Naughty by Nature
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
Naughty By Nature repeated their success with the 1993 follow-up album, 19 Naughty III, which produced another ubiquitous crossover smash in the hey! ho! chant of Hip Hop Hooray; the album hit the Top Five and, like its predecessor, went platinum. 1995s Povertys Paradise was the groups final album for Tommy Boy; though it didnt spawn any major hits, it went on to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album. A recording hiatus of several years followed; during that time, Treach pursued his acting career, most notably landing a recurring role on the HBO prison drama Oz; and Kay Gee greatly expanded his outside production work, helming records for Zhané, Aaliyah, Krayzie Bone, and Next, among others. Even outside of music, the group made headlines; in 1997, both Treach and Vinnie were arrested in Harlem for illegal weapons possession, and, in 1999, Treach married Pepa, of Salt-N-Pepa (a union that would dissolve two years later). Also in 1999, Naughty By Nature finally returned with a new album on Arista, titled 19 Naughty Nine: Natures Fury. Jamboree, featuring Zhané, was a sizable hit, but though the group looked to be back on track, Kay Gee departed to concentrate full-time on his production career. Treach and Vinnie struck a deal with TVT, and the first Naughty By Nature album as a duo, IIcons, was released in early 2002.
