Originally published for the Bismarck State College Mystician back in November, 2007.
Genre: Indie Rap/Hip-Hop
These days, rap bridges into mainstream music through a repertoire of collective gimmicks. Rappers rely on bells and whistles such as spouting off catch phrases, repeating unoriginal choruses, "borrowing" lyrics and samples from previous songs. Go back 10 years or so, one would that the rap and hip-hop scene was very different. Alongside mainstream rappers like 2pac, Biggie and Ice Cube – who all showed impressive skills – there was a growing underground scene focused on more positive lyrical themes. One such group was A Tribe Called Quest.
Back in the 90s, A Tribe Called Quest emerged out of a growing underground scene. Tribe had originated from a collective group of rappers known as the Native Tongues Posse. These were artists focused around positive themes and more earthly beats and melodies. Among them were veterans such as De Le Soul and Jungle Brothers. They revolutionized the idea of sampling jazz and funk into their music. Their open forum of musical experimentation paved the way for the Instrumental Rap genre and its pioneers such as Mos Def.
A Tribe Called Quest sampled anything and everything and were known for obscure, yet oddly developed musical structure. Their lyrical style originally evolved from old school free-styling, incorporating many topical themes and upbeat positive imagery. While it evolved from traditional hip-hop of the 80s, the sound was considered unique at the time. Rap had recently taken a harder turn, with new acts such as Ice Cube focusing on misogyny, drugs and gang violence. Tribe's take on the hip-hop scene is said to have influenced many acts such as modern indie-rappers Little Brother and Slum Village, as well as more secular acts like Black Eyed Peas and Kanye West.
It was in 1990 that Tribe released their first full-length album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. The record got a great response from critics; however, it went unnoticed by most mainstream listeners at the time. Their single off the record "Can I Kick It" would finally get the group a little bit of well deserved attention.
After the group put out their next album, The Low End Theory, they became known for focusing on social themes such as racism. gang violence and date rape. Over the years, the group was enthralled with afrocentric issues and the controversies stemming out of secular rap. They grew especially concerned over the rivalry of east-coast and west-coast rappers.
Tribe called it quits in 1998 after releasing their fifth album, The Love Movement. The break-up was partly attributed to group member Phife Dawg's growing reluctance for the music. In an interview for the website Listd (www.listd.net) Phife said, "I started feelin' like I didn't fit in anymore . . . music felt like a job."
The group reunited in 2006 and held several sold out concerts. The group has yet to announce any possible upcoming reunions.
Latest Album:
The Love Movement
Notable Tracks:
"Can I Kick It?"
"Scenario"
"Buggin' Out"
"Jazz(We've Got)"
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