Naughty by Nature is an American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey, consisting of Treach (Anthony Criss), Vin Rock (Vincent Brown), and DJ Kay Gee (born Keir Lamont Gist).

Treach formed Naughty by Nature with Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee in 1986 as The New Style[1] in East Orange, New Jersey,[2] where they attended the same high school.

After the release of their first album, the group was mentored by fellow New Jersey native Queen Latifah,[3] and subsequently changed their name.

Fellow New Jersey native Tony D accused Naughty by Nature of stealing a sample from his album Music Makes You Move and using it on "O.P.P."

[citation needed] Naughty by Nature scored a hit with the track "Uptown Anthem" from the soundtrack to the 1992 film Juice, in which Treach had a cameo appearance.

[7] Treach began to pursue an acting career after befriending Tupac Shakur on the set of Juice, and Naughty by Nature appeared in the 1993 film The Meteor Man as a street gang.

In the mid-1990s, Naughty by Nature started their own music imprint, Illtown Records, and in 1995 released an album from their protégés the Rottin Razkals.

The album was fairly successful, being certified Gold by the RIAA, and spawned the hit "Jamboree" that peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In March 2012, following the release of a documentary on fellow New Jersey–based hip hop group Sugar Hill Gang, Naughty by Nature performed in Asbury Park, NJ at the Garden State film festival.

[11] In May 2013, frontman Treach shocked fans when he revealed that Vin Rock had been "fired" from the group after failing to put in the same amount of energy as himself and DJ Kay Gee.

[13] In January 2016, in celebration of their 25th anniversary, Naughty by Nature posted the video for their song "God Is Us" from Anthem Inc. to their YouTube channel.