Digable Planets

In hindsight, Digable Planets—a crew comprising Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Craig "Doodlebug" Irving, and Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira—was as much an artistic philosophy as a name. Known for their sampling exploits, the Brooklyn trio understood that classical jazz records were worlds of their own. By digging into the crates and repurposing the sounds, they conjured engrossing jazz-rap atmospheres that evoked both their neighborhood and the Black musical tradition. Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space), their 1993 debut, established Digable Planets as a force of alternative hip-hop. Featuring tracks like the Honey Drippers–sampling "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," the project extracted all the most stylish elements of Black yesteryear while creating something altogether new. They expanded and refined the formula with Blowout Comb, a 1994 album that marked their last. Layered with misty soul, ambient basslines, and bubbling themes of political consciousness ("Black Ego"), the LP rendered disparate textures into something inimitable and cool, leaving listeners with no choice but to dig it.