Digable Planets

Digable Planets

Company type	Hip hop group
Industry	Music
Founded	1987
Founder	Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, Craig "Doodlebug" Irving
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York , United States
Area served	United States, North America, Europe
Products	Music albums, singles, live performances

Digable Planets () is an American hip hop group formed in 1987, composed of rappers Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving. The trio is credited with helping to establish the jazz rap and alternative hip hop genres.

Formation

In the late 1980s, Butler and Irving crossed paths in Philadelphia. Butler, originally from Seattle, was interning at Sleeping Bag Records in New York and frequently visited his grandmother in Philadelphia, where he connected with Irving, a local rapper linked to the Dread Poets Society. Irving had previously met Vieira—who hails from Silver Spring, Maryland—while she was studying at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Early Digable Planets demos featured only Butler; after experimenting briefly with other collaborators, Butler began working alongside Irving and Vieira in 1989.

1992–1993: Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)

The group signed with Pendulum Records in 1992 and moved to Brooklyn, New York. Their debut album, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space), was released in 1993 and achieved gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The lead single, "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)", gained mainstream success by reaching number 15 on the Billboard singles chart, earning gold status, and winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Additionally, the track attained number 67 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1995.

1994–1995: Blowout Comb and dissolution

Their sophomore album, Blowout Comb, released in 1994, presented a more somber tone with increased political themes referencing the Black Panther Party and communist symbolism. It was hailed by critics as an innovative continuation of their sound. The album included guest contributions from Jeru the Damaja, Sulaiman, and Guru of Gang Starr.

In 1994, Digable Planets participated in the Red Hot Organization's compilation Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, an AIDS awareness initiative targeting African-American audiences that was named "Album of the Year" by Time magazine. The group parted ways in early 1995 due to creative disagreements.

2005–present: Reunions and live recordings

The trio reunited in February 2005 for a concert tour and issued the compilation album Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles on October 15, 2005. This release combined remixes, B-sides, and previously issued tracks. Between 2009 and 2011, Butler and Irving toured across North America and Europe accompanied by their live ensemble, the Cosmic Funk Orchestra.

On May 15, 2010, Digable Planets performed in Houston, Texas alongside hip hop duo Camp Lo. Around this period, Irving announced plans for a new single titled "Fresh Out" and anticipated releasing a digital album during summer 2010. The group also appeared with The Pharcyde at Toronto’s North by Northeast festival on June 19, 2011.

A scheduled reunion concert in December 2012 in Seattle, Washington was cancelled shortly before it was set to occur; Butler later implied that the group had disbanded permanently. Nevertheless, Digable Planets came together again for a show at Seattle's Neptune Theatre on December 30, 2015, sharing the stage with Shabazz Palaces. They embarked on another tour throughout spring and summer of 2016 and released the live album Digable Planets Live in June 2017. This recording was captured over two nights—July 28–29, 2016—at Ardmore Music Hall, near Philadelphia where the group originally formed.

Solo endeavors and partnerships

In 2003, Butler issued Bright Black under the name Cherrywine before joining forces with multi-instrumentalist Tendai "Baba" Maraire to form Shabazz Palaces, a group that has produced five albums. Alongside his musical pursuits, Butler is involved in Sub Pop's A&R department, where he plays a key role in broadening the label's lineup by scouting for "innovative" and "bold" talent. Additionally, Butler and Maraire collaborated with Hussein Kalonji as Chimurenga Renaissance, releasing the album riZe vadZimu riZe in March 2014 through Brick Lane Records.

Irving, also known as Cee Knowledge, has released two albums with his project Cee Knowledge & The Cosmic Funk Orchestra. Vieira, performing as Lady Mecca, debuted Trip The Light Fantastic in 2005 and has contributed to various projects including Legacy/Sony's Billie Holiday tribute Remixed and Reimagined, Del the Funky Homosapien's Eleventh Hour, and the hip-hop collective eMC. Vieira also lent her voice to Dino 5 as Tracy Triceratops and later became part of the Brazilian hip hop fusion ensemble BROOKZILL!, collaborating with fellow Dino 5 member Prince Paul.

Studio albums

Catalog of albums with selected chart rankings and certifications

Title	Album information	Chart rankings					Certifications
		US	US R&B /HH	CAN	NZ	SWE
Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)	Release date: February 9, 1993 Label: Pendulum/Elektra	15	5	40	22	50	RIAA: Gold
Blowout Comb	Release date: October 18, 1994 Label: Pendulum/EMI	32	13	—	—	—
"—" indicates the album did not chart or was not issued in that region.

Compilation albums

• Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles (2005)

Live albums

• Digable Planets Live (2017)

Singles

Singles catalog with selected peak chart positions

Title	Year	Highest chart positions						Certifications	Album
		US	US Dance	US R&B	US Rap	NZ	UK
"Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)"	1992	15	20	6	1	8	67	RIAA: Gold	Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)
"Where I'm From"	1993	"—"	"—"	60	7	42	"—"
"Nickel Bags"		"—"	"—"	93	12	"—"	"—"
"9th Wonder (Blackitolism)" 1994 80 10 37 8 — —	align=center rowspan=2 |Blowout Comb
"Dial 7 (Axiom of Creamy Spies)" 1995 — 45 88 32 — —