Native Tongues Posse: Hip-Hop History

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the New York City-based hip-hop collective the Native Tongues posse kicked out some of the most ill, groundbreaking music of the day. The Native Tongues posse, whose members included Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Black Sheep, and Leaders of the New School (featuring a then 17-year old Busta Rhymes), made hip-hop that focused on Afroncentrism, positivity and social consciousness, an approach that stood in stark contrast to the work of other gangsta style hip-hop artists of the day.

Native Tongues members performed together and promoted & collaboated on each other's work (on songs like ATQ's "Scenario," De La Soul's "Buddy," and Jungle Brothers' "Doin' Our Own Dang") as a way of collectively breaking through to the mainstream. In the process, the groups created some of the genre's most memorable music. This playlist includes music from members of the Native Tongues posse. Sadly, De La Soul's album 3 Feet High and Rising, perhaps the most well-known album by a Native Tongues member, isn't available through Rhapsody.