Dirt Nation

Underground hip-hop trio comprising JB (Brooklyn, New York), KD (Jamaica, West Indies) and E Depp (New Jersey). Specialising in smooth, easily palatable (at least musically) goods, Dirt Nation’s debut 45" "Khadijah", became a summer 1993 hit throughout urban America. Quoting Curtis Mayfield, Jimmy McGriff and Marvin Gaye, and alluding to the golden age of soul in its mellow rhythms too, "Khadijah" was a tribute to the womenfolk often degraded as ‘bitches’ and ‘ho’s’ in gangsta rhymes. The group met at school in Maryland, relocating to Manhattan in search of a record contract. There they recorded their debut single, plus a track with rapper Biggie Smalls (Mary J. Blige). Their debut album’s title was lifted from the movie of the same name, while a collaboration with Guru of Gang Starr was also mooted.