Brand Nubian
never sold as many albums as the many
West Coast
rappers burning up the charts in the early '90s, but the New York group commanded great respect in
East Coast rap
circles. In black neighborhoods of New York and Philadelphia,
Nubian
's debut album,
One for All
, was actually a bigger seller than many of the platinum
gangsta rap
releases outselling it on a national level. Influenced by
De La Soul
and
the Jungle Brothers
,
favored an abstract rapping style, and Eastern
rap
fans were drawn to the complexity of jams like
"Dance to My Ministry,"
"Ragtime,"
"All for One."
Grand Puba
Lord Jamar
, and
Sadat X
had a lot of technique, which was what hip-hoppers favored in the East. On the whole,
's Nation of Islam rhetoric isn't as overbearing as some of the recordings that other Five Percenters were delivering at the time. The CD is a bit uneven, but on the whole is likable and exhilarating. ~ Alex Henderson