Straight Out The Jungle (Vocal & Instrumental 2 Cassette Slip Case) Jungle Brothers

Straight Out The Jungle marked the beginning of the Native Tongues collective, which later featured popular artists such as De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and Black Sheep. With Afrika and Mike G as front men and Sammy B on the cuts, the trio crafted a debut that captures their dynamic effortlessly. With samples ranging from Break Beat staples like Jimmy Castor and Bill Withers to Sly & the Family Stone and Mandrill, the Jungle Brothers laid a template that everyone from De La to the Beastie Boys would duplicate; using a variety of Soul, Jazz, Funk, Rock breaks and anything that worked into the mix.

Standout tracks such as On The Run or Black Is Black (featuring Q Tip) are two great examples of the JBs ability to mix the new sensibilities with a classic flair. Because I Got It Like That and Whats Going On are other key tracks, but it might be Jimbrowski that steals the show. The idea for that came at the end of a studio session, with Mike, me, Red Alert and a woman Red was dating at the time, says the groups Afrika Baby Bam. Red was flirting with her and kept saying Jimbrowski the whole night. Mike and I wrote the rhymes on the way back from the subway. Naming just a few tracks here, it should be clear that Straight Out The Jungle is an album you play from beginning to end, without ever having to skip even down to Jimmys Bonus Beats.

We cant write this without mentioning the groups groundbreaking collaboration with legendary house producer Todd Terry, Ill House You which paved the way for numerous hip-house hybrids that shot up the dance and pop charts over the next few years and appeared to be a staple on every East Coast Rap Album from 88 until 92 and had a major resurgence in the mid 2000s up to today.