The poetic hip-hop trio are still cool like dat
Featuring 6pm pre-show workshop with Scratch Academy
The dynamic, insect-designated crew (Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira, Craig “Doodlebug” Irving and Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler) is back, bringing along groundbreaking hip-hop, soul and jazz fusion. This smooth trio of lyrical wordsmiths hit the scene in ’93 with their sleek mega-hit “Rebirth of Slick” (instantly recognizable by the ubiquitous refrain ‘Cool Like Dat’). This unanimously treasured track, off their debut record A New Refutation of Time and Space, helped bridge hip-hop to a broader listening base. Their second album, Blowout Comb, continued right where they left off; still rife with African American cultural riches and street ethos, but now heightening the game with live instrumentation and more profound political messaging. After that, each member steered their musical journey in different directions with successful solo projects, but they thankfully (even if briefly) reunited in 2005, 2011 and now, once again.