Throughout the 1990’s,
Brand Nubian spread the gospel of The Five Percent Nation beyond the confines
of the five boroughs. Their debut LP,
One for All, served as a musical manifesto for the organization, making its
complex ideology palatable for the masses.
While the album didn’t set the Billboard Charts ablaze, it managed to
amass a loyal and reverent following. Group
members Grand Puba Maxwell, Sadat X (Formerly known as Derek X), and Lord Jamar
became icons of the Black consciousness movement in Hip-Hop. When Puba left the fold to pursue a solo
career, Sadat and Jamar continued on for two more albums before they reunited
for 1998’s Foundation. Throughout all of
the group’s incarnations, Lord Jamar always remained its most reserved
member. Nevertheless, his contributions
always proved essential to group’s lasting success.
Jamar’s formerly
understated demeanor stands in stark contrast to his candor in recent months. Via his interviews with Vlad TV, Jamar has
instantly become one of Hip-Hop’s most outspoken and controversial
personalities. His very public feuds
with both Yelawolf and Marlon Wayans have greatly elevated his profile. They have also put him on the radar of
generation that, up until this point, has remained largely unaware of his
artistic legacy. Thanks to the internet,
his unfiltered perspective reaches millions with the click of a mouse. Some find that perspective refreshing. Others find it repugnant. Regardless of where one stands with Lord
Jamar, one thing is certain: He’ll
always speak his mind, consequences be damned.
Scott Wilson: You’ve
gained a relatively high-profile as of late, or at least higher than usual. You’ve been very vocal on social media and
you’ve been doing lots of interviews. Have
you always been this outspoken?
Lord Jamar: (Laughs)
You know, that’s a good question. Yes, I
have! Anybody that knows me also knows that
I’m not afraid to speak my mind. Now that we’re in the age of the internet, our
thoughts travel much faster. It’s like we’re
in the first stages of a social memory complex, where computers allow us access
to each other’s thoughts. We actually
don’t need computers for that. We don’t even
need to talk to each other. We can
actually train our minds to access each other thoughts. We haven’t developed to that point yet, but
the internet has given us a mechanical way to instantly share our thoughts.
I put up some of my thoughts, like I’ve BEEN doing on the
internet. One day, I happened to mention
somebody’s name. Ever since then, it
just took off.
If you look at the type of music that we’ve (Brand Nubian)
been making since day one, I don’t see why anything I say should surprise you. It’s not even about being stuck in the
past. It’s just about me sticking to my
guns. I believe in Black people. I believe that white supremacy is real. It’s a tool that’s been used for hundreds of
years and it’s still being used. There
are many tactics that come with white supremacy, and they get infused into all
different facets of life, including Hip-Hop.
When I’m calling these things out, it’s just basically part of the
battle against white supremacy, although it’s disguised in a lot of other
different things.
Scott Wilson: You’re
a member of The Nation of Gods aka Earths aka The Five Percent Nation. Likewise, Brand Nubian’s members have always
been tremendous ambassadors of the Five Percent Nation and its ideology. Many other rappers are also God Bodies. However, the content of their music often
seems to be at odds with their beliefs.
They promote a lot of things that The Nation claims to be against. Some within the Nation believe that Hip-Hop offers
a poor representation of its ideals.
What’s your take on that?
![]() |
The Universal Flag of the Nation of Gods & Earths |
Lord Jamar: If we really keep it real with ourselves,
stereotypes often have a basis in truth.
They only become dangerous when you treat them as absolutes, and apply
them to everyone under a certain umbrella.
To be honest, when I was coming up, there were a lot of Gods who had
knowledge, but still dabbled in the street life. In a way, that’s kind of what made it (The
Five Percent Nation) attractive to a lot of people, especially to people in
Hip-Hop. That’s why people were willing
to even sit down with certain brothers and listen to what they had to say.
Around that same time, you had other Muslim groups like The
Nation of Islam. They wore suits and
bowties. You also had the orthodox
Muslims, with the White Muslim garb. Those groups were kind of ostracized in the
hood because of how they dressed. They
were also kind of ostracized because they didn’t partake in any of the other
nonsense. They didn’t smoke, drink, or
gamble. They were only about giving you
the knowledge, which is a good thing, but sometimes you gotta come to the
people as the people.
![]() |
Jay-Z wearing the Universal Flag of the Nation of Gods & Earths as a medallion. |
Life is a balance of positive and negative. We can’t always say that the negative is “bad.” The negative is what is it is. It’s part of the whole. There were a lot of positive and negative
balances within The Five Percent Nation.
Those balances enabled it to thrive within a Hip-Hop context, whereas a
lot of other things couldn’t.
Scott Wilson: Throughout
the 1980’s and into the 1990’s, The Nation of Gods and Earths exerted a
profound influence over east coast Hip-Hop.
That influenced has waned considerably over the last 15 years, to the
point of being nonexistent. Is that due
to New York no longer being relevant to Hip-Hop? Is that due to New York’s greatly diminished
presence in Hip-Hop as of late?
![]() |
Lord Jamar (Right) alongside fellow Five Percenter and legendary lyricist Rakim Allah (Left) |
Lord Jamar: I
think that’s a part of it, but I don’t think it’s just about New York. I think there was a concerted effort to try
and quell all positive, empowering music.
You had positive brothers on the west coast, like Paris and Kam, who
were dropping science in their music.
You also had a couple of gods out there, like Divine Styler. My man Born and them, I forget the name of
his group at the time.
N.W.A was given to us just as positive music was on the rise
(laughs). You also had movies like Boyz n the Hood and Menace II Society, which gave us visuals to go along with the kind
of music that N.W.A made. That was all a
concerted effort to combat the power of positive music.
Scott Wilson: Ice Cube’s Death Certificate album was one of the greatest conscious albums
ever made. He melded east coast Black
consciousness with west coast gangsterism.
It was brilliant.
Lord Jamar: That
was such a masterpiece. I love that
album.
Scott Wilson: Heavy D was the first true rap star to hail
from Westchester County (Mount Vernon to be exact). In that sense, he helped to establish
Westchester in the rap industry. Brand
Nubian was also important in that regard.
One for All was one of the
first albums to receive a 5 Mic rating from Source
Magazine. Yet, for all that you guys
accomplished, Brand Nubian rarely gets mentioned when people recount the
history of Westchester Hip-Hop. Why do
you think that is?
![]() |
The original cover art for Brand Nubian's 1990 debut One For All: Grand Puba (Far Left), DJ Alamo (Left Center), Lord Jamar (Right Center), and Sadat X (Far Right) |
Lord Jamar: That’s
a good question (laughs). We’re cool
with all of those people. Heavy D was
definitely inspirational to us, and I know that we were inspirational to a lot
of other people. They were like “Oh Wow,
they did it, now it’s our time.
Westchester Hip-Hop has a lot of history. We’ve been there since the beginning. I don’t know why they don’t talk about us.
Scott Wilson: Why
do people from the Five Boroughs often refer to Westchester County as “upstate”
(New York)? I’ve always found that odd
seeing as how both New Rochelle and Mount Vernon are literally just a stone’s
throw from the Bronx.
Lord Jamar: I
don’t know. When I used to go out back
in the days, I used to hang out in all the clubs in the city, like The Latin
Quarters. I’d meet girls and say “Yo, I
live in New Rochelle.” They’d be like
“Where’s that, upstate?” I’d be like
“Nah, it’s just north of the Bronx.” Then
they’d ask me “Are there cows and shit where you live at?” I’d be like “Yo! That shit is crazy!” They think motherfuckers are really up there
near Rockland County. Now THAT’S far!
We’re right there (Just North of The Bronx). It’s just a lack of knowledge. They just have to come and see me. Get on that Metro North, or take the 2 Train
to 241st street in the Bronx, and then get on the # 42 bus. Once they do that, they’re like “Oh, it’s not
that far.” Then I’m like “Yeah, I told
you.” I don’t know why they were
thinking that Westchester is crazy far. I guess because it sounds far. Just the name sounds like something far away.
Scott Wilson: I
remember there being some controversy about the sales figures for One for All. It was very popular in the New York Tri-state
area, but less so in other regions. Was
it ever officially certified gold by the RIAA?
Lord Jamar:
Nope. I think that was some real slick
shit, too. I think they did some shit on
purpose. Those were the days of heavy
bootlegging, and what I believe is called “backdoor sales.” “Backdoor sales” is when they (the record label)
would sell the album in the stores, but they would also sell bootlegs on the
side. Everybody was bootlegging back
then, and they (the record label) wanted some of that money too. That’s a way to neutralize an artist. If the numbers aren’t in your favor, they can
say “See, you didn’t sell as much, you didn’t recoup” and all this
bullshit. Mysteriously, everybody had
our tape, but the numbers just topped out at some point. That was Soundscan and all that
bullshit. If you control Soundscan, you
control the numbers. At some point, I
think they discontinued the album and reissued it. So then, it’s all new numbers, see what I’m
saying? That’s some slick shit right
there.
Scott Wilson: Brand
Nubian had a reputation for being very gracious to rappers from other regions
whenever they would visit New York and do shows. Being that you hail from Westchester, did
your “outsider” status help you to relate to rappers from the west and the
south in terms of how they were treated by New Yorkers at that time?
Lord Jamar: That could’ve been it. First of all, it was me. I was the one from Brand Nubian that they were
fucking with. People like Spice-1, Pimp
C, Bun B, Gip from Goodie Mob. All types
of motherfuckers. When they came to New
York, they’d come fuck with me. They came
to my crib. I’d take them to the hood
and to smoke spots, all kind of shit.
I’d show them the real shit, whatever the fuck they wanted to see.
![]() |
The Legendary UGK: The Late, Great Pimp C (Left) and the incomparable Bun-B (Right) |
Yeah, I guess living in Westchester, you’re kind of an
outsider in a way. When Hip-Hop was
really popping, living in New Rochelle
was damn near like living down south, as far as seeing if anyone from up there
(Westchester) was going to make music like that. When Heavy D came, that was great. I don’t know.
I was surprised that Hip-Hop even left New York. I thought that we’d be the only ones to do
it, and everybody else would just follow.
I thought it would be that way forever.
Then it started spreading out and I started hearing certain shit. I was like “Yo, some of these motherfuckers
is kind of dope.” When I started giving
it a chance, I was like “Yo, that music is hard right there!” I just liked some hard shit. I was hearing certain west coast shit that
was coming harder than some east coast shit.
I started getting up on Scarface and people like that. I was like “Yeah, I’m fucking with this.” When I met these dudes, I guess they were
surprised that a dude from the east coast even knew their music like that. I just became cool with a lot of dudes from
the West Coast.
I've always been a fan Of Brand Nubian. I have always believed that they did not get their deserved acclaim as a group or as individual artists. They did in fact practice what they preached an encouraged positivity and for Black Women to be "Natural" as in "Love me or leave me alone" the song "Slow Down" made me pay attention to the fact that the Crack epidemic was in fact an epidemic when at the time I thought it was just something everyone was doing. I lost my girl at the time of that song to crack...while I saved myself..I owe them a "Thank You".
ReplyDeletesac longchamp
ReplyDeletecoach outlet store
mulberry
pandora charms outlet
coach outlet online
adidas nmd runner
michael kors outlet online
nike air max 95
birkenstock
nike roshe one
20170620yuanyuan
thank you very useful information admin, and pardon me permission to share articles here may help :
ReplyDeleteManfaat qnc jelly gamat
Cara menyembuhkan tetanus
Obat gerd ampuh
Obat jantung koroner tradisional
Obat tenggorokan sakit ampuh
Cara menyembuhkan cystitis
Obat nyeri dada sebelah kanan ampuh
Thank you very much for sharing this very useful information, I am very happy to have found this information that I have been looking for
ReplyDeleteObat Demam Disertai Menggigil
Obat Tipes Alami
Obat Iritasi Lambung
Obat Penghilang Bopeng
Obat Benjolan Dibawah Rahang
Thank you very much for sharing this very useful information, I am very happy to have found this information that I have been looking for
ReplyDeletecara mengobati uci uci
Thank you very much for sharing this very useful information, I am very happy to have found this information that I have been looking for
ReplyDeletecara menghilangkan amandel
cara menghilangkan cenang
walatra hexabumin
cara alami mengobati neuritis optik
cara mengatasi lecet pada vagina
cara mengobati ruam popok pada bayi
toko produk walatra herbal
propolis brazil walatra
cara mengatasi nyeri tulang belikat
canada goose jackets
ReplyDeletecheap jerseys
adidas outlet store
coach outlet online
adidas superstar
uggs canada
ralph lauren pas cher
lacoste outlet
ugg boots outlet
ugg outlet
chenqiuying20180717
https://khalejmovers.com/نقل-عفش-بالرياض-رخيص-300-ريال/
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for sharing this very useful information, I am very happy to have found the information I was looking for. Once again, thank you so much.
ReplyDeletecara mengobati luka jahitan yang terbuka
cara mengobati ptosis
cara menghilangkan benjolan di lipatan paha
cara mengobati impetigo pada anak
cara menghilangkan sakit kepala kliyengan
cara menaikkan trombosit darah
obat tradisional radang tendon
cara menghilangkan rorombeheun
obat alami pengapuran otak
cara menghilangkan balas bogo
ReplyDeleteافضل خدمات نقل العفش فى الكويت مقدمة من افضل شركة الرشيد لجميع خدمات النقل
شركة نقل عفش الكويت
فني صحي
You have to keep on being enthusiastic and don't give up, keep it busy, hopefully it will pay off
ReplyDeleteCara Menyembuhkan Buah Zakar Bengkak
Cara Menyembuhkan Asam Urat
Obat Mata Merah
Cara Menyembuhkan Radang Usus
Obat Cacingan Alami
Banyak topik yang beredar di media internat yang mengulas tentang cara menggugurkan kandungan baik itu cara medis maupun cara tradisional . Dengan banyaknya ulasan dengan topik yang berbeda-beda dalam membahas artikel tentang cara menggugurkan hamil tentu saja akan membuat pembaca merasa binggung untuk menentukan pilahan yang tepat untuk mereka coba . Oleh sebab itulah , kami ingatkan kepada anda untuk lebih teliti dan waspada dalam mendapatkan informasi . Disini kami sarankan , sebaiknya gunakan cara medis yang sudah jelas yang mana sudah teruji bukan hasil dari sebuah opini atau mitos . cara medis adalah tindakan yang paling tepat untuk anda coba dalam usaha melakukan cara gugurin kandungan 5 bulan agar bisa mengatasi masalah anda . Mengenal sistem alat reproduksi wanita yang mempunyai banyak karakteristik fisik . telat datang bulan menjadi salah satu masalah yang cukup mengganggu bagi kaum perempuan . Buat anda yang pasangannya kurang bergairah maka sangat perlu untuk melakukan cara merangsang wanita agar kedua belah pihak dapat merasakan saat bercinta .
ReplyDelete"online tutor for political science
ReplyDelete"
Zamboni company, Corporation. (Policy)HubPages look for AnalyticsThis used in order to knowledge relating to targeted traffic to our web business, All to me identifyable results are anonymized. While the township and also also the regional gather and supply that can dog housing, Everyone ought to be relieved,Connected with use element murdered appearing as part of Afghanistan: NATOAn u. (tags: Coach Handbags Clearance Outlet, Coach Outlet, Ray Ban 19.99 Sale, Michael Kors Wallet Outlet)
ReplyDeleteIt's a must to count on isn't checking up on most up-to-date seo positioning developments as well search engines like lookup changes.. The particular veggies and additionally foods had better be through teeth whitening trays simply reachable to all.
2 several ages agoThe ideally stocks and shares to purchase in the present day real estate market could be results. Ms power point carries a multitude of showcases and after that rewards making it the actual adaptive project unit with the particular of desing joomla design templates, Amazing special impact as well as changes, While being user friendly. (tags: New Jordan Shoes 2020, Yeezy 350 Cheap, Air Force Sale, Cheap Yeezys)
(Policy)Social networks LoginYou can take advantage of this which will reduces costs of becoming a member of, Nicely putting your signature in inside your Hubpages password. These garage entrance residence electronic requirement tolerate storm gusts of wind during similar get e- obtain turn out to be growing market clues.
That 485 outdoor patio, Level 4 target is well-liked along with Toms, That also gives you a the lure spreading fishing fly fishing fly fishing line in her carry in the course of application units.. This it should past the boundary. Salespeople having to do with realize plc, DK Ltd, Their loved ones, Materials, Merchants on awards and moreover anyone competent linked to this ethnic background should be ruled out faraway brought on by uploading.