DJ Filthy Rich "The Low End Theory" (30th Ann. Mix)

Celebrating 30 years of A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory, Toronto's DJ Filthy Rich is back with another phenomenal anniversary mix! How do you follow up a 5-mic debut album?? With a 5-mic sophomore LP! Everything about this album is a MASTERPIECE... from the abstract cover art, to the jazz-infused production emphasizing the LOW END, to the rhymes traded effortlessly between Q-Tip and Phife (R.I.P.). Genius-level artistry. Filthy Rich shares, "This album represented a defining moment in hip hop, so I HAD to pay tribute with a mix incorporating the original samples, remixes, and blends." 30 years! Wow, it feels like yesterday. Dig into this 30th Anniversary mixtape below...

A Tribe Called Quest "Beats, Rhymes & Life" (July 30, 1996)

Adulthood. On Beats, Rhymes and Life, A Tribe Called Quest has crafted the ideal soundtrack for moving out of your parents' house. Maturity and spirituality are the underlying, predominant themes bounced between Q-Tip and Phife on their fourth go-round since 1990's classic People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Still, in typical Tribe fashion, these ideas transmit to the listener through a gradual, almost subliminal, process of absorption; overall, Beats is as fun and funky as any of their earlier output. Q-Tip's recent conversion to Islam surely accounts for the thematic direction of Beats, Rhymes and Life, evidenced in a couplet from "Get a Hold": "I praise the lord of the worlds that's unseen / Respect me for that and let do my thing." Elsewhere, on "What Really Goes On," the Abstract expresses a change in his libido: "I used to stress girls with long braids and long hair / Now I want a woman with a spiritual flair." In fact, the linchpin to Beats, Rhymes and Life occurs with Tip's moment of clarity after yet another night of party and bullshit from four years ago. It will recall, for anyone who's been there, the point in young adulthood where hanging out, getting lifted and collecting phone numbers starts to ring hollow. "I'm 22 years old, and I get crazy high every time I go to a party," Q-Tip laments after the organ-driven, guitar-laced housequake, "The Jam." "And this stupid shit be jumping off. I can't have this no more. I gotta find something new, man." As founding members of the newly-reinstated hip-hop bohemian clique Native Tongues, A Tribe Called Quest is undoubtedly expected to address the negative, self-destructive, gats n' blunts slant of today's rap music. On the very first track, "Phony Rappers," Phife relates his victory in battle with an emcee who rhymed weakly about "his .45, and. nickel bags of weed," then rationalized his loss with, "I need a Philly right before I get loose." Later, on "Where Ya At," Phife admonishes, "All that glock-toting trash you talk, it won't prevail / It's stale / You'd either be dead or in jail." Q-Tip even speaks on the tired East/West debate: "Let me let you brothers know, I ain't no West coast disser... I ain't got no beef, so don't come in my face" (from "Keep It Moving"). // (Cont'd below) ...

Q-Tip joins in producing Beats, Rhymes and Life with erstwhile Tribe producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jay Dee (of Pharcyde, Busta Rhymes and De La Soul fame). The collective, known as The Ummah, strike a musical balance somewhere between the jazziness of The Low End Theory and the acute beats from Midnight Marauders. Indeed, if every Tribe album has reflected a different hip-hop genre--Afrocentricity, jazz-rap, post-gangsta--Beats can be best pegged as continuing in the vein of Marauders. Largely due to Ali's perfectionism, Tribe can be credited for creating the most quality-consistent recordings in rap music, rivaled only by De La Soul. Thus it's disappointing that the presence of vocalist Faith Evans on "Stressed Out" and Tammy Lucas "1nce Again" proves detrimental to both tracks, sounding like an attempt to smooth the Tribe out on an R&B tip. Similarly, Q-Tip's cousin, Consequence doesn't add to the flavor of Beats like guests of past albums -- Leaders of the New School, Brand Nubian. But the music throughout Beats proves the Ummah to be the most proficient in the rap game at using samples as instruments in themselves. A cogent argument from way back for rap being a passing fad was that rappers couldn't continue to rhyme about their radios or sneakers when aging into their twenties and thirties. As hip-hop grows older as a culture, albums have begun to reflect the maturing interests of the twentysomething generation that grew up on it. Q-Tip has evolved from the mack mindset of "Bonita Applebum" and "Electric Relaxation," to the self-questioning refrain of "What Really Goes On": "I got some girls with plenty tails, smarts and big titties / And they all stressing me / Yo, really?" It sounds like the juncture in young adulthood that leads to a serious monogamous relationship and marriage; Q-Tip sounds 26. That artistic honesty alone is enough to praise Beats, Rhymes and Life. - The Source.

DJ MK "Best of A Tribe Called Quest" (Mixtape)

Straight from London, UK, DJ MK has put together a classic tribute mix to the legendary hip-hop crew from Queens, A Tribe Called Quest. As you might expect, DJ MK dives into their classic catalog of LPs, some rare cuts and remixes, plus a few other gems from the crew. You can't go wrong with a best of mix paying homage to a crew that blessed us with so many consistent albums and undisputed classics. You can also download the mix, broken into four parts, HERE. Dig into the archives for more mixes from DJ MK, definitely one of the best to touch the 1s and 2s... Turn it up!

A Tribe Called Quest "We Got It From Here..." (November 11, 2016)

The first album in 18 years from exploratory, jazz-traveling rap heroes A Tribe Called Quest effortlessly chronicles the chaotic crescendo of the 2016 election: a warning of “mass un-blackening,” dark-humored crooning about intolerance and perceptive words about the media’s culpability in everything.... Recorded well before the election, it serves as the hands-down best musical release valve the confused and angry segment of America has gotten since Election Day. As Q-Tip says in “Melatonin”: “The world is crazy and I cannot sleep.” In addition, the band itself was rocked to their foundation earlier this year when Phife, the group’s “high-strung voice,” passed away at age 45. The shadow of his death is the other overarching theme of We Got It From Here, the remaining members paying honor on multiple songs, most poignantly when de facto leader Q-Tip spins a nearly verse-long tribute, delivering a rap as Phife himself on “Black Spasmodic.” It’s important to check the vibe throughout. Entire books can be written about how the sound, identity, location, phrasing, technical innards and even purpose of rap music has changed since A Tribe Called Quest’s last album, The Love Movement, in 1998. But Tribe, in both delivery and content, maintain the attitude of the Bohemian everydude funkonauts that inspired Kanye, Andre 3000 and Kendrick (who all appear here). Lyrically, they’re still popping the bubbles of hip-hop fantasy and examining their egos instead of inflating them. Technically, Q-Tip is in a particular school of awesomely stubborn Nineties MCs who only let their flows grow more complex, internally knotty and speedy with age; as opposed to the Jay Z route of always trying to understand what makes modern rap tick. Cont'd...

On opening track “The Space Program” Q-Tip spills, “We about our business, we not quitters, not bullshitters, we deliver/We go-getters, don’t be bitter ’cause we not just n!ggas.” The usually more elusive MC Jarobi brings his hard-rhyming A-game too, and longtime associates like Busta Rhymes and Consequence play berserk supporting roles. A record rooted in anxiety and mourning, We Got It From Here remains musically as dark and electrically relaxed as 1996’s Beats, Rhymes and Life and 1998’s The Love Movement. With help from visionary producer J Dilla, those critically mixed, commercially sturdy records were moody, muted, experimental, deeply funky and remarkably prescient, but ultimately unable to wrangle the proper amount of attention in the shiny-suit era. We Got It From Here checks in with similarly off-kilter but undeniably grooving beats. Tribe utilize the Dilla innovation of letting samples clash at odd angles; they let a copy of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” skip endlessly until the real John pops in for a guest spot, and the drum beat to “Lost Somebody,” one of the album’s Phife tributes, doubles up and separates from itself like a Steve Reich phasing experiment before abruptly slamming into total silence. In a contemporary move, Tribe abandon the Nineties hip-hop format and allow for modern musical and melodic sprawl, like a guitar solo from Jack White, a psychedelic keyboard detour or a spiraling verse from Anderson Paak. One of the most timeless rap groups ever has returned with a record that doesn’t sound like 1996, but doesn’t sound like 2016 either. It’s imbued with the same feeling of “Push It Along” that they’ve had from the beginning. The biggest complaint is the one thing they couldn’t control: The entire thing feels like it needs a whole lot more of Phife Dawg’s scrappy humor, personality and playful back-and-forth. His absence is not only lamented and honored, it’s also felt. - Rolling Stone.

J.PERIOD Presents "The Live Mixtape" (Marauders Edition)

J.Period blesses us once again... this is another installement in The Live Mixtape series. The Marauders Edition was recorded live on May 4, 2020 and pays tribute to A Tribe Called Quest. Queens Represent! It's not the first mix that J.Period has done for Q-Tip or Tribe, but this tribute goes all the way in with fresh remixes featuring De La Soul, Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, Lil' Wayne, Nas, Craig Mack, Consequence, Kid Cudi, Mary J. Blige, Andre 3000, Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, Large Professor, Jungle Brothers, Black SHeep, and more. J.Period's mixes are incredible...

ATCQ "People's Instinctive Travels..." (30th Anniversary)

On April 10th, 1990, A Tribe Called Quest released their iconic debut album People’s Instinctive Travels and The Paths Of Rhythm. Hip-Hop journalist and historian Dart Adams wrote a really great article on the legacy of Tribe's debut for OkayPlayer, here's a excerpt: "Jarobi White’s narration turned a bunch of random songs into a full body of work. It was an album reminiscent of the jazz, funk, and soul LPs from the late ’60s to the mid ’70s that I was digging through at record stores around this time. The production especially stood out to me. The sequencing of tracks and the way it flowed took a 14-year-old me on another ride beside the one I was already on. I felt like A Tribe Called Quest was consciously taking the listener along with them on their travels, while I was going through my own quest trying to discover myself. Listening to the album for the first time was one of those moments where I placed a mental bookmark on what an album could and should sound and feel like going forward." Please read the full article at OkayPlayer, and below is a video from 2018 of Scarface breaking down the significance of Tribe's debut and why the LP was so inspirational to him. Dig into the tags/labels below for a ton of content on various Tribe releases (solo and as a group).

Recommended Reading: "Go Ahead In The Rain"

This is the 3rd book by Hanif Abdurraqib. It is a love letter to a group, a sound, and an era. It is called "Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest." To be 100% honest, at the time of this post, I have not yet read this book. However, it is #1 on my Amazon shopping list and I've heard nothing short of amazing reviews by people I respect and thus, I absolutely consider this recommended reading. In Chapter 2, "Once Upon a Time In Queens," Abdurraqib says "...the first bits of hip-hop were born out of DJs breaking apart funk and disco beats and relegating every other sound to a graveyard until all that was left was the percussion, cut up into small, danceable portions for the people in the audience to sweat to." And so it goes... help me find my way. You can and should order the book HERE! If you've read it, drop a comment or hit me with YOUR feedback.

A Tribe Called Quest, Represent! Represent!

This is an album that is so perfect and so cohesive ... yet, sometimes I oddly forget to mention it amongst my favorite albums of all-time. Maybe ... it's because I felt like that after Midnight Marauders, too? Come to think of it, I don't often place any of Gang Starr's albums in my favorite of all-time either, even though they were my favorite group and I ran "Daily Operation," "Hard to Earn," AND "Moment of Truth" 'til the tapes popped. It seems easier to choose a stand-out like "Illmatic" or "Liquid Swords" or "OB4CL" because that was the bar for that artist. If that comes off wrong or puts shade on their other releases, that's not my intention. When I really sit with it, "The Low End Theory" is 100% on my top list, so is Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's "Mecca & The Soul Brother" and a new school classic like Blu & Exile's "Below The Heavens." I like my albums sonically consistent. I like life before there was a skip button and artists crafted albums with the cassette tape in mind - no one wanted to fast forward through an album and burn up their batteries, lol. Have me out here with a pencil, skipping tracks manually, looking type crazy. In any event, I miss Phife, may he Rest In Peace, and I don't think there will ever be a group like them again. I do love that Jarobi stepped back in, I got a ton of love for him, and if there are more things from Tribe, I'm totally here for it. Thank you for giving us classics. Keep bouncin'. Postcards are available HERE!

A Tribe Called Quest "The Low End Theory" (9/24/91)

One of the great artifacts from rap's coming of age, this second album by the breeziest of the Native Tongues groups was self-aware enough to claim a jazz heritage, yet spry enough to rap about booty, not Dizzy. Bursting with happy, horny life, rappers Phife and the butter-voiced Q-Tip skip along through free associations and Queens reminiscence -- letting the '50s saxes and airy guitar chords behind them invoke the larger context of their travels. "It was never our intent to make a jazz hip-hop album," said producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad in 1991. "We chose the samples because we like the music." But more than any other rap group, Tribe made the beats-and-life aesthetic feel like a knotty, groovy, completely organic outgrowth of a profound musical tradition. Powered by dark acoustic bass lines and cracking snares, songs such as the percolating "Excursions" offer some of the most electrifying spaces that rhyme tales have ever enjoyed. "I knew people were sampling jazz musicians, but Q-Tip actually knew who Charles Mingus was," says jazz bassist Ron Carter, who played a live, loping groove on the album's "Verses From The Abstract." "Tribe had a sense of what the music could mean, and they were using it to make their poetry do something." And it did, blazing a trail of enlightened, unapologetically musical hip-hop from the Roots to the Fugees -- funky, raw, smart without being soft, and full of banging possibility." - Spin, 9/99.

A copy of the review in Spin Magazine & more is below...

A Tribe Called Quest Interview (The Source, Nov. 1991)

I know I don't have to sell anybody on reasons to read an interview with A Tribe Called Quest, but for the sake of clarity, this is an interview from The Source in November 1991 (Issue #26). In a somewhat rushed interview, some takeaways are Q-Tip speaking to the direction they took from 'Paths' to 'Low End Theory,' where he says: “Hip-hop is moving farther and farther away from its true starting point. And what we’re trying to do with this album is bring it back a little bit closer to home.” Ali Shaheed adds “We’re not trying to change. There’s so many sides to us and so many personalities that we could go all kinds of ways and different directions.” Speaking to decisions made by A&Rs and echoing the sentiments of Rule #4080, Q-Tip says “We gotta wake up and realize what they’re doing. They’re trying to destroy hip-hop the same way they destroyed rock & roll. And we don’t want rock & roll no more cause you fucked it up.” To wrap it up, Ali summarizes, “Kids, beware of the f#cking record company motherf#ckers.” Rest in Peace, Phife Dawg. 

A Tribe Called Quest 'People's Instinctive Travels...'

Damn, time flies - I felt old when it was the 25th anniversary of A Tribe Called Quest's debut album, 'Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm,' but here we are 27 years later! The vibes from their debut remain incredible and its progressive production has aged quite well. In 1989, after shopping a 5-track demo tape, Tribe dropped their first single, 'Description of a Fool,' in August. The main singles would then follow: 'I Left My Wallet In El Segundo,' 'Bonita Applebum' and 'Can I Kick It?' I can remember sitting in my man Ant's basement watching the video to 'I Left My Wallet In El Segundo,' not a clue what El Segundo was, feeling like the music was catchy & playful, but still hip-hop. Their outfits, the dwarf with the sombrero, lol, it all caught our attention. Yet, it wasn't until 'Bonita Applebum' and 'Can I Kick It?' that the album really saw its momentum climb. Peace to Q-Tip who celebrated a birthday last week; R.I.P. Phife Dawg, and much love to the homie, Jarobi.

A Tribe Called Quest "We Got It From Here ... Thank You 4 Your Service"

It's hard to package into words what a new project from A Tribe Called Quest means to a kid like me, who grew up on their music. My emotions split off in so many different directions. As bittersweet as it can feel at times, this is a beautiful moment - we haven't had an album since 1998, and now having Jarobi back in the fold definitely makes it extra special to me - that's family! I suppose I need to sit with it, unpack it and then come back to talk more about it. For now, I'll leave it to the description they've sent, "A Tribe Called Quest - Q-Tip, Phife Dawg (who passed away on March 22nd, 2016), Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Jarobi White - the groundbreaking 90's group that forever transformed the urban music landscape reunited on their first and last studio album together in eighteen years. Guests on ''We got it from Here...Thank You 4 Your Service'' include; Kendrick Lamar, Elton John, Jack White, Andre 3000, Busta Rhymes, Consequence, Anderson.Paak, and Talib Kweli." It's hard to click play, but once you do, that old feeling comes rushing back. I feel like a kid all over again... where's my walkman? Give thanks and listen below! Rest In Peace, Phife.

Q-Tip Announces New A Tribe Called Quest Album

Even hard rocks might have shed a tear at this latest news from Q-Tip of the legendary A Tribe Called Quest. With the tragic and untimely passing of Phife Dawg earlier this year, we thought any hopes for a new album were ended in his passing. However, Q-Tip took to social media to share a handwritten letter to fans announcing that the group has one final album in the chamber! I'll let Q-Tip tell it, "To all the good people worldwide: We hope this letter finds you & yours safe and without a scratch! Last year this time myself, Jarobi, Ali and Phife had the extreme pleasure of performing on the Tonight Show. It was our 1st TV performance in 18 years. The energy for us that night was one that we hadn't experienced on stage together in some time! It was also the night of the Paris Bombing ... November 13th ... Friday ... an unseasonably warm night in NYC. As we left 30 Rock I felt the need, we all did, to get back to the studio and start that cookup! So we got to it!! It was coming together quite nicely and as you may know we lost our BROTHER may GOD REST HIS SOUL on March 22nd. But he left us with the Blueprint Newprint of what we had to do. So we collected ourselves and along tribesmen, Busta and Cons ... we completed what will be, obviously the final A TRIBE CALLED QUEST ALBUM! No, this isn't filled with old Phife bars ... this is that pure, unstepped on pure!! And on November 11th, 2016 we will complete our Paths of Rhythm ... Join us! Peace!!."

A Tribe Called Quest "The Low End Theory" (25th Ann. Mix)

I couldn't wait for this mix to be released! Yet again, the homie Chris Read blesses us with a 25th Anniversary Mix - this time, in celebration of A Tribe Called Quest's sophomore album, "The Low End Theory." There are so many layers of memories attached to this project, it's hard to unpack in words. Fortunately, for fans of good music, you already know that unspeakable feeling. In short, it's nostalgia ... dig into this mix of classic album cuts, alternate mixes and original samples below!

A Tribe Called Quest "Beats Rhymes & Life" (20th Ann Mix)

“30th July 2016 marks the 20th Anniversary of A Tribe Called Quest‘s 4th and penultimate studio album, ‘Beats Rhymes & Life’. Produced almost entirely by the Ummah, a production outfit featuring a young J-Dilla, it’s rich in samples and displays a bass heavy, more stripped down production sound than previous albums. Also heavily featured is Consequence whose career was largely kickstarted by the release. Released 3 years after the group’s seminal ‘Midnight Marauders’ with recording said to have been affected by internal differences in the group, the LP failed to gain the critical acclaim of previous offerings at the time of release, critics suggesting it lacked the chemistry evident on earlier albums. 20 years on however it remains a great listen. In keeping with tradition we’ve teamed up with Wax Poetics to present this exclusive mixtape of album cuts, alt versions and of course original sample material mixed by Chris Read.” Another great mix, please listen below...

A Tribe Called Quest "Beats, Rhymes & Life" (Documentary, 2011)

Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective - Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi - known as 'A Tribe Called Quest' have kept a generation hungry for more of their groundbreaking music since their much publicized breakup in 1998. Michael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows the band to this day. He explores what's next for, what many claim, are the pioneers of alternative rap. This documentary was everything! I remember when Michael Rapaport was up at Fat Beats working on it behind the scenes, and then recording the in-store for Q-Tip's album The Renaissance. The documentary features De La Soul, Common, Busta Rhymes, Chris Lighty (R.I.P.), Pharrell, Beastie Boys, Questlove, Angie Martinez, Ludacris, Consequence, Red Alert, Mos Def, The Beatnuts, Prince Paul, Monie Love, Black Thought, Large Professor, Ghostface, Jungle Brothers, Hiero, Pete Rock, Dante Ross, Kanye West and lots more! This post is simply a reminder that you should 100% own this film! The trailer doesn't scratch the surface, but watch it below...

"A Tribe Called Kast" (Blend Tape)

In short, this a dope blend tape from DJ Nappy Needles, featuring the lyrics of Outkast over beats by A Tribe Called Quest. The result is "A Tribe Called Kast," a 12-track ode to two legendary groups! At the memorial for Phife Dawg (R.I.P.), Andre 3000 revealed that he and Big Boi had discussed working with A Tribe Called Quest on an album; it is now one of the biggest 'what-if' moments in all of Hip-Hop. "A Tribe Called Kast" gives a glimpse at what those collaborations might have sounded like, while still remaining a bittersweet moment in the passing of the beloved, Phife Dawg. Peep it...

DJ Platurn "The Best of A Tribe Called Quest II" (Mixtape)

Volume 1 of The Best of A Tribe Called Quest came out roughly 10 years ago. It made its way around the world and back, influenced countless other Native type mixes, and even played a role in the editing of the Tribe documentary, Beats, Rhymes & Life, itself. It was only right for DJ Platurn to bring Michael Rapaport in put his unique touch on Volume 2. DJ Platurn shares that Michael Rapaport talked "the perfect amount of shit and wisdom" on the mix. Enjoy these vibes and stuff. (Updated: the audio link from DJ Platurn's Bandcamp is down, so I've updated the audio below). Dig...

DJ Daddy Dog "Vibe With The Tribe" (Mix, 2004)

DJ Daddy Dog of the Almighty 5th Platoon released a 33-track, "Vibe With The Tribe," mixtape some years back & to this date, it is still one of the most definitive best-of mixes for A Tribe Called Quest. It's got the hits, the deeper album cuts and a few remixes thrown in for good measure, it's real solid, we had copies over at Fat Beats and listened to it from time to time. Shouts to Neil Armstrong, too. Dig into the best of A Tribe Called Quest mixtape, Vibe with the Tribe, below...

A Tribe Called Quest "Bonita Appleum" (Review, 1990)

"Bonita Applebum" is the second single from A Tribe Called Quest's debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. "The original version of "Bonita," already an incredible song, has been greatly enhanced by the "Hootie Mix." In trying to improve the original they had their work cut out for them. Did they suceed? - most definitely. Using the Isley Brothers early 80's classic "Between The Sheets" as a foundation, The Tribe easily proves to the world that the LP was not a fluke and there is plenty more where that came from. All new lyrics from the smooth flowing Q-Tip and an all new groove make this single a welcome addition to an already classic album." Interestingly enough, the "Hootie Mix" is playing during the drive-in movie theatre scene in Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson & Q-Tip ... just before Tip get his head blown off. Listen to the Hootie Mix below...

The 12" also included the LP version, as well as the song called "Mr. Muhammad." Whether you feel the original version of "Bonita Applebum" or the "Hootie Mix" more is entirely subjective. I'd consider the original to be a classic and the remix as a bonus, realizing it had different lyrics that you probably don't recall enough to recite. It's like hearing the sample to a song you're already familiar with, "oh THAT's where that came from?" lol. To that end, years later DJ Mighty Mi would sample A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum" for a remix to Ghostface Killah's crossover hit, "All That I Got Is You." That cycle of creation is what makes sampling so incredible. Right? Wrong?