Jungle Brothers have been around since hip hop’s Golden Era, and they continue to adapt creatively to the changing soundscapes of both hip hop and DJ culture. Afrika Baby Bam and Mike G have been experimenting since they first appeared (then with DJ Sammy B) on the NYC hip hop scene with the release of the ground-breaking Straight Out The Jungle in 1988. Their raw, energetic debut included “I’ll House You” a bona fide international hit. A prototype for later envelope-pushing crews like the Wu-Tang Clan, the Jungle Brothers were among the first groups to aggregate a like-indeed posse of fellow rappers that became the legendary Native Tongues: De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love and Black Sheep.

Free to sample and manipulate in a more sophisticated setting, the JBs mixed up breaks and beats that recalled the Bronx block parties of their youth, incorporating elements from jazz, soul, and funk classics. The resulting album, Done By The Forces Of Nature, ranks with other masterpieces of the era like the Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique.

Known for their hybrids. Shortly after the band’s chance introduction to jungle on UK radio, British drum and bass duo Urban Takeover (Aphrodite and co-conspirator Mickey Finn) took the eponymous “Jungle Brother” and made it something completely new. The track introduced the sound of jungle to hip hop culture all over the globe, becoming an anthem of the massive drum and bass assault on the U.S. club scene in mid-’98, and spawning a generation of drum and bass remixes of hip hop hits.

Keep It Jungle was originally scheduled for release in 2019, but it eventually came out in April 2020. Just in time to get us through lockdown. The album shows that 31 years after their debut album the JBs have still got it and they sure do Keep It Jungle.