Brand Nubian formed during the early 90's when outspoken characters in hip-hop became so popular that it was almost a requirement. The group, forming in 1989 in the New York suburb New Rochelle, was known for its Afro-centrism and playfulness. Grand Puba, born Maxwell Dixon, had previous experience working with the group Masters of Ceremony. Gathering up Sadat X, born Greg Murphy, Murphy's cousin DJ Alamo, and Lord Jamar, born Lorenzo DeCalus, the group signed with Electra and debuted their first album, All For One, in 1990.With a sound and style very similar to other rap groups surrounding themselves around the Five Percent Nation of Islam, Brand Nubian failed to attract audiences outside of their R&B genre. To add, several of the debut record's songs, filled with racial slurs and serious threats, concerned Electra Records. Not long after the release of their debut album, Grand Puba, the chief producer and rapper for the group, left Brand Nubian and took fellow band mate DJ Alamo.Following this loss, the remaining members of Brand Nubian replaced high profile Grand Puba with DJ Sincere. Shortly thereafter, the newly concocted group released In God We Trust in 1993. The album did extremely well considering what the group had lost, almost making the Top Ten R&B Charts. However, without the lyricist Puba, this second album was filled with even more racist connotations than All For One.Meanwhile, Grand Puba began working on his solo album, and released Reel to Reel in 1992. For Puba's second album, former band member Sadat X joined him on the track "Play It Cool." Shortly after this collaboration, Sadat X released his own solo album, Wild Cowboys, in 1996. Lord Jamar found himself a roll on the HBO series Oz. The original four reunited for two more Brand Nubian records, Foundation in 2002 and Fire in the Hole in 2004.
