Flashback Video of the Day: Leaders of the New School

Leaders of the New School was a Hip-Hop group consisted of 3 Long Island MCs, Dinco D, Busta Rhymes & Charlie Brown and DJ Cut Monitor Milo.

You can see the start of the infamous energy that Busta Rhymes is known for (good for those seeing a concert and future videos, bad if you were getting a beatdown by a over 6 foot tall fellow of the Five Percent Nation/member of the Nation of Gods & Earths) by checking out these videos.

I liked this particular era because you could be a bit goofy and acutally have FUN in a video as a Black Man without too many cats testing one's sense of self (not coon-y, there is a difference).

It seems at times in mainstream media if you're not a Black Man with an apparently botoxed-in scowl or ice grill, folks don't consider folks to be "real" at any age (or too real - but that's a whole other rant for another day much less how Black Women are portrayed and I don't have that much free time at the 9 to 5 today at the present).

The album this first video came from, A Future Without A Past, was released in 1991 and is a definitive classic to me. It's a little bit dated more so for the interludes (Homeroom, Lunchroom and Afterschool?) than the beats, which are still on point and crazy today.

Leaders of the New School only released one more album (T.I.M.E.) before breaking up with a lot of animosity amongst each other (the foundation reason for why no one really has expressed all of the details as of the date of this posting, but who knows?) and each member going solo, with Busta Rhymes being the most commerically successful with mulitple solo and group releases.

As you see in the video, Busta in the past 16 years (DAMN, time flies) has gone on the LL Cool J workout regimen and bulked up like a mofo. He's still a beast on the mic but his music is definitely less fun than it used to me - he's been through a bit the past few years besides getting older, so perhaps that happens.

Here goes the videos, ladies and gents:

Leaders Of The New School - Case Of The P.T.A.



Leaders of the New School - Sobb Story



Bonus Video (one of the best posse cuts of ALL TIME in Hip-Hop): A Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of the New School - Scenario



Leaders of the New School Wikipedia Listing

Dinco D MySpace Page

Busta Rhymes Website

Can't find a website for Charlie Brown yet...if folks know, let's a sis know!