From the moment you hear the first few strums of bass introducing Digable Planets’ Grammy Award-winning single “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat),” snapping your fingers along to the effortless beat that ensues is inevitable. With the hip-hop trio’s 1992 crossover hit, the music world’s ears were introduced to Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler’s introspective lyricism, Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira’s sly buttery flow, and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving’s effortless delivery. In short, Digable Planets have always had the ability to spit woke lyrics over jazzy beats that soothe listeners into a lucid dream state.

Following the success of their debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space), the trio continued to contribute to the socially conscious music realm with their 1994 sophomore album, titled Blowout Comb. Since parting ways in 1995, ButterÓy, Doodlebug, and Ladybug Mecca have reunited for performances at various times throughout the early aughts. But, the announcement of their recent reunion tour couldn’t come at a more timely period in our culture.

After a successful string of reunion shows that included a performance as part of this year’s ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans, the trio are preparing to embark on a summer reunion tour with a slew of dates across the United States. Saint Heron caught up with the musical poets to talk new faces in the crowd, going against the establishment, and creating impactful music during times of socio-political unrest.

Chloe Dewberry: Why did you guys feel that this moment was a good time to reintroduce Digable Planets and start performing together again?

Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler: We always had the desire to do it and [the idea] was sort of floating in the backs of our minds. We had a couple of opportunities to perform, and those shows acted as the catalyst to wake up that voice in the back of our minds and turn it into actions. We had a good first show and then we were like, “Yeah, let’s try and keep it going.” We’ve just been lucky enough to have people want us to come and perform.

Do you feel like it’s easy to come back together organically when performing onstage? Does it automatically click like it used to?

Craig “Doodlebug” Irving: I was nervous for the first show because I was wondering if the chemistry would still be there. But we got onstage and it was like we had never stopped. It was fly.

It’s probably exciting to look out and see young faces in the crowd along with fans from back in the day.

Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira: It’s mind-blowing to see all of the different generations that listen to us and have been introduced to us over the years. We all consider it a true blessing that people still want to see us perform. It’s also a blessing that we’ve been able to come back together, although nothing ever ended. I guess you could say things realigned.

Craig “Doodlebug” Irving: That’s something I know I didn’t do back in the day – I didn’t really take it all in, and I think I took things for granted. Now that the time and space between us has gone by, I really appreciate what we did and what we can still do. And the fact that people still want to hear us is a beautiful thing. That’s the beauty of music.

I feel that the musical legacy of jazz-influenced hip-hop that Digable Planets left behind is finally peeking through in the mainstream. We have musicians like Kendrick Lamar releasing critically-acclaimed jazz-influenced albums like untitled mastered. Do you guys feel that you hear Digable Planets’ impact in modern day music?

Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler: I feel like the same things that got to [Kendrick] also got to [Digable Planets], but I don’t think it really started with us like that. I do know that at that time [in the early ‘90s] we were part of an aesthetic that I feel these guys were definitely listening to. I bet a lot of the musicians that end up in the studio are probably from that era where we came up. I don’t think we can take direct credit for being an influence, but we were definitely a part of it and I think they are influenced by a lot of the same stuff we were.

From touching on issues of police brutality and oppression to acknowledging the natural beauty of nappy roots and commenting on female reproductive rights, Digable Planets’ lyrics have always been very socially and politically charged. What’s it like creating music in our current chaotic state?

Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler: Most artists are very sensitive, observant, and always have their ears to the ground. That being the case, if you’re an artist, you always create under the backdrop of what’s going on in society. Then you feel like you’re a part of a group of people where the establishment forces their hegemony on you and kills you, incarcerates you, and discriminates against you. If you sit down and make a song, it feels hard to be frivolous. There’s a lot of weight because you know you have a voice that’s going to reach more than a few people. For me, it affects the way I make music because a lot of times I feel angry, sad, upset, and revengeful when I want to just chill, get high, and make a song. So, it upsets your equilibrium. The times that we live in are so absurdly fucked up and a lot of people seem to be walking blindly through it. It’s a lot to create in this environment… more so than any other time, and I’ve been around for almost fifty years now. It’s a deep time.

It’s disheartening that a lot of the topics that you guys touched on in the early ‘90s are still prevalent.

Craig “Doodlebug” Irving: Since day one, those [issues] have always been a part of the Black experience in America. It hasn’t really changed, but it has in such small ways that it’s not really worth saying that it’s changed.

Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler: For the most part, revolutionary mentalities always have gone against the establishment, and the establishment was whiteness. But I think we’ve got to stop seeing whiteness as this edificial thing. With the amount of power and the reach of other cultures, I think we have to put whiteness aside as this thing that we always have to have in the back of our mind and rally against and try and convince that we can be accepted. Forget about all of that; just be happy with the space that we’ve carved out in this place. And that’s not to disrespect or disregard because there’s white stuff that goes on that I respect and think of as an important part of American culture as well. We always have this whiteness hanging over us that we’ve got to “do something about.” But I’m like fuck them in that way. When you look at it like that, you have to look at it and say they are in power. I think coexistence can beneÒt from that mentality.

What do you guys want listeners to know and understand about Digable Planets? How do you guys want to be remembered in the hip-hop world?

Craig “Doodlebug” Irving: In the end, we did what we felt and didn’t have any regrets. We tried to keep it as real as possible. I think people think we were authentic, and that’s all that matters.