In many ways “Straight Out The Jungle” is a quintessential alternative Hip-Hop record. It represents the sound that did not progress parallel to the sound of mainstream Hip-Hop, but on a different plane altogether. This is the first of many significant releases by the Native Tongues Posse that would redefine the genre as a prolific borrower, molder, and transformer of sounds from different genres. Whether its Jazz, Funk, Soul, or even House records; the Jungle Brothers were not shy about chopping them up and forming them into something that fit what they had to say, and how they wanted you to feel. While it may sound a little dusty by today’s standards, it still contains a rich amount of eclectic sounds and positive, Afrocentric lyrics that carry the essence of Rap’s first renaissance.

If you are an avid 70′s Soul fan like myself (understatement) then you will find yourself in familiar territory as they make it a point to use some of the more popular Soul/Funk records of that time. So you’ll get shades of Marvin Gaye [2] singing “What’s Going On” in one track, and a dash of Gil Scott-Heron‘s classic “The Bottle” in another track. To say that they enjoyed piecing together their songs from these classic songs is putting it lightly, they almost overdo it. Even if you’re not familiar with this music you will get the feeling that the music is coming from inspired minds. Speaking of inspiration, later additions to the Native Tongues of course included De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest among others, and surely the musical influence of Jungle Brothers stems far into their dense catalogs; thank goodness for that.

“I’ll House You” is one of the first Hip-House tracks that substantially advanced the innovative power of production in Hip-Hop. It is really one of the many firsts that this record accomplished. You can also date back carefree and playful lyrics back to this album as it is a central part of their lyrical delivery. Who wouldn’t want to just enjoy themselves over such meticulously crafted beats? Its almost like they were telling you the obvious, that you can enjoy the music just as much as the lyrics. There is time for serious reflection too as is done on “What’s Going On” and “Black Is Black” but the quality of music never suffers as a result of the lyrical direction they take.

by Abid