New York's Brand Nubian, led by the outspoken Grand Puba (Maxwell Dixon), released one of the most powerful of the militant albums conceived under the influence of Public Enemy: One For All (1990). Unfortunately, Puba left the group right away, and the others became puppets of Black Islamic nationalism on pathetic works such as In God We Trust (1993) and Everything Is Everything (1994).

Grand Puba released his first solo album, Reel to Reel (1992), followed by two more. Sadat X put out two solo albums.

The original Brand Nubian reunited in 1998 and released Foundation (1998). Even stronger was Fire In The Hole (2004), that finally tried to recapture the spirit of the debut album.