小简介
来自新泽西东橙郡的说唱组合Naughty By Nature,他们是忠实的Hardcore Rap信徒,同时也是发扬光大的布道者,坚持理想,坚信自己,这是Naughty By Nature成功的关键。1986年,Naughty By Nature在东橙郡组成,成员为三人,他们分别是担当MC的Treach,本名Anthony Criss,同样是MC的Vinnie,本名Vincent Brown以及DJ Kay Gee,本名Keir Gist。1991年,Naughty By Nature来到当时如日中天的说唱帝国Tommy Boy发展,并于同年推出乐团同名专辑《Naughty By Nature》,其中的一曲《O.P.P.》(Other People's Property)成为Naughty By Nature历史上最优秀的单曲。
2002年发行的专辑《IIcons》是Naughty By Nature的第五张专辑,这是乐团来到TVT公司后发行的第一张专辑。而此时,Kay Gee已经离开了Naughty By Nature,只剩下二人的乐团依旧在坚持他们的理想。由两个MC Treach和Vinnie制作的专辑保留了Naughty By Nature的传统,经过了十年的磨砺,他们当然可以胜任独立制作专辑的工作,只是过往的荣誉已经不复存在,不知他们还能坚持多久。但是相信人们会用永远记住Naughty By Nature这个名字,还有标志下面的那个棒球棒,《IIcons》就好像他们对自己最后的向往。
Naughty By Nature pulled off the neat trick of landing big, instantly catchy anthems on the pop charts while maintaining their street-level credibility among the hardcore rap faithful; one of the first groups to successfully perform such a balancing act. The group was formed in East Orange, NJ, in 1986, while all three members — MCs Treach (born Anthony Criss) and Vinnie (born Vincent Brown), and DJ Kay Gee (born Keir Gist) — were attending the same high school. Initially called New Style, they began performing at talent shows and were discovered by Queen Latifah a few years later; she signed the group to her management company and helped them land a deal with Tommy Boy Records. Naughty By Natures self-titled debut was released in 1991 and produced an inescapable Top Ten hit in O.P.P. (which supposedly stood for other peoples property, though a close listen to the lyrics revealed that the second P represented male or female genitals). O.P.P. made Naughty By Nature crossover stars, yet their ghetto sensibility and gritty street funk (not to mention Treachs nimble rhyming technique) made them popular in the hip-hop underground as well. Treach began a secondary acting career in 1992, appearing in Juice; he would go on to supporting roles in The Meteor Man, Whos the Man?, and Jasons Lyric, among others.
Naughty By Nature repeated their success with the 1993 follow-up album, 19 Naughty III, which produced another ubiquitous crossover smash in the hey! ho! chant of Hip Hop Hooray; the album hit the Top Five and, like its predecessor, went platinum. 1995s Povertys Paradise was the groups final album for Tommy Boy; though it didnt spawn any major hits, it went on to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album. A recording hiatus of several years followed; during that time, Treach pursued his acting career, most notably landing a recurring role on the HBO prison drama Oz; and Kay Gee greatly expanded his outside production work, helming records for Zhané, Aaliyah, Krayzie Bone, and Next, among others. Even outside of music, the group made headlines; in 1997, both Treach and Vinnie were arrested in Harlem for illegal weapons possession, and, in 1999, Treach married Pepa, of Salt-N-Pepa (a union that would dissolve two years later). Also in 1999, Naughty By Nature finally returned with a new album on Arista, titled 19 Naughty Nine: Natures Fury. Jamboree, featuring Zhané, was a sizable hit, but though the group looked to be back on track, Kay Gee departed to concentrate full-time on his production career. Treach and Vinnie struck a deal with TVT, and the first Naughty By Nature album as a duo, IIcons, was released in early 2002.