Concert in your area for Funk & Soul, R&B, Electronic, Hip-Hop, Pop, and Comedy.
Find out more about Electronic, Hip-Hop, Pop, and Comedy.
The original trio consisted of: Michael Small (aka Mike Gee), Nathaniel Hall (aka Afrika Baby Bam) and Sammy Burwell (aka DJ Sammy B). The group released their debut album “Straight out the Jungle” in 1988 through independent label Warlock. Incorporating a variety genres made it difficult for the band to identify or appeal with audiences as they experimented with house, jazz, rap and R&B. The Afrocentric vibe in the album gained them recognition as they became part of hip-hop collective Native Tongue Posse which included Afrika Bambaataa, Queen Latifah and De La Soul.
Despite the album failing to become a commercial success, in 1989 the trio signed with Warner Bros Records. The same year Jungle Brothers released their follow up album “Done by the Force of Nature” which was well received. Released at the same time as De La Soul’s iconic album “3 Feet High and Rising” and in similar vein, audiences overlooked Jungle Brothers’ album which many regard as an underrated classic.
Confines of the record label’s marketing strategy resulted in a four year absence from the trio and they returned in 1993 with the album “J Beez Wit the Remedy”. In the meantime the Jungle Brothers had become more actively involved with the organisation Ill Crew Universal which helped to support independent hip-hop artists and produced compilation albums globally.
The trio released their fifth album “V.I.P” in 2000 and the following year their track “What’s the Five 0” featured on the video game FreQuency. Jungle Brothers worked with the British producer Mr On in 2004 to produce the track “Breathe (Don’t Stop)” which sampled Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and Q-Tip’s “A Tribe Called Quest”.
In 2005 the band released their greatest hits album “This Is” featuring remixes and a collection of unreleased material. Despite never really achieving the commercial success, their innovative music was inspired and they are regarded as pioneers of the hip-hop jazz fusion.
Seeing Deborah Cox is every bit like seeing a true R&B diva or bold soul sister sing from back in the day. A Deborah Cox concert really lets you time travel back to that golden era of 90's R&&B, where so many female artists were coming up in the world, Mary J Blige, Toni Braxton, and the likes.
A lot of people might show up just for her internationally known hit single, Nobody's Suppose To Be Here, but what they'll get if they stay for the whole show is a true embodiment of a woman vocalist who has been performing for nearly twenty years. That's something you simply can't say about the teens of today. Deborah puts on a great show.
The band, and backup singers were on point and accompanied her soulful and yet powerful style, and the theater was a classic beauty in it's own right. Deborah showed as the trends come and go, talent can stick around for a long time. The musical accompaniment written by some true R&B greats like Babyface is a great part of the music, but Deborah Cox's vocal range is the showstopper, and truly something to sit and be in awe of, while Deborah still looks damn good doing it after all these years.
Although her name is maybe not a household one, Ultra Nate has had much success with her music over the years, with nearly all of her singles charting in the top 10 of Dance Club Party tracks, which is pretty awesome! Her R&B an dance-pop music is totally infectious, and therefore it’s not surprising that the first label she signed to was the giant Warner Bros. Records.
Seeing her live is a showcase of what it is to be talented, grounded in who you are, and have a whole lot of fun with your musical creation. She opened the show with her song Freak On, which was sure to get everyone up on their feet and singing along. It was electric, she was dancing around the stage with such energy and conviction whilst maintaining strong and accurate vocals, which is such a talent to have. She played a solid set for the entire 2 hours, only stopping to chat to the audience, which I must add she did very well. From telling jokes, to introducing her band, she had everyone gripped on her every word. She even let the audience vote on which songs to hear which was very cool.
She’s an incredibly taented performed, and I’m really excited for hwat more she’s got to come. I hope she becomes more mainstream, because her music is so accessible and a lot of fun!
Robin Stone goes by the name of Robin S, professionally; perhaps it’s to avoid confusion with Angie Stone, to whom she’s no relation, but the sharing of that surname isn’t the only reason why you might be forgiven for getting the two mixed up; as well as both having impressively powerful voices, the pair also enjoyed their greatest commercial success back in the nineties. Robin S. was predominantly a contemporary R&B artist, but what always set her apart from her contemporaries was her willingness to dabble in other genres, especially gospel and occasionally jazz. Those additional influences are faithfully borne out in her live shows, in which the setlists tend to span her entire career - both chronologically and stylistically - and that’s something that’s made possible by the versatility of her live backing band. She often joins other nineties R&B stars like Color Me Badd on the road, allowing for fans to get more than just the one dose of nostalgia in one night; she’ll likely be on such a bill next time she makes it to the UK.
She wrote one of the biggest dance songs of the 90s, I've never met a person that doesn't know the words. "Finally it has happened to me, my feelings can't describe it", the ultimate party anthem.
But however much we all know and love this song, we know very little about the woman behind it. Ce Ce Peniston was one of the most successful dance artists of the 90s, scoring five number one dance singles on the Billboard charts in the US.
Chances to see this dance legend live have been extremely few and far between but I was lucky enough to catch her at Penn Festival in High Wycombe in July of this year. Hearing "Finally" live was a once in a lifetime opportunity, a song that the crowd went crazy for with a breath of 90s nostalgia in the air.
She may not tour again, but I'm so glad that I got the chance to see her live, even though it wasn't a headline gig. Hopefully one day I'll get the chance to see her again.
The Jungle Brothers are pioneers. Just check out the evidence. Exhibit A) They led the way with the fusion of jazz and hip-hop. Exhibit B) They were the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer ('I'll House You' was the first 'house-hop' record around). And the great news is they’re back, fresher than ever. After a prolonged break which saw the awesome threesome disband, Mike Gee, Africa Baby Bam and DJ Sammy B have got the band back together and on the road. And even thirty years after they started they still sound as good as ever. The experimentation is still there and so is the live buzz, spitting intelligent rhymes. It’s not just intelligent though: it’s fun and positive and they bring so much energy to the stage. They’re unique and that comes across on stage. There’s that bond between them that comes through the way the beats and the rhymes work together. ‘Straight Out The Jungle’ and ‘I’ll House You’ remain stone-cold hip-hop gems and you’ll be surprised by how many hits you recognise. Their flow is as tight now as in 1988, and they fill the clubs they’re playing in: Mike Gee bounding round the stage, Bam sounding so fresh. They’re back together but it’s like they’ve never been apart.