In 1991, the group released its jazz-influenced second album, The Low End Theory, regarded for helping shape alternative hip hop in the 1990s. In 1998, the group broke up shortly before releasing its fifth album, The Love Movement, but in 2006, the group's original members reunited and toured the United States. In 2016, the group released its sixth and final album, We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, which was still incomplete when Phife Dawg died suddenly in March 2016, and was completed by the other members after his death. A Tribe Called Quest was the most commercially successful act in the Native Tongues collective, with all six of its albums certified either gold or platinum.
John Bush of AllMusic called them "the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s." The Source gave the group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), a perfect rating of five 'mics,' marking the first time that the magazine awarded the rating. In 2005, A Tribe Called Quest received the Founders Award at the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, and two years later, the group was honored at the 4th VH1 Hip Hop Honors. In 2017, the group was awarded the Brit Award for International Group.
AllMusic critic John Bush called A Tribe Called Quest "without question the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s", further stating that the group "jump-started and perfected the hip-hop alternative to hardcore and gangsta rap." At a time when James Brown drum breaks and P-Funk basslines dominated hip hop production, the group successfully bridged the gap between jazz and hip hop, incorporating bebop and hard bop samples and recording with double bassist Ron Carter. The group's production influenced their contemporaries, thus changing the sound of hip hop; Dr. Dre produced his highly regarded debut The Chronic after being inspired by The Low End Theory, and Pete Rock stated, "There were times when I would walk into a record store and see Tip sitting on the floor with his glasses on, going through albums, looking for beats ... I was like, 'This guy is serious.' Being around [the group] made me step up and become even more serious than I was".
Lyrically, A Tribe Called Quest has been regarded for addressing many social issues through Q-Tip's philosophical viewpoints and Phife Dawg's everyman perspectives. People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm influenced several hip hop artists; Scarface asserted that it "really made me want to rap", and Pharrell Williams expressed that it was "the turning point [which] made me see that music was art." Kierna Mayo, former editor-in-chief of Ebony, said that The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders "gave birth to neo-everything. ... That entire class of D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Maxwell, and Lauryn Hillβand moving on to AndrΓ© 3000, Kanye West, and Talib Kweliβeverything that is left of everything begins with Tribe." The group has also been credited for helping launch the solo careers of Busta Rhymes, J Dilla and Consequence.
The group was the subject of the acclaimed 2011 documentary film Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, directed by Michael Rapaport.
Studio albums
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)
The Low End Theory (1991)
Midnight Marauders (1993)
Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996)
The Love Movement (1998)
We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (2016)
Electric Relaxation
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Honey, check it out, you got me mesmerized
Street poetry is my everyday
But yo, I gotta stop when you trot my way
If I was working at the club you would not pay
Ayo, my man Phife Diggy, he got something to say
I like 'em brown, yellow, Puerto Rican or Haitian (uh)
Name is Phife Dawg from the Zulu Nation
Told you in the jam that we can get down
Now let's knock the boots like the group H-Town
You got BBD all on your bedroom wall
But I'm above the rim and this is how I ball
A gritty little something on the New York streets
This is how I represent over this here beat
Talking 'bout you
Yo, I took you out
But sex was on my mind for the whole damn route
My mind was in a frenzy and a horny state
But I couldn't drop dimes 'cause you couldn't relate
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down (you couldn't relate)
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down (you couldn't relate)
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Stretch out your legs, let me make you bawl
Drive you insane, drive you up the wall
Staring at your dome-piece, very strong
Stronger than pride, stronger than Teflon
Take you on the ave and you buy me links
Now I wanna pound the poontang until it stinks
You can be my mama and I'll be your boy
Original rude bwoy, never am I coy
You can be a shorty in my ill convoy
Not to come across as a thug or a hood (what?)
But hon', you got the goods, like Madelyne Woods
By the way, my name's Malik, The Five-Foot Freak
Let's say we get together by the end of the week
She simply said, "No," labeled me a ho
I said, "How you figure?" "My friends told me so"
I hate when silly groupies wanna run they yap
Word to God, hon', I don't get down like that
I'll have you weak in the knees that you could hardly speak
Or we could do like Uncle L and swing an ep in my Jeep
Keep it on the down, yo, we keep it discrete
See, I'm not the type of kid to have my biz in the streets
If my mom don't approve, then I'll just elope
Let me save the little man from inside the boat
Let me hit it from the back, girl, I won't catch a hernia
Bust off on your couch, now you got Seamen's Furniture
Shaheed, Phife and the Extra P
Stacy Beadle, PJ and my man LG
They know the Abstract is really soul on ice
The character is of men, never ever of mice
Shorty, let me tell you about my only vice
It has to do with lots of loving and it ain't nothing nice
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down (it ain't nothing nice)
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down (it ain't nothing nice)
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
The song "Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest is a smooth and laid-back hip-hop track that features playful and flirtatious lyrics. The opening lines of the song, "Relax yourself girl, please settle down" are repeated throughout the song, serving as a sort of mantra to encourage the listener to calm down and enjoy the moment. The verses are characterized by vivid descriptions of women and sexual desire, with rapper Phife Dawg praising women of various races and nationalities.
The verses of the song also contain various references to other songs and artists. The line "But I'm above the rim and this is how I ball" is a reference to the film "Above the Rim" and R&B group H-Town is mentioned in connection with the phrase "knock the boots". The song's production features smooth jazz samples from jazz pianist Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew" and saxophonist Grover Washington Jr.'s "Hydra", giving the song an easygoing and relaxed vibe.
Overall, "Electric Relaxation" is a playful and fun song that celebrates attraction and desire while maintaining a cool and laid-back demeanor.
Line by Line Meaning
Relax yourself girl, please settle down
The singer urges the girl to calm down and relax.
Honey, check it out, you got me mesmerized
With your black hair and fat-ass thighs
Street poetry is my everyday
But yo, I gotta stop when you trot my way
If I was working at the club you would not pay
Ay yo, my man Phife Diggy, he got something to say
The singer is attracted to a girl with beautiful features, including black hair and large thighs. He is also a skilled rapper, but his admiration for the girl is so strong that he has to stop rhyming when she walks by. He tells his friend Phife Dawg to say something.
I like 'em brown, yellow, Puerto Rican or Haitian (uh)
Name is Phife Dawg from the Zulu Nation
Told you in the jam that we can get down
Now let's knock the boots like the group H-Town
You got BBD all on your bedroom wall
But I'm above the rim and this is how I ball
A gritty little something on the New York streets
This is how I represent over this here beat
Talking 'bout you
Phife Dawg introduces himself as a member of the Zulu Nation and a fan of women of different races. He wants to have sex with the girl and references the R&B group H-Town. He mentions that she has posters of the group Bell Biv DeVoe in her bedroom, but he is different and tougher than they are. He raps about his experience living in gritty New York and how he represents himself through his music.
Yo, I took you out
But sex was on my mind for the whole damn route
My mind was in a frenzy and a horny state
But I couldn't drop dimes 'cause you couldn't relate
The artist took the girl out on a date but was distracted the entire time by his desire for sex. However, he couldn't express this because the girl didn't feel the same way.
Relax yourself girl, please settle down (you couldn't relate)
Relax yourself girl, please settle down (you couldn't relate)
Relax yourself girl, please settle down
Relax yourself girl, please settle down
Relax yourself girl, please settle down
Relax yourself girl, please settle down
The artist repeats his request for the girl to calm down.
Stretch out your legs, let me make you bawl
Drive you insane, drive you up the wall
Staring at your dome-piece, very strong
Stronger than pride, stronger than Teflon
Take you on the ave and you buy me links
Now I wanna pound the putang until it stinks
You can be my mama and I'll be your boy
Original rude bwoy, never am I coy
You can be a shorty in my ill convoy
Not to come across as a thug or a hood (what?)
But hon', you got the goods, like Madelyne Woods
By the way, my name's Malik, The Five-Foot Freak
Let's say we get together by the end of the week
She simply said, "No," labeled me a hoe
I said, "How you figure?" "My friends told me so"
I hate when silly groupies wanna run they yap
Word to God, hon', I don't get down like that
The singer offers to pleasure the girl through sex and brags about his sexual prowess. He also introduces himself as Malik, the Five-Foot Freak, and proposes getting together by the end of the week. However, the girl rejects him and accuses him of being promiscuous based on what her friends told her. The singer dislikes when girls gossip about him and states that he's not the type to engage in such behavior.
I'll have you weak in the knees that you could hardly speak
Or we could do like Uncle L and swing an ep in my Jeep
Keep it on the down, yo, we keep it discrete
See, I'm not the type of kid to have my biz in the streets
The singer promises to give the girl an intense sexual experience, but also suggests listening to music in his car. He promises to keep their relationship private and not discuss it with others.
If my mom don't approve, then I'll just elope
Let me save the little man from inside the boat
Let me hit it from the back, girl I won't catch a hernia
Bust off on your couch, now you got Seamen's Furniture
The artist says that if his mother disapproves of the girl, he will run away with her. He fondly refers to his penis as the 'little man from inside the boat' and suggests having sex doggy-style without causing him injury. He also humorously references the Seaman's Furniture brand.
Shaheed, Phife and the Extra P
Stacy Beadle, PJ and my man LG
They know the Abstract is really soul on ice
The character is of men, never ever of mice
Shorty let me tell you about my only vice
It has to do with lots of loving and it ain't nothing nice
The artist lists his friends and band members and praises the soul in his music. He contrasts his manliness with the weakness of mice. The artist also admits that his only indulgence is pleasure-seeking through sex.
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down (it ain't nothing nice)
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down (it ain't nothing nice)
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
Relax yourself, girl, please settle down
The artist repeats his plea for the girl to calm down and emphasizes that sex is not always pleasant.
(Keep bouncing, keep bouncing)
The song ends with a shout-out to keep dancing and having fun.
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ali Shaheed Jones-Muhammad, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, Malik Izaak Taylor, Ronnie Foster
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Empressive
Rest in paradise Phife.
@unabashed
Empressive! π
@ritahorne9739
Rest in peace.
@Official_Kings_Versus
R.I.P. ππ―
@prod.newmagiciane2342
He died? Aww
@tenniswerewolf8095
Phife is so underrated
@Jason-mk5lt
Early 90s NYC Jazz hip hop is the most chill type of music
@africanbella28
I totally agreeππ§‘β€οΈ
@ohshit635
@@PuffyMono lol loser
@thepurpleshade486
@@PuffyMono GAMER gate keeping!