Digable Planets, the alternative hip-hop trio comprised of Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira, Craig “Doodlebug” Irving, and Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler have finally reunited!! The group’s debut album Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) was released in 1993 under Pendulum Records. The album's lead single, Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) became a crossover Top 20 Billboard hit, earning gold certification by the RIAA and winning the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Digable’s fusion of jazz with hip hop broadened hip hop’s reach and expanded it’s connection to music history, African American culture and the sounds of the streets. The trio’s second album in late 1994, Blowout Comb, organically integrated soul, jazz and live instrumentation with political consciousness, mixed in with happy observations of everyday life. Both albums are proven hip-hop classics thriving on listeners’ ability to relate, think, feel and be inspired.
After Blowout Comb, the group decided to pursue solo careers -- Butler created and is currently frontman for Seattle based hip-hop group Shabazz Palaces with Tendai Maraire and Irving founded the Philly based collective Cee Knowledge & the Cosmic Funk Orchestra. Vieira is currently leading lady for her group BROOKZILL! alongside Prince Paul, Don Newkirk, and Rodrigo Brandão. The three came together in 2005, releasing their compilation LP, Beyond the Spectrum: the Creamy Spy Chronicles; and again in 2011, for an appearance at the NXNE Festival in Toronto.
Digable’s music is one of the guaranteed sounds in hip-hop to “put on and enjoy and vibe out to, with a rich undercurrent of history and thought.” A proper reunion for Digable Planets has been a long time coming and fans are ready.
