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Bios: Brand Nubian, Grand Puba & Sadat X
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Buy: Brand Nubian, Grand Puba, Sadat X & Lord Jamar
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Members
Grand Puba (Born Maxwell Dixon, March 4, 1966 in New Rochelle, NY)
Sadat X (P.K.A. Derek X) (Born Derek Murphy)
Lord Jamar (Born Lorenzo DeChalus, September 17, 1968 in New Rochelle, NY)
DJ Alamo

In God We Trust & Everything Is Everything Line-Up:
Sadat X (P.K.A. Derek X) (Born Derek Murphy)
Lord Jamar (Born Lorenzo DeChalus, September 17, 1968 in New Rochelle, NY)
DJ Sincere (Born Terrence Perry)

Albums
Brand Nubian - Fire In The Hole
Sadat X - The State Of New York vs. Derek Murphy

Also Featured On...
America Is Dying Slowly (Sadat X)
Big L - The Big Picture (Sadat X)
Mary J. Blige - What's The 411? (Grand Puba)
Common - Communication (Sadat X & Grand Puba)
Common - Uncommon Classics
Frankie Cutlass - Politics & Bullshit (Sadat X)
D&D Project II (Sadat X)
D.I.T.C. - Rare & Unreleased (Grande Puba & Sadat X)
D.I.T.C. - Rare & Unreleased E.P. (Grand Puba & Sadat X)
DJ Premier - Crooklyn Cuts Volume III: Tape A (Sadat X)
DJ Skribble's Traffic Jams 2000 (Grand Puba)
Everlast - Whitey Ford Sings The Blues (Sadat X)
FunkMaster Flex Presents The Mix Tape Volume 1: 60 Minutes Of Funk
Heavy D & The Boyz - Peaceful Journey (Grand Puba)
High School High (Sadat X & Grand Puba)
Juggaknots - Use Your Confusion (Sadat X)
K.M.D. - Mr. Hood
Kid Capri - Soundtrack To The Streets
Talib Kweli - Top Kwelity Classics Vol. 1 (Sadat X & Lord Jamar)
Menace II Society
Motown New Flavas Vol. 2 (Grand Puba)
Nas - Remix, Unreleased & Demos (Sadat X)
The Notorious B.I.G. - Born Again (Sadat X)
One Million Strong (Lord Jamal)
Oz (Lord Jamar)
Phuck U Symphony II: Fuck Song (Thug Radio Mixtape)
R.A. The Rugged Man - Legendary Classics Volume 1 (Sadat X)
Raekwon - The BabyGrande Recordings (Lord Jamar)
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca And The Soul Brother (Grand Puba)
Sean Price - Jesus Price Supastar (Sadat X)
Shaggy - Mr. Lover, Lover: The Best Of Shaggy, Vol. 1 (Grand Puba)
Sharkey - Sharkey's Machine (Grand Puba)
Slam
Soundbombing II (Sadat X & Grand Puba)
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (Sadat X & Lord Jamar)
2Pac - The O.G. Project (Grand Puba)
2Pac - Rare & Unreleased (Grand Puba)
2Pac - The A Cappella Archive (Grand Puba)
Wu-Tang Chamber Music (Sadat X)

Bio From AllMusic.Com
The Five Percent Nation of Islam was a popular inspiration for numerous thinking-man's rap groups during the early '90s, and Brand Nubian was arguably the finest of the more militant crop. Although they were strongly related to the Native Tongues posse in style and sound, they weren't technically members, and were less reserved about spotlighting their politics and religion. Their outspokenness led to controversy, on an even larger scale than similarly minded groups like the X-Clan or Poor Righteous Teachers, in part because Brand Nubian's sheer musicality made them so listenable regardless of what their messages were. The hoopla surrounding their aggressive Afrocentrism sometimes overshadowed the playful and positive sides of their work, as well as the undeniable virtuosity of lead MC Grand Puba's rhymes — all showcased to best effect on their highly acclaimed debut, One for All.

Brand Nubian was formed in 1989 in the New York suburb of New Rochelle. Grand Puba (born Maxwell Dixon) had previously recorded with a group called Masters of Ceremony, and was joined by Sadat X (born Derek Murphy, originally dubbed Derek X), Lord Jamar (born Lorenzo DeChalus), and DJ Alamo (Murphy's cousin). The group signed with Elektra and released their debut album, All for One, in 1990. Most reviews were glowing, but the stronger rhetoric on the album — especially the track "Drop the Bomb" — drew fire from some quarters, including some white Elektra employees reluctant to promote what they saw as reverse racism. Ultimately, the uproar didn't really hurt Brand Nubian's career, but neither did it produce a wider hit with pop or R&B audiences, despite the high regard in which the singles "All for One," "Slow Down," and "Wake Up" are held. A far more serious blow was Grand Puba's departure from the group in late 1991, owing to tensions that had arisen over his handling the lion's share of the rapping. Not only did Brand Nubian lose their clear focal point and chief producer, they also lost DJ Alamo, who elected to continue working with Puba.

Puba released his solo debut, Reel to Reel, in 1992; meanwhile, Lord Jamar and Sadat X regrouped with DJ Sincere (born Terrence Perry) and issued In God We Trust in 1993. It sold fairly well, just missing the Top Ten on the R&B chart, and the single "Punks Jump up to Get Beat Down" was something of a hit, though it also drew fire for its anti-gay slurs. In Puba's absence, the pro-Islam rhetoric grew stronger, with more explicit support for the controversial Minister Louis Farrakhan. By the time of 1994's Everything Is Everything, they'd gotten downright dogmatic, and critics who'd previously defended the group now found them difficult to stomach, both lyrically and musically.

In the wake of the icy reception afforded Everything Is Everything, the remaining members of Brand Nubian drifted apart. Sadat X reunited with Grand Puba for "Play It Cool," a track on the latter's second solo album; Sadat also released his solo debut, Wild Cowboys, in 1996, and subsequently guested on records by a new wave of underground hip-hoppers. Lord Jamar, meanwhile, moved into production, and also landed a recurring role on HBO's prison drama Oz. In 1998, with a new alternative rap movement gaining prominence, the original four members of Brand Nubian reunited for the Arista album Foundation, which received highly positive reviews. Grand Puba and Sadat X both subsequently returned to their solo careers, but they returned with Jamar and Alamo for 2004's Fire In The Hole. - Steve Huey

Grand Puba's Bio From AllMusic.Com
Maxwell Dixon, better known as Grand Puba, is best-known for fronting Brand Nubian for the group's first album — and the excellent full-blown reunion album, 1998's Foundation — but he actually made his commercial debut with the Masters of Ceremony, a group who released a 1988 album (Dynamite) on 4th & Broadway. Puba went solo with 1992's Reel to Reel, which featured the excellent singles "360 Degrees (What Goes Around)" and "Check It Out" (with Mary J. Blige). Never the most prolific rap artist, it took three years for a sophomore release (1995's 2000), and his third album (the lackluster Understand This) didn't come until 2001. Throughout his career, his lyrical schemes have been drizzled with the influence of his Nation of Islam beliefs. - Andy Kellman

Sadat X's Bio From AllMusic.Com
As a member of Brand Nubian, Sadat X (born Derek Murphy) was one of the key MCs who related messages inspired by the Five Percent Nation. Two years after Brand Nubian's third album, Everything Is Everything, he made his solo debut with Wild Cowboys, which built on his lyrical reputation on top of tough, jazz-inflected arrangements. The album, featuring production from Diamond D and Buckwild, was a solid solo debut that didn't quite scale the heights of his legacy with Brand Nubian. No Better Way, also released in 1996, improved on the debut and was produced by a cast that opened up to include Da Beatminerz and Pete Rock. Sadat teamed back up with Brand Nubian for 1998's Foundation, but he didn't appear again as a solo artist until The State of New York vs. Derek Murphy, an EP released on Relativity in 2000. With a full-time job as a special-education teacher, it took five years before his next album, 2005's Experience & Education, was released, but 2006 saw another full-length, Black October, which was recorded while Sadat X awaited the possibility of prison time for carrying a loaded gun. - Andy Kellman

Official Site: Sadat X's MySpace, BabyGrande (Lord Jamar), Lord Jamar's MySpace & Grand Puba's MySpace