Done by the Forces of Nature

Man I miss boom boom bap.

Not as fun as De La Soul or as Revolutionary as Tribe- but still great.

Lot of funky beats here that make the whole thing seem pretty cool. Good usage of a variety of samples. Fun time overall. Favorites were Feelin’ Alright, Good Newz Comin’, J Beez Comin’ Through, and Doin’ Our Own Dang.

Some nice beats, not as hip-hoppy as I expected, but I'm not familiar with the evolution of the genre.

Found this kinda boring

Wow! What a great album!!
I can’t believe I didn’t get to hear this when it came out in 1989.
I probably would have played this a lot back then.
Everything about this record is so great; the raps, the scratching, and the production of all those sounds on the backing tracks.
Their sense of humour also adds to the upbeatness of it all.
I live for days like this with this project when I can have a great listen and discovery of an album I had not heard yet.

This album clearly comes from an important moment in hip-hop’s evolution, and it sounds familiar for a reason. The funkier, jazz-leaning grooves and Afrocentric vibe laid groundwork that a lot of later artists refined and popularized. Listening now, it’s easy to hear how influential it was, especially within the Native Tongues orbit.

At the same time, that familiarity works against it a bit. Decades later, the formulas are well worn, and while the album is enjoyable, it doesn’t consistently grab me. There’s a sense that with repeated listens a standout track might eventually reveal itself, but halfway through I wasn’t fully hooked or compelled to keep digging.

I like the sound and appreciate what it represents, but it lands more as a respectful listen than a magnetic one. Glad to have heard it, but it doesn’t feel essential to return to. A solid three stars.

Another awesome old school hip hop album. This is 3.5 stars.

Fun old school hip-hop beats. Playful and chill lyricism. Not really my genre but I'd take this over the murky, unpleasant aggressiveness of Biggie Smalls anyday. 2.5

Native tounges-kollektivet og alle deres etterkommere har nok laget det meste av hiphop-musikken jeg liker best. Jungle Brothers har jeg dessverre neglisjert. Noe som selvfølgelig er synd, ettersom Done by the Forces of Nature er helt der oppe med det beste av De La Soul. Her slipper man til gjengjeld så mange skits også.

Gode samples (den er listig den Black Sabbath-samplen på "Beeds on a String"), catchy melodier og good vibes. Eneste trekket jeg har er at lufta går litt ut mot slutten av plata. Merker jeg ofte kritiserer plater for å være for lange, men her kunne de hatt gode fillers til neste plate. Bare sier det.

Not a huge fan of old school hip hop musically, but lyrically very important and robust. 3/5

I’m at a 5. I really should’ve given Queen Latifah a 3.

A bit of an irony to both her and Monie Love popping back up on this album’s monstrous posse cut, “Doin’ Our Own Dang”, featuring themselves, Q-Tip, De La Soul, and of course, the stars of the show, the Jungle Brothers. Let’s be real; these guys are basically the cousins of Tribe Called Quest. Hell, apparently, they gave them their name, which isn’t too surprising given all of the references to tribes throughout this thing. This is a super positive rap album for 1989, and yet it doesn’t feel like an outlier next to its peers. I’d honestly argue it’s the second best rap album of the 1980s we’ve gotten so far, right behind “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back”.

I found myself in a total groove state here, following along with lyrics & just going to the beat, so I really don’t have too much to say about each track, other than the overarching vibes of positivity, reclamation, & happiness (and one weird outlier track about the rapture). “Black Woman” sticks out, just in terms of lifting up women at a time when the whole genre felt like it was aiming the other, deeply misogynistic way. “Acknowledge Your Own History” probably has the best lyrics on the album, in terms of black empowerment. For a 16-track album, I think it’s a hell of a testament to their writing that nothing really overlaps too much, and their flows feel fresh every time.

Instrumentally, I think this thing shines; a solid soft balance between the future jazzier tones that A Tribe Called Quest would bring to the table by “The Low End Theory”, and the sort of cheesier ‘80s Slick Rick / Run-DMC style, whilst blending in a myriad of samples that are recognizable across the board if you’ve heard enough rap. As a result, some of these tracks feel like they’re evoking artists from years later; “Good Newz Comin’” in particular feels like a Tyler, The Creator track & “Tribe Vibes” feels like it could fit into 1994 or 1995, not 1989. KRS-One seems deeply underrated as a producer.

Overall, I think it’s an hour that easily speaks for itself; I certainly enjoyed the hell out of this, and as a progenitor of sorts to a vibe / style that De La Soul & A Tribe Called Quest would later refine & make famous, this album really works, especially for 1989. It makes me feel kinda silly for bumping up yesterday’s Queen Latifah album to a 4 when it’s not even really in the same class (even though I liked it!). This is probably my second-favorite ‘80s rap album we’ve gotten so far, and to my ears, it’s a very easy 5. Strong, strong stuff.

Utterly top notch, very fun album

Not on Spotify in the US. That said, it's a pretty good rap album. It has all-around chill and funky vibes that provide a stark contrast to most rap.

Now this is a flavor of east coast hiphop that I can really get down with. Absolutely immaculate production on these beats. It's funny, I found them to have a similar sound to Tribe Called Quest, and I kept being thrown off by the De La Soul references without any Plugs appearing. Turns out they were all part of the same collective, which is a delightful discovery and makes total sense!

What I don’t get is why the Jungle Brothers never ended up as widely celebrated as Tribe or De La Soul. The quality here is absolutely on par, and it feels like they deserve just as much recognition. A fantastic record.

Standouts: What "U" Waitin "4"? • Acknowledge Your Own History • Belly Dancin' Dina • Good Newz Comin' • Tribe Vibez • J. Beez Comin' Through • Doin' Our Own Thang

As funky as it is hip-hoppy. As other reviews have noted, it would be a very different world where this uplifting vibe was the dominant force for that particular genre. But, once again, this project has helped deliver by shining a light on an artist / genre that had completely passed me by and would have been unlikely to appear on my radar.

Never before have I been so hyped up about Africa. A very vague continent, it seems. Contains no countries, but it's a good one.

Album was fun!

I like this a lot but it's not quite at the same level as ATCQ or De La Soul. "Good Newz Comin'" was a jam. "Doin' Our Own Dang" was the best track on the album, but the collabs on that track highlights how important the contributions of De La Soul, Q-Tip and others were. A strong four.

Again I am thankful for not interludes or skits, but I can't imagine ever choosing to listen to this again.

This is a pretty good hip hop album, considering it was released in 1989.

Incredibly fun album