A Tribe Called Quest Biography

A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip-hop group, recognized as one of the most artistic and popular rap acts of the 1990s.

Early Formation

Q-Tip aka Kamaal Ibn John Fareed and Phife Dawg aka Malik Izaak Taylor were both raised in Queens, New York. The two childhood friends were joined by Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White in the creation of a rap group. In 1989, they were signed to Jive Records.

Career Beginnings

A Tribe Called Quest released their first album People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm in 1990. It blended jazz and 70s rock and while it was a good album, all expectation were surpassed with the second LP The Low End Theory.

Breakthrough

The album is considered one of the best hip-hop LPs. Their 1993 effort Midnight Marauders included numerous appearances from artists like De La Soul and the Jungle Brothers. It spawned the hit classic Award Tour. In 1994 they performed at the Lollapalooza Festival and in 1995 they took a break. A Tribe Called Quest returned the following year with Beats, Rhymes, and Life. The project was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Rap Album and was certified platinum. The group announced that they would disband, and thatThe Love Movement would be their last album together.

Reunions

After the breakup, each member pursued solo careers but would reunite in 2004 at the Rock the Bells concert and tour sporadically the following 6 years. In 2013 they were joined by Kanye West during several shows in New York. They were brought together again in 2015, performing on The Tonight Show for the 25th anniversary of their first album. The next year, co-founder Phife, unfortunately, died at 45 because of diabetes complications. During that period the group was planning a comeback with a new album. We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service was issued in 2016 entering US charts and gaining the attention of younger fans.

Photo credit: Slate