In God We Trust (Brand Nubian album)
Encyclopedia
In God We Trust is the second album from hip hop
group Brand Nubian
. Lead MC Grand Puba
left the group to pursue a solo career in 1991, following the release of their revered debut One for All. DJ Alamo also left to work with Puba, leaving MC's Sadat X
and Lord Jamar
, who enlisted DJ Sincere to join the group. The album was less successful than the group's debut but still received strong reviews. The single "Punks Jump up to Get Beat Down" became a Billboard Hot 100
hit, but was met with controversy over allegedly homophobic content, referencing the Sadat X line "Though I can freak, fly, flow, fuck up a faggot/I don't understand their ways, I ain't down with gays." The single "Love Me or Leave Me Alone" was also a Hot-100 hit. Lyrically, the album contains extremely militant content that reflects the group's identity as Five Percenters, adhering to the philosophy of the Nation of Gods and Earths
.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group Brand Nubian
Brand Nubian
Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, consisting of three MC's: Grand Puba , Sadat X and Lord Jamar , and two DJs: DJ Alamo and DJ Sincere...
. Lead MC Grand Puba
Grand Puba
Maxwell Dixon is an emcee best known as a member of the group Brand Nubian.-Biography:He made his debut with the group Masters of Ceremony. Its album Dynamite was hailed by critics, but probably due to lack of sales, the group soon disbanded, and Puba emerged as the lead emcee of Brand Nubian...
left the group to pursue a solo career in 1991, following the release of their revered debut One for All. DJ Alamo also left to work with Puba, leaving MC's Sadat X
Sadat X
Sadat X is an American rapper, most famed as a member of Alternative hip hop group Brand Nubian. Originally known as Derek X, Sadat takes his name from former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat....
and Lord Jamar
Lord Jamar
Lord Jamar is an American emcee and actor. He is a member of the hip-hop group Brand Nubian, which formed in 1989. As an actor, he is best known for his role of Supreme Allah on the TV series Oz. He has appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, and The Sopranos...
, who enlisted DJ Sincere to join the group. The album was less successful than the group's debut but still received strong reviews. The single "Punks Jump up to Get Beat Down" became a Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hit, but was met with controversy over allegedly homophobic content, referencing the Sadat X line "Though I can freak, fly, flow, fuck up a faggot/I don't understand their ways, I ain't down with gays." The single "Love Me or Leave Me Alone" was also a Hot-100 hit. Lyrically, the album contains extremely militant content that reflects the group's identity as Five Percenters, adhering to the philosophy of the Nation of Gods and Earths
The Nation of Gods and Earths
The Nation of Gods and Earths, sometimes referred to as NGE or NOGE, the Five-Percent Nation, or the Five Percenters is an American organization founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan, New York City, by Clarence 13X, a former student of Malcolm X, who left his mosque...
.
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Allah U Akbar" | Brand Nubian | Sadat X, Lord Jamar |
| 2 | "Ain't No Mystery" | Brand Nubian | Lord Jamar, Sadat X |
| 3 | "Meaning of the 5%" | Brand Nubian | *Interlude* |
| 4 | "Pass the Gat" | Brand Nubian | Sadat X, Lord Jamar |
| 5 | "Black Star Line" | Brand Nubian, Rafael, Sting International |
Sadat X, Lord Jamar, Red Fox |
| 6 | "Allah & Justice" | Brand Nubian | Lord Jamar, DJ Sincere, Sadat X |
| 7 | "The Godz..." | Brand Nubian | Lord Jamar, Sadat X |
| 8 | "The Travel Jam" | Brand Nubian | Lord Jamar, Sadat X |
| 9 | "Brand Nubian Rock the Set" | Brand Nubian | Sadat X, Lord Jamar |
| 10 | "Love Me or Leave Me Alone" | Brand Nubian | Sadat X, Lord Jamar |
| 11 | "Steal Ya Ho" | Brand Nubian | Lord Jamar, Sadat X |
| 12 | "Steady Bootleggin’'" | Brand Nubian | Sadat X, Lord Jamar |
| 13 | "Black & Blue" | Brand Nubian | Sadat X, Lord Jamar |
| 14 | "Punks Jump up to Get Beat Down" | Diamond D Diamond D Diamond D is a hip hop producer and MC from the Bronx, New York City, and one of the founding members of the legendary D.I.T.C. crew. He started out as a DJ for Jazzy Jay back in the late 1980s and was at the same time perfecting his skills in beat making and turntablism, and together with rhyme... |
Sadat X, Lord Jamar |
Samples
- "Ain't No Mystery"
- "Something You Got" by Wilson PickettWilson PickettWilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
- "Something You Got" by Wilson Pickett
- "Allah and Justice"
- "Look at Granny Run" by Howard TateHoward TateHoward Tate is an American soul music singer and songwriter.-Early life:He moved with his family to Philadelphia in the early 1940s. In his teens, he joined a gospel music group that included Garnet Mimms and, as the Gainors, recorded rhythm and blues sides for Mercury Records and Cameo Records in...
- "Look at Granny Run" by Howard Tate
- "Love Me or Leave Me Alone"
- "San Francisco Lights" by Bobbi HumphreyBobbi HumphreyBarbara Ann Humphrey is an American jazz flautist and singer who plays fusion, jazz-funk and soul-jazz styles. Bobbi Humphrey has performed for audiences around the world....
- "San Francisco Lights" by Bobbi Humphrey
- "Steady Bootleggin"
- "People Sure Act Funny" by Lonnie SmithLonnie SmithLonnie Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He made his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on September 2, 1978 and later played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Baltimore Orioles...
- "People Sure Act Funny" by Lonnie Smith
- "Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down"
- "It's Your ThingIt's Your Thing"It's Your Thing" is an influential funk single by the Isley Brothers. Released in 1969, the funk anthem was an artistic response to Motown chief Berry Gordy's demanding hold on his artists after the Isleys left the label in late-1968....
" by Lou DonaldsonLou DonaldsonLou Donaldson is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker.His first recordings were...
- "It's Your Thing
- "The Travel Jam"
- "All for One" by Brand Nubian
- "To the Right" by Brand Nubian
- "Brand Nubian Rock the Set"
- I Don't Know This World Is Coming To" by WattstaxWattstaxWattstax is a 1973 documentary film by Mel Stuart that focused on the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the African American community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974...
- I Don't Know This World Is Coming To" by Wattstax
- Theme from Rocky by Bill ContiBill ContiWilliam "Bill" Conti is an American film music composer who is frequently the conductor at the Academy Awards ceremony.-Early life and career:...
(horn solo heard in the song)
Album chart positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 1993 | In God We Trust | 12 | 4 |
Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
| 1993 | "Punks Jump up to Get Beat Down" | 38 | 21 | 2 | 9 |
| "Love Me Or Leave Me Alone" | 92 | 68 | 13 | - |