Were you “cool like dat” in the early ‘90s? Digable Planets was. They hit the hip hop scene like no other rap group of the era. Combining elements of cool jazz and richly dense, positive, and melodic lyrics they established new boundaries for hip hop music.
Digable Planets, founded by Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira, and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving, carried with them new and bold ideas for hip hop into the recording studio. Luckily, recording their hit single “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” on their first album Reachin’ (A New Refutation Of Time And Space [1993]), the group was afforded the grand opportunity to work solo in terms of producing their single as well as their entire album. As such, they were able to explore the parameters of their ideas and ultimately solidify their distinctive sound. Their unique ground breaking crossover hit “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” became part of the groundswell of positive hip hop of the ‘90s, later known as the Golden Age of hip hop.
“Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” ultimately won a Grammy for best rap performance in 1994.
Yeah, AAMAM is cool like dat, too!