Naughty by Nature is an American hip hop group formed in East Orange, New Jersey, in 1986, consisting of Treach (born Anthony S. Criss, December 2, 1970), Vin Rock (born Vincent E. Brown, September 17, 1970), and DJ Kay Gee (born Keir Lamont Gist, September 15, 1969). In 2025, Jeff Mezydlo of Yardbarker included the band in his list of "20 underrated bands from the 1990s who are worth rediscovering".
History
1980s Treach formed Naughty by Nature with Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee in 1986 as The New Style in East Orange, New Jersey, where they attended the same high school, East Orange Campus High School. They started to do talent shows, competing and performing in local clubs. The group first appeared on the music scene in 1989, releasing an album called Independent Leaders, and the album generated the minor hit "Scuffin' Those Knees". After the release of their first album, the group was mentored by fellow New Jersey native Queen Latifah, and subsequently changed their name. Queen Latifah introduced them to the label Tommy Boy Records and her management company.
1990s Naughty by Nature's first hit was "O.P.P.", which sampled the Jackson 5's hit "ABC" and was released in...
Extract from Wikipedia: “Naughty by Nature” (CC BY-SA 4.0).
