Da Bush Babees

Cs Babe-Face Kaos, Y-Tee, and Mister Man grew up in the West Indies (Y-Tee in Jamaica, Mister Man and Kaos in Trinidad), so reggae was a strong inspiration to their early years; hip-hop also figures in, however. All transplanted New Yorkers, they formed in 1992 when Mister Man saw Kaos perform. The two began collaborating, and after Mister Man suggested adding a reggae toaster, Y-Tee joined da Bush Babees. When their concert dates sparked major-label interest, the trio performed a few live office auditions and signed with Reprise, within three months of launching the band. Their debut, Ambushed (1994), featured production from Jermaine Dupri, Nikke Nikole, J. Prins Matteus, Mark Batson, Salaam Gibbs, and the group itself. "Gravity" (1996) is the acclaimed second album by Da Bush Babees. The group got help from a number of Native Tongues members, including Q-Tip / The Ummah, Mos Def and De La Soul's Posdnous as well as Rahzel from The Roots. Along with De La Soul's "Big Brother Beat" from their "Stakes Is High" album, "Gravity" is notable for jump-starting the hip-hop career of Mos Def, who is featured on three tracks on the album ("Intro," "The Love Song," and "S.O.S.").