Brand Nubian is a hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, consisting
of three MCs: Grand Puba, Sadat X (formerly Derek X) and Lord Jamar,
and two DJs, DJ Alamo and DJ Sincere. It is one of the more popular and
acclaimed alternative hip hop groups of the 1990s, known for socially
conscious and politically charged content inspired by the teachings of
the Nation of Gods and Earths.

Brand Nubian formed in 1989
after Grand Puba's original group, Masters of Ceremony, split up. Its
first single, "Brand Nubian," was released in 1989. Signed to Elektra
Records by A&R man Dante Ross, its debut album, One For All, was
released in 1990. Generally acclaimed, the album drew fire for militant
Five-Percenter rhetoric on tracks such as "Drop the Bomb" and "Wake
Up." The controversy helped sales, though the album was still not a
great commercial success. To date, the album has sold 350,000 units.
The singles "Slow Down," "All for One," and "Wake Up" all became hits
on Billboard’s Hot Rap Tracks chart in 1991.

Shortly after its
debut release, Sadat X and Lord Jamar began having problems with Grand
Puba, which caused him to leave the group, along with DJ Alamo, to
pursue a solo career. Lord Jamar and Sadat X enlisted DJ Sincere to
join the group in 1992. The same year, Puba released his solo debut,
Reel to Reel, which featured the hit single "360 Degrees (What Goes
Around)". Later in 1992, the Puba-less Brand Nubian released a hit
single of its own, "Punks Jump up to Get Beat Down". The track was met
with controversy over alleged homophobic content, referencing the Sadat
X line "I can freak, fly, flow, fuck up a faggot/I don't understand
their ways, I ain't down with gays." Despite the controversy, the
single charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 77. Later versions
omitted the line, including the version on the greatest hits
compilation The Very Best of Brand Nubian.

In February 1993,
the crew released its second album, In God We Trust. "Punks Jump Up to
Get Beat Down" was included on this release, as well as the number-92
Hot-100 single, "Love Me or Leave Me Alone." The effort sold moderately
well, fueled by the crew's continuing controversy. Also in 1993, the
group contributed a track for the Menace II Society soundtrack, titled
"Lick Dem Muthaphuckas."

The group’s next release, Everything
is Everything, was issued in November 1994. The controversy kept
growing, with further accusations of the group’s music being analogous
to hate speech. The album received very mixed reviews and mediocre
sales, despite the top-40 Hot Rap Tracks singles "Word is Bond" and
"Hold On." In 1995, the group broke up, left Elektra, and launched solo
careers in music and television. That year, Puba released his second
solo effort, 2000, featuring another Billboard Hot 100 single, "I Like
It (I Wanna Be Where You Are)." Sadat X released his first solo effort,
titled Wild Cowboys (Loud/RCA/BMG Records), in 1996.

The
original members reunited in 1997, contributing a song to the Soul In
The Hole soundtrack, titled "A Child is Born". Another song, "Keep It
Bubblin'," appeared on the 1997 Money Talks soundtrack. In 1998, the
four original members returned with the album Foundation on a new
label, Arista/BMG Records. The album received wide acclaim and featured
contributions from a larger group of producers, including DJ Premier,
Buckwild, Lord Finesse, and Diamond D. The lead single "Don't Let it Go
to Your Head" became, at number 54, the group's highest-charting single
on the Hot 100. In 2000, the crew released the underground single
"Rockin' It," then its members continued their individual pursuits.
Sadat X released a solo EP in 2000, The State of New York vs. Derek
Murphy, on Loud.Relativity Records.

Puba released his third
solo effort, Understand This, in 2001, which received little attention
despite featuring his fellow Brand Nubian members. The original members
reunited once again in 2004 for the release of its fifth album, Fire in
the Hole, their first release on an independent label, Babygrande
Records. The album received mixed reviews and sold below expectations.
Sadat X released another solo effort in 2005, titled Experience &
Education, receiving mostly positive reviews. Jamar also furthered his
acting career, recently appearing on an episode of The Sopranos, as
well as episodes of Oz, Third Watch, and Law & Order. Lord Jamar
released his first solo album, The 5% Album, June 27, 2006, on
Babygrande Records. Sadat X's third full length album, titled Black
October, was released October 2006. In 2007 the group released an album
titled Time's Runnin' Out.