I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: January 18, 2024] Digable Planets 

I was really surprised to see that Digable Planets were opening for Black Pumas.  Largely because I had no idea they were still a thing.

So a brief history shows that they formed between 1987 and 1989 and put out their debut in 1992.  This featured “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” which was a pretty big hit.  I had no idea that their second album Blowout Comb (1994) was a stark departure from the previous album, being darker, less hook-oriented and more overtly political in its references to Black Panther and communist imagery.

And then they broke up. They reunited in the mid-2000s and then again in the late 2010s.  But they’ve never released new music (just live albums).

So if you’re a fan of their old stuff, well, that’s all there is.

The band sounded great–there really is nothing like a full band to enhance a rap performance.

The show opened with their “saxOFanist” playing a solo And all three MCs sounded good.  Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler was on our right and was clearly in charge of most of the songs. Mariana “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira looked so cool in her black and white shawl, spitting out the occasional word to echo the main line.  And when she spouted her main verses, she exuded coolness. On our left was Philly’s own Craig “Doodlebug” Irving, dressed in a Phillies sweatshirt and hat.  He was the hype man getting the crowd psyched–hands in the air and shouting “Hell yea.”

Both my wife and I agreed that we really enjoyed their 45 minute set a lot, even though we didn’t know their stuff very well.  The band was great, the tunes were simple but interesting and the music was fun.  I would have preferred if they were on for 35-40 minutes rather than 45, but I think that was just because the second to last song dragged a bit.

But once they started “Cool Like That,” the place erupted. and we were all on board with their set.

They were a great choice to warm us up even if the singer of Black Pumas was 3 when “Cool Like Dat” came out.

SETLIST likely forthcoming