Looking back at the year 1993, there were a lot of changes happening in hip-hop. Wu-Tang Clan were about to release their groundbreaking debut, Onyx was about to redefine aggression with their Bacdafucup album, and Black Moon were gearing up to reconfigure the New York City sound into their own with their debut Enter Da Stage. All eyes were on the Big Apple as the culture of the city was shifting to a new, all-encompassing sound that would change the landscape of the genre forever. Somewhere buried under all the commotion of these soon-to-be classics coming from the city, three young, jazz-obsessed poets were gearing up to release a debut of their own, one that would not only sample their jazz idols but pay homage to the culture these songs came from.
Digable Planets crashed onto the NYC scene in a similar fashion to how cymbals crash on the records they sampled, their sound was abstract and thrived in syncopation while still carrying a purpose with it. The trio is made up of Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, Craig “Doodlebug” Irving, and Mariana “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira, with Butterfly handling the production on their 1993 debut album Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space). Released February 9, the group set the tone for the year early on, bringing their own unique flavor of jazz-heavy hip-hop that was beginning to grow in popularity outside of New York with the innovation from acts like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. 30 years later and an undeniably classic sophomore LP under their belts, Reachin’ tends to be left out of the conversation when discussing important releases from the early 90’s. Once the music is contextualized in the growth of the culture since ‘93, Digable Planets can be quickly categorized as unsung heroes of hip-hop.
The story goes that Butterfly found the album’s sonic direction simply through happenstance. The heavy jazz influence of the record came from Butterfly grabbing whatever records he had in reach, primarily an extensive jazz collection that once belonged to his father. Despite the influence from DJ Premier and his love of jazz samples, they never set out to be a jazzy rap group, they simply fell into that role. Due to their love of the genre and the plethora of classic jazz vinyl they had in their artillery, Digable Planets were forced to rethink their approach to flow and rhyme schemes. They couldn’t rely on aggression or throat-burning vocal tones, they played into the unpredictable nature of these samples and rapped in the smooth cadence that is closer to a slick horn solo than their peers. This created the warmth that emanates from this album and provides a sense of freedom that is meant to be explored and experienced with others.
Reachin’ feels like an ode to the era it was released in. Digable Planets lean heavy on the lingo from the era and paint vivid scenes of the parties that became breeding grounds for hip-hop hopefuls. Terms like “Spiddyocks” and “Diggin’ Cats” have completely fallen out of the modern lexicon but the three artists reciting these phrases turn these out-of-date sayings into scenic poetry that places you right in the center of early 90’s New York. While this era of the city has been romanticized by the art that it birthed, it’s hard to find an album that epitomizes this time quite like Reachin’. Their tales of Jeeps booming with hip-hop and early mornings with an empty schedule give this album an almost child-like ethos around it. The looseness provided by their jazzy approach brings envy to modern listeners, they embodied a sense of freedom that seems to be lost in the digital era.
While the album is childish in nature, there was some serious musicianship and craft behind its 14 songs. The chart-topping “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like That)” is home to one of the most recognizable horn loops in hip-hop history while “Pacifics” made its way to the N.Y. Is Red Hot movie soundtrack. The latter also features some of the best rapping on the album with its simple yet hard-hitting rhyme schemes over its muddy drums. Their flows of choice are reminiscent of car headlights passing by as you walk down a dark road, gliding through the New York City maze unaffected by the crowded sidewalks. They lean into the smoothness of their production and harmonize with its beauty in a way that makes Reachin’ feel like it was recorded with a full band instead of fragments of the past.
While it is widely believed Digable Planets didn’t hit their full potential until their politicized sophomore LP Blowout Comb, there is a sense of magic on their debut that was lost with maturity. Growing is a part of life and when a musician grows, so does the art they give the world. Reachin’ captures a moment of youth and excitement, three young writers in the throes of a brand-new, bustling scene with a blank canvas as to what defines hip-hop. They reworked what they knew and questioned the limits of the relationship between jazz and hip-hop, seemingly creating their own definition and centering the album around their environment, creating a much-needed snapshot of hip-hop’s early days by simply experiencing and creating.
