#30thAnniversary – Brand Nubian “In God We Trust”

by Kramos of The CooksFebruary 6, 20232 min read

Following up the excellent “All For One” without lead emcee Grand Puba, who left the group to pursue a solo career, was a big task for Lord Jamar and Sadat X, especially after the release of the fantastic “Reel 2 Reel” by their old partner in rhymes a couple of months earlier. With lyrics influenced by the ideology of the Nation of Gods and Earths, the new Brand Nubian got more engaged and political than on their first effort, but also kept the quality of the delivery. They found a way to keep the sound interesting as well, still funky but a bit somber than the first time around, while taking care of almost the entire production of the LP. But we have to admit that the only outside producer is responsible for probably the best track on the project. The first single “Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down”, produced by the legendary Diamond D (check out the “Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop” article here), is a bonafide underground classic that got everyone pumped up for what was coming, but honestly kind of outshines the rest of the album.

You can listen to dope remixes taken from the 12″ singles and watch videos, interviews and more below!