Naughty By Nature Returns To East Orange For Hometown Salute (VIDEO)

EAST ORANGE, NJ — When Keir Gist was a kid growing up in East Orange, he used to come to Oval Park to watch his brother play sports, spending much of his own time on the basketball courts. Later, he got his first job working as a camp counselor at the park – in the same program he was once part of. Now, he and the other members of hip hop pioneers Naughty by Nature will be a permanent fixture at the park with the unveiling of a new basketball court that bears their names.

On Friday, city officials and community members gathered at Oval Park on Eaton Place for a dedication ceremony to honor Vincent “Vin Rock” Brown, Anthony “Treach” Criss, and Keir “Kay Gee” Gist (watch video footage below, or view it online here).

A plaque at the new courts hints at the trio’s hometown hero status in East Orange, where the group first got their start in the music industry. It credits them with leaving an “indelible mark on hip hop culture around the world” – a sentiment that city officials elaborated on in a recent news release:

“All graduates of East Orange High School, Vinnie, Treach and Kay Gee grew up in the Teen Streets area near the park, colloquially known as ‘Down the Hill.’ Oval Park, once home to Negro League Baseball, recently completed Phase I of long overdue renovations, which included the rebuilding the basketball courts on which the men once played, a place that holds many fond memories for them. The bright orange and green-colored court, which will bear the iconic Naughty by Nature logo, was conceptualized from the group’s 30th Anniversary Tribute Album, 19NAUGHTYIII, which was remastered featuring the catchy anthem, ‘Hip Hop Hooray.’”

City administrator Solomon Steplight – another East Orange native who took part in local sports while growing up – credited the architects, engineers and public works employees who have been working on the park upgrades.

And it isn’t just a basketball court, he added – a mini-renaissance has been taking place at Oval Park over the past decade.

“This park has a football field, it has a running track, it has 100-yard dash, it has a state-of-the-art rain garden – five of them,” Steplight said, referring to a project that local students helped to get over the finish line.

Now, the park has a walking path. It has a playground. And as of last weekend, it also bears the name of some people who Steplight used to look up to when he “was a little guy running up and down Park Avenue.”

Mayor Ted Green also praised the group, who attended last week’s ceremony.

“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,” Green said.

“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 said. “Their success is our success, and today we are proud to dedicate the Oval Park basketball court in their name.”

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