Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)

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Untitled

Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) is the acclaimed debut album by alternative hip hop group Digable Planets. It was released on February 9, 1993, by Pendulum/Elektra Records.

Production

The album was produced by Digable Planets' Ishmael Butler ("Butterfly") and features raps from Butler, Irving and Viera.[2] The production leans heavily on jazz samples, Butler explaining that “it was all about resources, really...I just went and got the records that I had around me. And a lot of those were my dad’s shit, which was lots of jazz. The whole concept of ‘We’re a jazz group’ didn’t go down like that. Except that DJ Premier was a big influence, and he sampled a lot of jazz.”[3] Lyrically, the tone of the album is less overtly political than its successor Blowout Comb, but still touches on issues such as abortion rights (La Femme Fetal) and the drug abuses of jazz musicians (Last of the Spiddyocks). The album title derives from Nueva refutación del tiempo ("A New Refutation of Time"), an essay by Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges, as well as the tendency of earlier jazz musicians in naming their albums (Moanin', Cookin', etc).[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Chicago Tribune[6]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[8]
Los Angeles Times[9]
NME8/10[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[13]
The Village VoiceA[14]

The single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" became a hit in 1993, breaking into the Top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[15] and winning Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1994. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1993.

In 1998, Reachin' was listed in the The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.[16]

In 2008, "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" was ranked number 62 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.[17]

The song "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" was used for a Tide commercial in 2009.

Butler and Irving give a track-by-track account of the album and its production in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique.[18]

Track listing

# Title Producer(s) Performer(s) Sample(s)
1 "It's Good to Be Here" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
2 "Pacifics" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
3 "Where I'm From" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
4 "What Cool Breezes Do" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
5 "Time & Space (A New Refutation Of)" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
6 "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
7 "Last of the Spiddyocks" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
8 "Jimmi Diggin' Cats" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
9 "La Femme Fetal" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
10 "Escapism (Gettin' Free)" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
11 "Appointment at the Fat Clinic" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
12 "Nickel Bags" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
13 "Swoon Units" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets
14 "Examination of What" Butterfly, Shane Faber, Mike Mangini Digable Planets

Album singles

Single information
"Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)"
  • Released: November 9, 1992
  • B-side:
"Where I'm From"
  • Released: April, 1993
  • B-side:
"Nickel Bags"
  • Released: August 26, 1993
  • B-side: "Appointment at the Fat Clinic"

Album chart positions

Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
1993 Reachin' [A New Refutation of Time and Space] 15 5

Singles chart positions

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Tracks Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1993 Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) 15 6 1 1
Where I'm From - 60 7 41
Nickel Bags - 93 12 -
Rebirth of Slick [Cool Like Dat]
End of year chart (1993) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[19] 81

References

  1. ^ http://thestake.org/2013/10/09/digable-planets-reachin-new-refutation-of-time-and-space-turns-20/
  2. ^ AllMusic: "Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)"
  3. ^ Rawls, John. Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies. Harvard University Press, 2007, p.391-2.
  4. ^ Rawls, John. Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies. Harvard University Press, 2007, p.402.
  5. ^ Samuelson, Sam. "Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) – Digable Planets". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  6. ^ Kot, Greg (February 11, 1993). "Digable Planets: Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) (Pendulum)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (2009). "Digable Planets". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-199-72636-1. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  8. ^ Linden, Amy (February 5, 1993). "Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  9. ^ Siegmund, Heidi (February 21, 1993). "Digable Planets: 'Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)' Pendulum/Elektra". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  10. ^ "Digable Planets: Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)". NME: 31. February 13, 1993.
  11. ^ Powell, Kevin (February 18, 1993). "Digable Planets: Reachin: A New Refutation Of Time And Space". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  12. ^ Malley, David (2004). "Digable Planets". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 237–38. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  13. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  14. ^ Christgau, Robert (March 9, 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  15. ^ Billboard.com: Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) - Digable Planets
  16. ^ Rocklist.net: The Source 100 Best Rap Albums & Singles
  17. ^ Stereogum: VH1’s 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs
  18. ^ Coleman, Brian. Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies. New York: Villard/Random House, 2007.
  19. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1993". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
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