Naughty By Nature

During the early '90s, the talented, pop-friendly rap trio Naughty by Nature helped to connect rap's old and new(er) schools by turning out irresistible, sample-laden hits ("O.P.P.") and verbose, streetwise rhymes. Poverty's Paradise is an invite to the actual block party, the perfect straddle between pop smarts and street cred, as MCs Treach and Vinnie (a.k.a. Vin Rock) power-rhyme their way through bright hooks and booming beats. NBN's later hits were less satisfying -- when other acts caught on to their party-jam recipe, Treach and crew began to sound less essential. "Jamboree" (from Nineteen Naughty Nine) was an obvious update of the Treacherous Three's update of "Yes We Can Can." IIcons, recorded after KayGee left and Tommy Boy dropped the group, relies too heavily on guest spots. Although the crew had fewer greatest hits than the 17-track compilation suggests, Nature's Finest is their truest legacy. Today, the declaration that rap/hip-hop music is here to stay may generate nostalgia for a time when the assertion seemed defiant rather than redundant. But that doesn't undercut its power or joy of "Hip Hop Hooray." It's an anthem, so get your damn hands up! (KEITH HARRIS)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide