Done by the Forces of Nature

Done By the Forces of Nature
Studio album by Jungle Brothers
Released	November 8, 1989
Recorded	1988–1989
Genre	Hip hop
Length	60:07
Label	Warner Bros. 9 26072-1
Producer	Jungle Brothers, Kool DJ Red Alert (exec.)
Professional reviews
Allmusic [1] The Boston Globe (favorable)[2] Chicago Tribune [3] Robert Christgau (A)[4] Los Angeles Times [5] New York Times (favorable)[6] Rolling Stone 1990[7] 2004[8] Trouser Press (favorable)[9] Virgin Encyclopedia [10] Yahoo! Music (favorable)[11]
Jungle Brothers chronology
Straight Out the Jungle (1988) Done by the Forces of Nature (1989) J Beez wit the Remedy (1993)

Done by the Forces of Nature is the second studio album by American hip hop group the Jungle Brothers, released November 9, 1989 on Warner Bros. Records.^[1] Recording sessions for the album took place in 1989 at Calliope Studios in New York City, and production was handled by the Jungle Brothers.^[12] It was mixed at Apollo Studios by Kool DJ Red Alert and the Jungle Brothers.^[12] The album's title may refer to a line from the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture, wherein Krishna says "Those who are deluded by the illusive power (Maya) of Nature become attached to the work done by the forces of nature," 3:28.

Done by the Forces of Nature peaked at number 46 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It also received rave reviews from music critics who praised its Afrocentric themes, clever lyrics, production, and eclectic sampling of music genres such as jazz, R&B, funk, and African music. Done by the Forces of Nature has been considered a golden age hip hop classic, as well as one of the greatest and influential hip hop albums of all time. In 1998, The Source magazine selected the album as one of its 100 Best Rap Albums.

Reception

Done by the Forces of Nature peaked at number 46 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It also received rave reviews from music critics who praised its Afrocentric themes, witty lyrics, funk-based sampling, and production.^{[1][2][3][13]} The album received four star ratings from both the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times publications.^[3][5] The former publication's Robert Tanzilo cited it as "one of the brightest records of the year".^[3] The latter's Duff Marlowe praised the album's diverse sound and lyrical themes, including social consciousness and individual self-realization.^[5] He wrote that the Jungle Brothers "present a vision of urbanized naturalism, a subversive and funky anti-intellectualism".^[5] The Boston Globe called Done by the Forces of Nature "some seriously intense music that makes the commercial raps of Tone-Loc and DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince sound like a child's play".^[2] The New York Times noted the album's lyrical allusions to hip hop and black culture that are "enriching an always solid dance beat".^[6]

Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars and praised its lyrical substance, stating "the Jungle Brothers' positive, spiritual vibe (a direct descendant of Earth, Wind and Fire's) is as hip as their music".^[7] Steve Huey of Allmusic praised the album's eclectic sound and sampling of music genres such as jazz, R&B, and African music.^[1] In comparing the album to the Jungle Brothers' landmark debut album, Straight Out the Jungle (1988), Huey wrote that Done by the Forces of Nature "feels more realized in many respects, and is arguably the more satisfying listen".^[1] French newspaper Le Monde called the album "brilliant", and The Village Voice's Robert Christgau gave it an A rating and stated:

Somehow these young Afro-New Yorkers have evolved a rap version of urban African pop at its most life-affirming: the boasts low-key, the propaganda beyond hostility, the samples evoking everything tolerant and humane in recent black-music memory, this is music designed to comfort and sustain.^[4]

—Robert Christgau

The album has been considered a classic of hip hop's golden age and one of the most influential albums in hip hop.^[10][14] It has also been described by critics as an "underrated classic".^[10][15] The Chicago Tribune's Rick Reger called it a "masterpiece ... one of hip-hop's most imaginative, engaging records".^[16] In retrospect, Rolling Stone's Nathan Brackett wrote "At their prime in the late '80s, the Jungle Brothers reflected all of hip-hop's potential – their second album, 1989's spiritual, street-wise Done by the Forces of Nature, was as conscious as it was funky and stands out as one of the most overlooked rap albums of that decade."^[17] Rolling Stone placed it thirty-seventh on its list of the 50 Coolest Records of All Time.^[18] In 1998, Done by the Forces of Nature was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.^[19]

Track listing

All songs composed by the Jungle Brothers, except "Doin' Our Own Dang", which was composed by De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers, Q-Tip, and Sister Monie.

Chart history

Personnel

• Jungle Brothers - design, reproduction
• DJ Red Alert - executive producer, mixing
• A Tribe Called Quest - performer
• De La Soul - performer
• KRS-One - performer
• Monie Love - performer
• Gregg Mann - engineer
• Greg Curry - engineer
• Dr. Shane Faber - keyboards, engineer
• Abdullah Rahman - artwork
• DJ Towa - design
• DJ Towa Towa - performer
• Caron Wheeler - performer

Notes

References

External links

• Done by the Forces of Nature at Discogs
• Masterpiece: Done by the Forces of Nature — By dkpresents
• Rap's Trip to a New and Surreal Territory — By The New York Times