Da Bush Babees is a group of underground hip-hop artists loosely affiliated
with the Native Tongues. The members of the group are Babe-B-Face
Kaos (later Lee Majors), Mister Man (later Mr. Khaliyl) and Y-Tee.
The three grew up in Jamaica and Trinidad, and hence reggae strongly
influenced its style, but it was in 1992 in Brooklyn, NY, where Mister
Man first saw Kaos perform, that the group was formed. The two began
collaborating, and after Mister Man suggested adding a reggae toaster,
Y-Tee joined the group. After their early concert dates attracted
major-label interest, the trio performed live office auditions and
signed with Reprise three months after launching the group. Their
first album, Ambushed (1994), featured production from Jermaine Dupri,
Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Salaam Gibbs (later known as Salaam Remi) and
the group itself, among others. Later releases included "Remember
We" in 1995 and their 1996 second album Gravity, which was the
group's first underground and commercial success. Its lead single, "The
Love Song", was produced by Posdnous of De La Soul; that single
also featured a then-unknown Mos Def singing the chorus, who also
sang the chorus and rapped the third verse of the album's seventh
track, "S.O.S".
Mr. Man later changed his nickname to Mr. Khaliyl and went on to
produce for other artists, and also released a rare 12-inch single
on Rawkus featuring Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and DCQ. Mr. Man
has also recently produced for such artists as Res and Fabolous.
Discography
* Ambushed (1994)
* Gravity (1996)
* The Hardest Hard (TBA)