Search - Bravehearts :: Bravehearted part 2

Bravehearts are part of a legacy of Hip Hop that's grown like a weed in a crack in the concrete of the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City. Originally signed to Columbia Records as part of Nas' Ill Will Records imprint and consisting of Jungle (Nas' younger brother), Wiz, Nashawn and Horse, Bravehearts first emerged in 1998, with a track on the soundtrack to the Hype Williams film "Belly." From there, the Nas protégés moved on to the "QB's Finest" compilation album followed by their full-length debut for Columbia. In the meantime, they appeared on 50 Cent's actual first album, the independent release "Guess Who's Back?" supporting 50 and Nas (prior to their beef), on the track "Who U Rep With". Their full-length debut entitled "Bravehearted" was released in late 2003. The album featured guest appearances from Nas, Lil Jon, Jully Black and Teedra Moses, and the group scored a hit single with the Lil Jon-produced track "Quick to Back Down." The full length went on to move nearly 200k in the US. In 2008 Bravehearts is comprised of Nasir Jones' young cousin Nashawn Jones, and Nas' brother, Jungle, aka Jibari Jones (son of jazz musician Olu Dara) with Nas cosigning and lending a verse here and there. This album is a return to their gritty Queensbridge roots, with rugged and innovative beats from little-known local producers, giving it an edge many say was absent from Nas' last album. The overall sound is startlingly amped-up at points becoming borderline dusted coming off like the bastard audio child of Madlib and Lil' Jon. Add beats that alternately make the Bomb Squad sound tame and recall the brilliant pop smash of Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life", with elements of the soulful minimal backing of 2000-era D'Angelo or Erykah Badu, and it's crazy. The independent nature of this release has resulted in a pure, unadulterated "artist's vision" album with Nashawn and Jungle's street lyric lending a rough edge to a well-rounded album, equal parts tough R&B and Queensbridge swagger.