10B: A Tribe Called Quest
The hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest was formed in Queens, New York, in 1985. Members of the original group were known as Q-Tip, Phife Dog, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. They were inspired by many of the funk artists in the 1970s, including Stevie Wonder and Kool & the Gang.
They were part of a hip-hop style and community known as “Native Tongues,” which included several New York hip-hop groups in the late 1980s. At the time, most hip-hop was very angry. But the Native Tongues groups were upbeat. They were known for good-natured lyrics, Afrobeat rhythms, and jazz beats.
“Native Tongues” artists included A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, and De La Soul.
Early in their career, A Tribe Called Quest traveled from New York to the desert to shoot a video. Here’s a short video about that trip, and above Native Tongues.
A Tribe Called Quest’s first two albums were given perfect 5-star reviews by the hip-hop magazine The Source.
Their first album was called People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. It included the song “Can I Kick It?” It featured a sample from the Lou Reed song “Walk On the Wild Side.” Listen to the first 30 seconds of Lou Reed’s song.
Now, listen to what Tribe did with it in the opening riff. Hear it?
One writer called Tribe “the most intelligent, artistic rap group of the 1990s.” The band took bits of songs from artists they loved, and dispersed them into their music. Listen to the horns in the intro to “Footprints.” That’s lifted from Stevie Wonder’s song, “Sir Duke.”
They were known for the playfulness of their music and the rapid-fire rhymes of their lyrics. Many of their songs layered many sounds on top of each other. Here’s a song called “Camp Lo.”
The group had been recording a surprise album when Phife Dog died in March 2016. The remaining members still finished the album. Q-Tip and Ali reunited – to great fanfare – on the TV show Saturday Night Live that fall. It was their last public appearance.