Throwback: Naughty By Nature – Everything’s Gonna Be Alright…

Let me start off by saying this…Naughty By Nature is and was very under-rated. Treach was one of the best rappers back in the early 90’s. I can’t say the same about Vinnie, but when it comes to rap duos there’s always one person who tends to be better than the other.

Early in their career, Naughty By Nature (without trying) made music that was commercially successful despite the fact that the lyrical content wasn’t watered down or considered radio friendly….just go back and really listen to the lyrics in “O.P.P.” For commercial purposes O.P.P. stood for ‘Other Peoples Property’ but it was pretty clear from Treach’s lyrics that the last ‘P’ didn’t stand for property. In spite of the lyrics, this song was in heavy rotation on urban radio stations across America when it was released in 1991. It became such a hit that even the jacket Treach was wearing in the video became a fixture in urban fashion, and was dubbed the “O.P.P.” Jacket.

Later on in their career, it seemed like they started trying to make radio friendly/commercial songs in effort to reach the level of success they had previously attained. This was probably due to the fact that DJs were no longer breaking records that they considered hot, but were instead being told what records to break. I think Sean Price said it best, “I remember when DJs used to check for a record/ nowadays they want a check for a record.” That was when the radio use to play the same 50 songs over and over…instead of the same 5 songs over and over like they do now. Whatever the reason, Naughty By Nature slowly began to sound more commercial and somewhat corny and subsequently, they faded into Hip-Hop obscurity.

Naughty By Nature – Everything’s Gonna Be Alright

From beginning to end, this song details how so many children and young adults across America felt in the late 80’s/early 90’s and still feel today. Back when I first heard this song I thought it was an uplifting anthem about staying positive despite the obstacles that some children face growing up in poverty. Well not quite, it really just explained why those children find it hard to stay positive when they’re constantly being hammered with negativity that is often beyond their control. The paradoxical nature of “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” was what made it such a dope song to me. The song starts with the birth of a fatherless child and chronicles his life from that point up until early adulthood. In between each verse the chorus repeats…

Everything’s gonna be alright, (alright)
Everything’s gonna be alright, (alright)
And everything’s gonna be alright now (alright)
Everything’s gonna be alright, (alright)

Then immediately afterwards Treach goes on to tell you how everything in his life continues to be the opposite of alright…it actually gets worst. It’s funny because around the time this song came out my parents were separating and I was preparing to move from Chicago to Alabama. I remember hearing this song thinking “yeah, everything’s gonna be alright”, then after really listening to the lyrics I was like “hmmm…maybe not”. One of the most memorable lines is when Treach explains why his lyrics tend to focus on the more negative aspects of life by describing where he lives…

“…drop that, and now you want me to rap and give?/ say somethin‘ positive? Well positive ain’t where I live/ I live right around the corner from West Hell, 2 blocks from South Shit, and One Center Jail Cell…”

That’s a pretty fucked up location, just imagine your GPS giving you those directions…I’d bust a u-turn like a muhfucka. Shortly after that he goes on to ask (and answer) a series of questions that I’m sure crosses the mind of so many people, both young and old, everyday…

“How will I do it? How will I make it? I won’t, that’s how.”

…let’s just hope that they don’t come up with the same answer as him.