A Tribe Called Quest

First post in November. Let's start this month with A Tribe Called Quest. If you checked on this blog frequently, then you should know that i'm a fan of a good hip hop. Talking about Hip Hop, you can't not talk about A Tribe Called Quest. A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group formed in 1985, consists of Q-Tip, Phife Dawg a.k.a. Phife Diggy, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White. They are known as one of the most influential and groundbreaking hip-hop group ever known and being associated with acts like Pete Rock, The Roots, Jungle Brothers, Native Tongues Posse, De La Soul, Jay Dee a.k.a. J.Dilla, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, D'Angelo, Beastie Boys, L.O.N.S., and respectively gave inspiration for names like Pharrell Williams, Common, Consequence (Q-Tip's cousin) and Kanye West. Their touch of classic Jazz music, bumpin' Hip-hop beats and well Rap lyrics are things that make their music so good.

A Tribe Called Quest has released 5 albums, started with People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), followed by The Low End Theory (1991), Midnight Marauders (1993), Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996) and The Love Movement (1998). They also released some compilations, remixes and rarities album, including Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller (1992), The Anthology (1999), Hits, Rarities & Remixes (2003) and The Lost Tribes (2006). 

Earlier this year, i got my Beats, Rhymes and Life : The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest DVD at Colette, Paris. And even though I always a fan of the group, I never knew that there were so much stories behind their legendary success. The documentary film was directed by Michael Rapaport (yeah you might known him from several TV shows like Friends, Prison Break and Accidentally on Purpose). You might tell how he's a fan of Hip Hop cause he appeared on some Hip Hop videos by Talib Kweli, Jay Z, or J.Dilla & Madlib.

Being in the music industry for more than 20 years, ATCQ have had their ups and downs. Their albums has reached platinum and they have been nominated for several Grammy Award Nominations, and regarded as iconic pioneers of alternative hip hop music. In 2005, A Tribe Called Quest received a Special Achievement Award at the Billboard R&B Hip Hop Awards and also formally honored at the 4th VH1 Hip Hop Honors. Aside from their awards and huge success, the group has dealt with lots of trouble. Jarobi left the group and rejoined in 1991, Phife Dawg suffers from diabetes and stuffs, Q-Tip's fight with his childhood friend, Phife, and Ali had to see the group reached the bottom when ATCQ suddenly break-up in 1998, and shocked the hell out of their fans, friends and families.

They went their separate ways, and each of 'em got busy with their own projects. Ali with projects like Tony! Toni! Tone! with Raphael Saadiq, and then continued with the Lucy Pearl project with D'Angelo. Phife went solo and released track produced by Jay Dee and Pete Rock. The most successful from them three is Q-Tip. He released gold certified album, Amplified (1999), and continued with Kamaal The Abstract, and The Renaissance (2008). Tip has worked with the names of Norah Jones, Kanye West, R.E.M., the Black Eyed Peas, Mark Ronson, and DJ Statik Selektah (which seemed to produce some of ATCQ's track on 2012 album).

After years of separation, the group finally reunited for the first time in 2004 for a show, and fully reunited in 2006, performed several sold-out concerts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Interesting stuff said by Phife, it was :

"Man, We were only 18-19 when we first got started. When we broke up, we were still like 28. Now we are 35-36, It would be real different being in the studio, it would be real interesting to see where Q-Tip is. It would all be on a much higher level. But we are all into such different stuff from way back then. We would need at least a solid month to work on something. Trying to get all of us together for that much time.. I don't see that happening."

But, as they actually owed Jive Records one more in their six album contract, it seems that the year 2012 is the year when they finally releasing their final album. Is this "Abstract Revelations" is their final album? The album is filled with a bunch of tracks from their own and their friends where they are featured on it. When will the real 6th album's gonna be released? Check out A Tribe Called Quest's tracks below

 

Q-Tip performed medley of Tribe's tracks when promoting his album back in 2008. Nice performance even without Phife, but the crowd looked dead to me. Thank god there's a girl who actually loves ATCQ.

ATCQ hanging with Consequence and The Roots crew, doing a freestyle back in the mid 1990's.

A Grand Tribute to A Tribe Called Quest by Common, Pharrell Williams, Lupe Fiasco and Busta Rhymes.

A full album preview of Abstract Revelations (2012)