British funk band Cymande are finally getting their flowers

When Cymande released their self-titled debut album in 1972, their unique blend of calypso, reggae, funk and jazz struck a chord with American audiences.

Back home in the U.K., the band was largely ignored.

The children of Caribbean immigrants, band founders Steve Scipio and Patrick Patterson recall what it was like watching Black musicians from the U.S. being embraced in the U.K., even when they themselves were not.

“I think they were seen as less of a threat,” Scipio says. “They just came and did their gigs and went back to the United States. Whereas, we were there on a permanent basis. They were less tolerant.”

Decades later, Cymande found a new fanbase as the band’s old records became a sampling goldmine for hip-hop acts like De La Soul, Fugees and Wu-Tang Clan.

Now, the legendary British band has returned with Renascence, their first studio album in nearly a decade. Today, Patterson and Scipio join us to recount the early years of Cymande and the road to their legendary comeback.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.