The group first took shape in the early ‘90s, in New York City. Former Seattle resident Butterfly (a k a Ishmael Butler) hooked up with Philadelphia native Doodlebug (Craig Irving), who was a member of New York collective Dread Poets Society, and Ladybug (Mary Ann Vieira), a Maryland denizen of Brazilian descent. Like the name chosen for their band, the new handles each member adopted also reflected a universal consciousness.
“Insects stick together and work for mutually beneficial causes,” Ladybug observed in Essence. Doodlebug added, “Humans are supposed to be the most intelligent beings on the planet, and yet we can’t seem to come together in a peaceful manner.”
On their 1993 debut, Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space), the threesome showed just how rich and vibrant the musical product of three distinctive minds working in harmony could be. Musically, they incorporated elements of funk, samba, and psychedelia into their street-savvy hip-hop; jazz, in particular, played a pivotal role. The group gave shout-outs to icons Charles Mingus and Charlie Parker, and sampled others, including Sonny Rollins and the Last Poets.
“Like hip-hop, they developed a language and style that was unique,” noted Butterfly of their jazz forefathers. “Those cats used their vernacular to communicate a new perspective.” With unabashedly intelligent lyrical references to everything from Karl Marx (on the reggae-tinged “Where I'm From“) and Jimi Hendrix, to feminist bell hooks and poet Nikki Giovanni, the Planets boldly followed suit.
Critics responded to the Planets’ debut platter enthusiastically. “Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space) is everything hip-hop should be: artistically sound, unabashedly conscious and downright cool,” proclaimed Kevin Powell in a four-star review for Rolling Stone. “And Digable Planets is the kind of rap act every fan should cram to understand.” The record would eventually hit #15 on the Billboard 200, break the Top 5 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and achieve Platinum sales status.
Buoyed up by a bubbling bass line and curlicues of brass (the latter lifted from a sample of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers), and peppered with finger-pops, the sublimely chill single “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" became the album’s biggest hit. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, winning legions of fans across a variety of radio formats as well as in clubs. The track deservedly earned the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
After touring extensively, accompanied by a live band, the trio returned to the studio, emerging in 1994 with their sophomore outing, Blowout Comb. Even more so than its predecessor, the Planets’ second full-length pushed stylistic boundaries. The group downplayed samples in favor of live performances: “Dog It“ juxtaposed animated sax and vibraphone turns (by Donald “Duck” Harrison and Bill Lounge, respectively) with a slightly harder vocal style, while sultry, summery singing on “Dial 7 (Axioms Of Creamy Spies)" evoked an air of vintage ‘70s soul. Special guests on the Blowout Comb sessions included Brooklyn rapper Jeru The Damaja (”Graffiti“) and pioneering female hip-hop DJ Jazzy Joyce (”9th Wonder (Blackitolism)“), who also toured with the group.
Although Digable Planets dissolved in 1996, all three members have remained active musically. Butterfly went on to form the band Cherrywine, releasing the album Bright Black in 2003. He also composed music for commercial clients including Pepsi and Fila, and ventured into acting, with roles in film (the 2002 Sundance fave I Am Ali) and Off Broadway. Mecca the Ladybug – now Ladybug Mecca – dropped her new solo album, Trip The Light Fantastic, in June, 2005 on her very own record label “Nu Paradigm Entertainment”. She also composed the score for a short film entitled “The Monster” courtesy of “Scenarios USA” - Kids Creating Social Change in 2001. A segment of the film was featured on ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. She can also be spotted in Snoop Dogg's Video "Candy," the result of one of her lyrics being sampled for this song. Working as Cee Knowledge, Doodlebug has been leading Philadelphia live hip-hop ensemble Cosmic Funk Orchestra since 2000. In addition Doodlebug is actively the CEO of the successful multimedia company “7 and a Cresent”. But most importantly for Digable Planets fans worldwide, the original trio recently reformed to play a number of well-received live dates (including Lollapalooza 2005), and begin work on their first album in over a decade.
(2) Though they were not the first to synthesize jazz and hip-hop, Digable Planets epitomized the laid-back charm of jazz hipsters better than any group before or since. The trio's 1993 debut album, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space), was a mellow ride packed with samples from Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, and Curtis Mayfield, and the single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" became a Top 20 pop hit. After earning a Grammy for Best New Duo or Group and embarking on an ambitious tour that included several live musicians, the Planets returned in late 1994 with their best album yet. Blowout Comb continued the group's jazz-rap fusion, but also saw them branching out to embrace the old school sound of the street as well.
Digable Planets formed in the early '90s, when Butterfly (b. Ishmael Butler, Brooklyn, NY) met Ladybug (b. Mary Ann Vieira, Silver Springs, MD) while attending college in Massachusetts. The two later hooked up with Doodlebug (b. Craig Irving, Philadelphia, PA), in Washington, D.C., and began recording. Their first single, "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," released on the Pendulum subsidiary of Warner, hit the R&B Top Ten while their debut, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space), was a critical and commercial success. Digable Planets' resulting tour had a laid-back vibe more in keeping with a jazz show than any hip-hop concert, though the live musicians were criticized for doing little more than re-creating samples from the album. The trio solved that problem with the release of their second album, Blowout Comb, in late 1994. Much stronger than its predecessor, it used fewer samples and even included several solos. With no strong single to carry it, however, Blowout Comb's sales performance was not up to that of Reachin'. After Blowout Comb, Digable Planets basically dissolved due to the dreaded "creative differences". All three continued making music separately, but despite many promises that the recordings would become actual releases, nearly a decade passed before releases appeared from Butterfly's Cherrywine project, Ladybug's new billing Ladybug Mecca, and Doodlebug's Cee Knowledge. Then, just a few weeks shy of the ten-year anniversary of Blowout Comb, the three announced that they had reunited to record their third Digable Planets album. A compilation, Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles, filled the gap while fans waited for its release. ~ John Bush, Rovi
Appointment At The Fat Clinic
Digable Planets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Try to gank my style and I'll hip you to the heater
At the speed of bop grew the hard rock
You can ask my dads Chairman Mao comrades
Squattin' at they pads
Diggin' on the jazz that's the half of it
Uncle Sam showed us all his space we refuted it
Told him that ghetto is the aim, let go of my brain
Caught a fat chat with a cat where I'm from
Flipping mad tracks on a love child Nickel Bag
Ah Mecca much jive and a jazz touch
With a straight no chase, a Dig Plan erase
Snatch an acid insect changed her dialect
{Kept it}
Mr. Doodlebug come tight with a ticket
Said we couldn't drip it
Came in and we kicked it with a glass of water on the rocks
Nip it
Jazz, in the last 5 years has progressed in its fits
And starts of sudden discoveries and
Startled reactions. New principles, new sounds
New rhythms and harmonies have been advanced with unusual frequency
Not surprisingly, many of the younger musicians have been quietly digesting
This information almost as quiuckly as it has appeared
As a result, they've acquired a degree of
Musical sophistication which supersedes many of the previous standards of excellence
So it's no longer especially relevant to ask the young saxophone player
For example, to demonstrate his ability by running through all the Charlie Parker licks
Come little hoods peep out the eyelids
Stash a fat gat cause the loops let you dig
With a Bloom Swoon and a Full Moon
Mecca Bug no fake takes we let alone baits
Pitchin' up your cakes might cause a horn rush but then a bass flush
Meta more emphasis as I trip this Butter bug pour it out the mouth
O.K. floater to the order don't we wreck before we split
From the chaos came the fattest little shit
By the soak of it at the point of hammer click
You could either read a little Marx or hang with Spiddyocks
When the bass faces fix the deepest cuts they're the sickest
Then we just make you think you boomed with a quickness
This is what's the haps when I go to do my smack
Cause the word got around about three cool cats
The lyrics of "Appointment At The Fat Clinic" by Digable Planets appear to be a reflection on the African American experience, focusing on their love of jazz, rejection of authority and oppression, and attempts to change society through music. The opening lines of the song introduce the musician Butter, who warns against anyone trying to steal his unique style. The following lyrics reference Chairman Mao and his comrades, who were admired for their revolutionary ideas, as well as the jazz music that they enjoyed. The song then takes a politically charged direction, as the lyrics criticize the U.S. government's space program and their treatment of African Americans. The line "told him that ghetto is the aim" suggests that the musicians see their music as a form of resistance against the oppression that they experience.
The second verse of the song continues to explore the theme of jazz music, with the lyrics discussing the evolution of the genre and the influence it has had on younger musicians. The lyrics suggest that the young musicians have become more sophisticated and skilled than their predecessors, leading to a new standard of excellence. The lyrics then shift back to the experiences of African Americans living in poverty, with references to guns and the need to protect oneself. The song concludes with a section about the power of music to bring people together and effect change.
Overall, "Appointment At The Fat Clinic" is a complex and thought-provoking song that touches on a range of themes relevant to the African American experience. The lyrics are full of references to historical figures and cultural touchstones, making it a rich and rewarding track for listeners who take the time to unpack its meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Smooth to the ooze came Butter
Butter arrived smoothly and effortlessly.
Try to gank my style and I'll hip you to the heater
If you try to copy my style, I'll tell you about my gun.
At the speed of bop grew the hard rock
The hard rock music grew in popularity quickly, like the bop jazz style.
You can ask my dads Chairman Mao comrades
My fathers are friends with people who are followers of Chairman Mao.
Squattin' at they pads
They are living at their homes/apartments.
Diggin' on the jazz that's the half of it
They really like jazz, but that's only part of the story.
Uncle Sam showed us all his space we refuted it
The US government tried to impress them with their space achievements, but they didn't care.
Told him that ghetto is the aim, let go of my brain
They told the government that they focused on the ghetto, so they should leave them alone.
Then we changed your boogie cause your boogie had to change
They changed the way they danced because they had to adapt to changing times.
Caught a fat chat with a cat where I'm from
I had a conversation with an interesting person from my neighborhood.
Flipping mad tracks on a love child Nickel Bag
Playing cool songs on a cheap music player that I love.
Ah Mecca much jive and a jazz touch
This place is really cool and has a lot of jazz influence.
With a straight no chase, a Dig Plan erase
We do things directly and get to the point, using a Digable Plan.
Snatch an acid insect changed her dialect
Taking LSD changed her way of speaking.
{Kept it}
We kept it (as it was).
Mr. Doodlebug come tight with a ticket
Doodlebug is ready and prepared with a plan/solution.
Said we couldn't drip it
Someone said we couldn't do it.
Came in and we kicked it with a glass of water on the rocks
We came in and relaxed with a drink of water on ice.
Nip it
We will finish it quickly and easily.
Jazz, in the last 5 years has progressed in its fits
Jazz music has developed and changed rapidly in the past five years.
And starts of sudden discoveries and
There were many sudden innovations and improvements.
Startled reactions. New principles, new sounds
People were surprised and excited by the new ideas and sounds.
New rhythms and harmonies have been advanced with unusual frequency
New and innovative rhythms and harmonies were introduced frequently.
Not surprisingly, many of the younger musicians have been quietly digesting
It's not surprising that many young musicians were quietly learning and understanding the new music.
This information almost as quickly as it has appeared
They learned this new information almost as soon as it was introduced.
As a result, they've acquired a degree of
As a result, they became sophisticated in their musical abilities.
Musical sophistication which supersedes many of the previous standards of excellence
Their musical sophistication is even higher than the previous high standards.
So it's no longer especially relevant to ask the young saxophone player
It's not necessary to ask a young saxophone player to demonstrate their ability.
For example, to demonstrate his ability by running through all the Charlie Parker licks
For example, to show how good they are by playing all the Charlie Parker songs well.
Come little hoods peep out the eyelids
Come and look around carefully, my little gangster friends.
Stash a fat gat cause the loops let you dig
Hide your gun because the police are watching.
With a Bloom Swoon and a Full Moon
In a romantic atmosphere with flowers and a full moon.
Mecca Bug no fake takes we let alone baits
We don't want any imposters, so leave us alone.
Pitchin' up your cakes might cause a horn rush but then a bass flush
Making a commotion might cause a lot of noise at first, but then everything will settle down.
Meta more emphasis as I trip this Butter bug pour it out the mouth
As I rap, I emphasize the importance of this Butter bug, and I speak from the heart.
O.K. floater to the order don't we wreck before we split
Let's not fight before we leave.
From the chaos came the fattest little shit
From the confusion came the best idea.
By the soak of it at the point of hammer click
By intuition, at the perfect moment.
You could either read a little Marx or hang with Spiddyocks
You could study politics or spend time with your friends.
When the bass faces fix the deepest cuts they're the sickest
When the bass players (experts) focus on the most difficult parts, they are the most impressive.
Then we just make you think you boomed with a quickness
We will make you feel like you became famous quickly and easily.
This is what's the haps when I go to do my smack
This is what happens when I do what I do.
Cause the word got around about three cool cats
Because people heard about three cool guys (probably themselves).
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ISHMAEL BUTLER, ISHMAEL R. BUTLER, MARY ANN VIEIRA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind