A Tribe Called Quest

    The most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s, A Tribe Called Quest was formed in Queens, New York City in 1988. The group is comprised of Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 1991. Q-Tip and Phife had grown up together in Queens, and met Muhammad in high school. Soon after, the group began performing live and recording on a local label.

    A Tribe Called Quest debuted in 1989 and released their debut album one year later. They made their studio debut in 1990 with People's Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm. Though this album was critically acclaimed and lead to a strong fan following, their next album, The Low End Theory (released on September 24, 1991). Album was quite simply the most consistent and flowing hip-hop album ever recorded. The two MCs, known for their engaging, and free-wheeling lyrical styles, began to focus on a range of social issues, from date rape ("The Infamous Date Rape") to consumerism ("Skypager"). The songs were noticeably shorter, more abrupt, and bass-heavy. Guests on the album included Leaders of the New School (which included Busta Rhymes), Brand Nubian, and Vinia Mojica. Their innovative sampling, layering, and structuring of jazz records led many critics to label their style as jazz rap - a term which Q-Tip disapproved of, as although he felt it described groups such as Stetsasonic quite well, it misinterpreted Tribe themselves, who (aside from the song "Jazz (We've Got)") did not base most of their songs around the topic of jazz.

    Their third album Midnight Marauders, released on November 9, 1993. Lyrically, the album benefited from an even more confident duo in Phife Dawg and Q-Tip, whose nimble verbal interplay is utilized to its fullest on songs like "Electric Relaxation" and "Oh My God". Opening song "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" - which includes the lines "You know that I'm the rebel, throwin' out the wicked like God did the Devil" - is named after the slain South African human rights activist and political revolutionary Steve Biko.

    Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996), the group's fourth album, was recorded during the turbulent East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry, which engulfed many rappers from both coasts and even some from in between. The group saw it fit to address these issues, a decision based partly on principle, but also probably based on the fact that, despite being from the East, they were well respected on both coasts.

    The Love Movement (1999), is group’s 5th album. While touring in support of 1998's The Love Movement, the group announced their impending breakup.

The group first reunited on November 13, 2004, headlining the Rock the Bells concert held in the Angels Stadium parking lot in Anaheim, California. This was the night that Ol' Dirty Bastard died, and as such the group opened up with a 10-minute tribute set to the Wu-Tang Clan and continued a 2-hour highly energetic show. In 2006, the group reunited and performed several sold-out concerts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Group Members: Q-Tip (1988–1998, 2006–present)

Phife Dawg (1988–1998, 2006–present)

Ali Shaheed Muhammad (1988–1998, 2006–present)

Jarobi White (1988–1990, 2006–present)