Naughty by Nature Makes Surprise Onstage Reunion After Years of Tension

New Jersey hip-hop trio Naughty by Nature haven't been on good terms for years, but on Sunday, October 27, they made a surprise appearance and reunited onstage.

Vincent “Vin Rock” Brown, Anthony “Treach” Criss, and Keir “Kay Gee” Gist showed up to a party in New Jersey on Sunday, which was hosted by hip-hop radio veteran Miss Jones, and they performed their track "Uptown Anthem" from their eponymous studio album. The song is perhaps most famous for showing up in Ernest Dickerson's 2Pac-starring drama thriller Juice. Several attendees of the party shared the clip of the surprise performance, which TMZ reports was unplanned.

Naughty by Nature first disbanded in 2002. The group had disagreements over finances and DJ Kay Gee left the band in 2000, resulting in the only Naughty by Nature album Treach and Vin Rock released as a duo, IIcons. They reconciled in 2006 but once again ran into issues in 2013, when Treach suggested Vin Rock was fired from the group. By 2015 they were said to be on amicable terms, but it sounds as though they're as good as they've ever been in 2024.

The trio is beloved in the hip-hop community for their string of wildly successful '90s albums. One of their most famous fans is Eminem, who admitted last year that he almost considered quitting rap because he thought he'd never be as good as Naughty by Nature or Nas. "When the first Naughty By Nature album dropped, that whole summer, I couldn't write a rap," he shared. "'I'll never be that good; I should just quit.' So I was depressed, but that's all I played for that summer."

Back in September, the hip-hop group returned to East Orange, New Jersey, for a hometown salute that included a basketball court dedicated to them. City officials and community members gathered at Oval Park on Eaton Place for a dedication ceremony in their honor.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for our city as we come together to celebrate and honor a group whose roots are firmly planted in this community, again – firmly planted in this community –Naughty by Nature,” Mayor Ted Green said, according to Patch.com

“From their humble beginnings here in East Orange, they've risen to worldwide fame, yet they've never forgotten where they come from,” the mayor continued. “Their success is our success, and today we are proud to dedicate the Oval Park basketball court in their name.”

As for whether this was a one-off reunion or the trio has more planned remains to be seen.