Today in Hip-Hop: Jungle Brothers Drop ‘Done by the Forces of Nature’

Today, Nov. 7, in hip-hop history...

1989: The Jungle Brothers' Straight Out the Jungle is known as one of hip-hop's first conscious rap albums. Their follow-up LP, Done by the Forces of Nature, showed that with some aid on the production end, pioneers Mike Gee, DJ Sammy B and Afrika Baby Bam were unstoppable.

Jungle Brothers gave you feel good music while providing knowledge of the red, black and green. Their Afrocentric lyrics regarding black women, men and Africa were topics that weren't normally covered by other rap artists, giving them an edge along with the other members of the cultural Native Tongues collective, De La Soul, Black Sheep, Queen Latifah, A Tribe Called Quest and others. The group rapped over funky, house party beats on all 16 of Done by the Forces of Nature's tracks, while showing love to the African diaspora throughout with instrumental songs such as "Good Newz Comin'."

Jungle Brothers' storytelling tracks like "Acknowledge Your Own History" and the comedic "Belly Dancin' Dina" are some of the most memorable. Now, 28 years later, their sophomore project serves as inspiration for both hip-hop and dance albums due to its outstanding blend of nearly half a dozen genres. Done by the Forces of Nature spent 19 weeks on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart, peaking at No. 46.

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