Whether you like it or not, hip hop has changed, and no amount of whining is going to make it the way it used to be. Tribe is dead, Big Daddy Kane fell off and there's way too many hacks out there getting by on some shit. The Jungle Brothers are still together though, pioneers of that late '80s Afrocentric point of view, and now as far away from their trademark Native Tongues sound as you can possibly get. While enjoying some brand new fans and discovering the European rave circuit, Mike G and Afrika Baby Bam have morphed into the poster boys for bouncy electronica sounds and positive attitudes.

The funny thing is, they're enjoying every minute of it. After hooking up with Propellerhead producer Alex Gifford to release their latest album V.I.P., the JBs have been riding the hi-NRG train from Germany to Camdentown, wearing nothing but smiles on their faces. I talked to Mike G from a hotel in L.A. about the JBs jumping on the big beat bomb.

Mirror: Are you guys doing the summer festivals in Europe this year?

Mike G: I believe we got a few dates. We've got Belgium, Italy, and Brighton, so we'll be around.

M: Is there a big difference between doing shows in Europe and the U.S.?

MG: As of late, I don't think there has been. I think the audiences are both up to speed on what's going on today, so what's new in one part of the world might as well be new in another part. Now what's new in New York is also new in England. The DJ is everywhere, touring around, doing runs like Miami, Atlanta, Florida, London, Italy and Spain.

M: Did the U.S. embrace V.I.P. as quickly as Europe and the U.K. did?

MG: Nah. For the conservative hip hop fan, he probably doesn't even know that the album is out, let alone be sitting at home dissing it. But all our hardcore fans have been with us from the start. Right now we're playing in front of a lot of rave kids and that dance audience, so these are the people that are really embracing the JBs, loving the new direction and waiting for the next album already.

Mind expansion unit

M: You mentioned the conservative hip hop fan. Are you talking about a lack of open minds?

MG: Definitely, but I think that only goes with what radio is playing. You have hip hop heads that don't even go online. That same listener is pretty much getting all their updates from BET and MTV. You only have a set amount of people who really follow what's going on.

M: And the rest are just plain followers. Keeping an open mind, are you guys gonna come back around with another straight-ahead hip hop release?

MG: That might come back around, no doubt. But in true hip hop fashion, it's only right for us to keep our minds open and expanding.

M: True...

MG: Of course we could do what we did before, but there's so much more we could do. The feelin' has to be there, though. I can't just say yeah, we're gonna do it.

M: Have you met much criticism making the change from hip hop to big beat and more dance-oriented stuff? It's quite a transformation for you guys.

MG: We've been getting mad love. Not even on a musical standpoint, but just on the tip of staying together. People bug when they realize we've been together for like 15 years. Our message comes in many ways though. It comes through the music, the vision and it comes through the feeling.

M: Yo! What happened to Sammy B?

MG: Well, he pretty much got tired of the road. We had finished the Raw Deluxe album and we were trying to fit into that ready-made hip hop space. Sammy didn't feel like we had been given the response we deserved. It was starting to feel like work to him, not being home very often at all. We all got kids and stuff like that, so it's a hard business, man. You have to be physically and psychologically prepared to do what we do.

M: Were you happy with Raw Deluxe?

MG: Oh yeah, no doubt. I'm happy with every piece of work that the Jungle Brothers have put out.

They housed you

M: Do you consider what you've done with Alex Gifford a continuation of what you started with Todd Terry back in the day?

MG: Most definitely! This is definitely the continuation. It's funny because there's people out there who only know us for "I'll House You."

M: I know those people well.

MG: We did House of Blues two nights ago, and we rocked for an hour doing predominantly new stuff, but we still have those people who are screaming at you to do something from Straight out the Jungle or Done by the Forces of Nature.

M: What's been the hardest thing about releasing this record?

MG: Well, when you decide in the beginning that you're gonna expand your fan base, you really start to see where people are at and what they know of you.

M: Having now worked with Alex Gifford as your principal producer for V.I.P., is he an official JB now? Is he producing your next joint?

MG: We definitely want to work with Alex again, but he's working on the new Propellerheads album right now--we're gonna do some tracks on that album. We'll be bouncing off of each other for sure.

M: I know you've probably been asked this a million times, but when are you guys gonna do some shit with the boys from Tribe and De La again?

MG: God only knows, for real, man! (laughs) Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing. We're around each other frequently. Right before I left NYC I bumped into Q-Tip. I saw Ali Shaheed when we came out of the House of Blues the other night. We're about to do St. Louis and De La's supposed to be there at the same time, so we're always bumpin' heads. It's just that everybody's doing their own thing. We're halfway through our campaign for V.I.P., but De La is just about to start their campaign. We always meet up in the end, though. :