the
game
their debut album straight out the
jungle
was released in 1988 and was the first
to showcase a then unknown abstract mc
by the name of q-tip
q-tip was already a member of his own
rap group a collective from queens known
as a tribe called quest
soon after the jungle brothers met de la
soul at a show in boston where both
groups were booked
the two groups bonded over their similar
styles and stayed connected
when de la soul later invited the jungle
brothers to the studio to collaborate
africa called his friend q-tip to meet
them believing that tribe and de la were
headed off
the native tongues would continue to
connect with other artists who pushed a
similar consciousness
later recruiting female mcs queen
latifah and moani love
together these three groups would
collaborate on a record titled buddy for
de la soul's debut album three feet high
and rising
the result was not just a hit record but
also a friendship and camaraderie that
would last for years
while hip-hop has traditionally been
known to breed competitiveness among
groups who favor each other the native
tongues reverse the way of thinking
banding their likenessness together to
spread knowledge to the community and
magnify their brand's awareness
the native tongue posse will grow to
include groups such as black sheep the
fool schnickens the bush babies and the
beet nuts and would even extend the
groups like brand new being one of rap's
earliest advocates for the 5 nation
though the teachings of the 5 percenters
began as a black movement heavily
influenced by islam it also morphed into
a movement in hip-hop mostly led by
native tongues and would dictate the
coach's ideology and slang in the early
90s the native tongue influence also
made wearing african medallions around
your neck just as popular as wearing
gold they built one of the strongest
movements in hip-hop spawning fashion
trends raising consciousness and
launching a musical influence that has
lasted until present day
by the early 90s the native tongues had
changed the sound of hip-hop
using their eclectic jazz samples and
crafty production techniques the beats
brought to you by the native tongues
helped establish a musicality for
hip-hop something that other genres had
so outwardly claimed hip-hop didn't have
their influence on production in hip-hop
will be heard for years to come
shaping the initial sounds of producers
like the beat nuts j dilla pharrell and
kanye west among others
common leaders of the new school and
most deaf also became extended members
of the native tongue family in the 90s
still an example of hip-hop's higher
level of consciousness the native
tongue's influence is widespread among
so many of today's conscious hip-hop
artists
in 2019 the native tongues festival in
dc reunited members of the crew
including the jungle brothers black
sheep and moani love among others
the success of one of rap's most
recognized brands violator helmed by
chris lighty is also a product of the
native tongue's legacy
thirty years later the native tongues
are still one of hip-hop's most
influential crews