Search - Poor Righteous Teachers :: Righteous Grooves

With their heavy Five-Percenter imagery and a musical approach built on the era's thick, jazzy samples, Poor Righteous Teachers were often overshadowed by their more political peers (Public Enemy, Ice Cube) or more musically refined (Brand Nubian). In retrospect, though, PRT pioneered an early 1990s blueprint for contemporary artists such as the Fugees (who guest here on "Allies") and even Wu-Tang Clan. This collection impressively chronicles both the fruitful recording career and the budding political consciousness of Wise Intelligent, Culture Freedom, and Father Shaheed. The New Jersey trio debuted in 1990 with a positive message and two classic singles. Though the pro-woman "Shakiyla" and the party poetics of "Rock dis Funky Joint" hinted at their Islamic roots, tracks such as the rapid-fire "Holy Intellect" and 1991's "Self Styled Wisdom" affirmed their place atop the Afrocentric pile. Though their political edginess sometimes bordered on homophobia, Grooves hearkens back to a time when celebration of honest "black business" and knowledge weren't taboo rap subjects. --Hua Hsu