When Brand Nubian stepped onto the scene at the dawn of the 1990s, it seemed as if funky, mindful, barrier-breaking hip-hop albums were coming out every day. De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest were at the height of their powers, and nearly forgotten groups such as KMD and the Goats were dropping gems. Brand Nubian, a quartet from New Rochelle, New York, made crucial contributions to this era of hip-hop richness. Maxwell "Grand Puba" Dixon, Lorenzo "Lord Jamar" Dechelaus, Derrick "Sadat X" Murphy, and DJ Alamo wore wooden necklaces and colorful, batik-printed shirts on the cover of the classic debut One for All, and from the start they had a sobering lyrical style equally effective whether promoting African-American consciousness ("Concerto in X Minor") or telling hoes to chill (the Edie Brickell–sampling "Slow Down"). Sporting two MCs with classic voices (the lithe-tongued Grand Puba and the sinewy, nasal Sadat X), the group's sound was instantly recognizable. But Puba went solo after One for All, taking DJ Alamo with him. Lord Jamar and Sadat X brought DJ Sincere aboard and continued under the Brand Nubian banner for In God We Trust where they furthered their commitment to the Nation of Islam on "Meaning of the 5%" and the chanting "Allah and Justice." That album blew up on the strength of the Diamond-produced single "Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down," whose gay-bashing lyrics raised eyebrows and objections. Everything is Everything didn't have any hits, but it was just as effective. Brand Nubian's original lineup reunited in 1998 for Foundation. While by no means a perfect album (it has a number of light, corny tracks -- particularly the instantly dated single "Let's Dance" with Busta Rhymes), it includes fine production from Gangstarr's DJ Premier on "The Return" and incisively addresses social topics such as questionable police procedure ("Probable Cause") and maligned black women ("Sincerely") on some of the group's best work. While Brand Nubian's Best Of wisely includes essential solo cuts such as Grand Puba's "360 Degrees," anyone interested in latter-day Nubian cream should pick up the compilation Soundbombing II (Rawkus, 1999), which includes Grand Puba and Sadat X joining Sir Menelik on "7XL" and the superb Sadat X/Common collabo "1-9-9-9." Sadat X also appears on "Come On," the best cut on the Notorious BIG's posthumous Born Again, and the awesome title track from 2002's Art of War, an album by Berlin-based DJ Desue available only in Germany. Grand Puba, Lord Jamar, and Sadat X reunited for Fire in the Hole. (PETER RELIC)