Platinum Pied Pipers

Platinum Pied Pipers -- producers/musicians Waajeed (one of Slum Village's founders) and Saadiq (a student of Motown heavyweight songwriter Barrett Strong) -- debuted on Ubiquity's second Rewind! compilation in 2002. Though they covered Faze-O's "Riding High" and Bobby Caldwell's "Open Your Eyes," they made it evident early on that their sound would be just as hip-hop-oriented as anything else. They recorded their first album, 2005's Triple P (Ubiquity), with a cast of MCs and vocalists that included Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Tiombe Lockhart, Steve Spacek, Ta'Raach, Jay Dee, and Invincible. Abundance, a more upfront and R&B-oriented return set, followed in January 2009. Coultrain, Karma Stewart, and Jamila Raegan provided lead vocals. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi