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 Hill—and moving on to André 3000, Kanye West, and Talib Kweli—everything 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)
Public Enemy
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With my man, Q-Tip
In the morning, woke up from sexual pleasures
Looked at her sexual partner
Who acquainted her acquaintance
Five hours ago at a disco
She went lower than low, into limbo
She answered no, so she had to go...on with the program
Credence, it seems that I've forgotten your name
But it seems that she's done the same
And now something has happened
Suddenly, she's been distracted
By something that has been attracted
She poked and poked and smacked at it
Then she broke down and she scratched it
Now, I think you understand
Clinic, saw the doctor flex his biceps
Then he picked up a pair of forceps
Her pretty face showed fright
Right then and there, she fainted
A really grim picture is painted
The brother who she acquainted
Was the enemy, scary ain't it?
The Pubic Enemy
Yeah!
Let me tell you more about pubic enemy
Hey, Q-Tip
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
Had a lady queen, married since 18
He protested, that he was infested
Get lots of love and he couldn't digest it
All propaganda, one big fat lie
'cause I see the king with my very own eye
Schemed and schemed like a crack fiend king
And popping up on the teammates scene
And popping and pimping on hunnies with moneys
Whole situation to me, was kinda funny
He hold the crown but not the jimmy hat
Now he wears a frown and the jimmy hates that
So the fair maiden in the royal bedroom
Caught the king scratching, so she had to assume
That he got vicked by the enemy's trick
The thought of cheating made the maiden so sick
That she screamed and screamed, went on and kept screaming
Threw a pot and his dome was beaming
You could hear him yelling in the motherland
"Baby, baby please. Baby, understand."
She ignored and walked through the gate
The king is in the kingdom to await his fate, of the enemy
The Pubic Enemy
Propmaster (yeah) Please listen to me (what?)
Something lurking by the Jim Browski
(Who? Jenny?)
No, not propulated
A horrible creature that must be penetrated
He gets all into ya, then he tries to do ya
You better run fast, he's gonna pursue the,
(What? Yo listen here, propmaster whiz, no one fears}
Oh, the caves know, just thought I'd let ya know
How he lives and how he go
Watch yourself when you're out on the run
The enemy is missed, we'll have too much fun
There's four friends of mine that thought they were bad
And laid up this girl, so now, they're sad
They scratched and scratched like it was Saturday and
Listen here, This is Cool DJ Red Alert
Known as the true, the only, the very one, the Propmaster
There's only one thing I gotta tell ya
There's a whole lotta propmasters out there, you know what I mean
Shaheed a propmaster, Q-Tip a propmaster
The Jungle Brothers a propmaster, BDP a propmaster
45 King a propmaster
I won't tell you nothing bout the ladies, they ain't no propmaster
But you know who's the main propmaster
Me!
In A Tribe Called Quest's song Public Enemy, the lyrics describe a series of sexual encounters gone wrong. The first verse tells the story of a woman who wakes up after a night of sexual pleasures to find that she has contracted an STD from a man she met at a disco. The chorus proclaims that this man is the "public enemy," a term used to describe someone who is dangerous and detrimental to society. The second verse follows the story of King Cole, who cheats on his wife and contracts an STD from another woman, causing his wife to throw a pot at him and leave him to face the consequences of his actions.
Overall, the song serves as a commentary on the dangers of casual sex and the consequences that can arise from not practicing safe sex. It also touches on themes of infidelity and dishonesty and how these actions can ultimately lead to one's downfall.
Line by Line Meaning
Check this out, Cool DJ Red Alert
Introducing the DJ and setting the tone for the song
With my man, Q-Tip
Acknowledging Q-Tip's presence
In the morning, woke up from sexual pleasures
Describing a morning after a sexual encounter
Looked at her sexual partner
Noting the subject's reflection on the encounter
Who acquainted her acquaintance
The subject's partner was introduced to her by someone else
Five hours ago at a disco
The setting of the encounter
She went lower than low, into limbo
Describing the subject's behavior at the disco
A thought crossed the mind, her, a bimbo
The subject questions her own intellect
She answered no, so she had to go...on with the program
The subject denied being a bimbo and moves on
Credence, it seems that I've forgotten your name
Addressing someone who forgot their name
But it seems that she's done the same
The subject has forgotten the name of their partner
And now something has happened
The story takes an unexpected turn
Suddenly, she's been distracted
The subject's attention is caught by something else
By something that has been attracted
The subject is attracted to something/someone else
She poked and poked and smacked at it
Describing the subject's actions towards what they're attracted to
Then she broke down and she scratched it
The subject reacts intensely to what they're attracted to
Now, I think you understand
Concluding the story and suggesting the meaning
Clinic, saw the doctor flex his biceps
Describing the scene in the clinic
Then he picked up a pair of forceps
The doctor is preparing to examine the subject
Her pretty face showed fright
The subject is scared of what's happening
Right then and there, she fainted
The subject passes out from fear
A really grim picture is painted
The situation looks bad
The brother who she acquainted
Referring to the subject's partner from earlier
Was the enemy, scary ain't it?
The partner is revealed to be someone dangerous
Let me tell you more about pubic enemy
Transitioning to the next part of the song
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
Starting a new story
Had a lady queen, married since 18
Describing Old King Cole's relationship
He protested, that he was infested
Old King Cole claimed he had an STD
Get lots of love and he couldn't digest it
Old King Cole was promiscuous
All propaganda, one big fat lie
Old King Cole's claim was false
'cause I see the king with my very own eye
Contradicting Old King Cole's words
Schemed and schemed like a crack fiend king
Describing Old King Cole's behavior
And popping up on the teammates scene
Old King Cole is seen with multiple partners
Whole situation to me, was kinda funny
The artist is amused by the situation
He hold the crown but not the jimmy hat
Old King Cole didn't use protection
Now he wears a frown and the jimmy hates that
Old King Cole regrets his actions
So the fair maiden in the royal bedroom
Introducing a new character
Caught the king scratching, so she had to assume
The queen assumes Old King Cole cheated
That he got vicked by the enemy's trick
The queen believes Old King Cole got an STD from a partner
The thought of cheating made the maiden so sick
The queen is disgusted by the idea of cheating
That she screamed and screamed, went on and kept screaming
The queen is upset
Threw a pot and his dome was beaming
The queen throws something at Old King Cole's head
You could hear him yelling in the motherland
Old King Cole is yelling for the queen to understand
She ignored and walked through the gate
The queen leaves Old King Cole
The king is in the kingdom to await his fate, of the enemy
Old King Cole is left to deal with the consequences of his actions
Propmaster (yeah) Please listen to me (what?)
Starting another section of the song
Something lurking by the Jim Browski
Alerting the listener to a danger
(Who? Jenny?)
Clarifying that it's not a specific person
No, not propulated
Confirming it's not about sex
A horrible creature that must be penetrated
The danger must be confronted
He gets all into ya, then he tries to do ya
Describing the danger's actions
You better run fast, he's gonna pursue the,
Advising the listener to run away
(What? Yo listen here, propmaster whiz, no one fears}
Mocking the notion that people should be scared
Oh, the caves know, just thought I'd let ya know
Suggesting that the danger is real
How he lives and how he go
Detailing the danger's nature
Watch yourself when you're out on the run
Warning the listener to be careful
The enemy is missed, we'll have too much fun
Implying that people will miss the danger
There's four friends of mine that thought they were bad
Sharing a story about people who faced danger
And laid up this girl, so now, they're sad
The friends hurt someone and now regret it
They scratched and scratched like it was Saturday and
Describing the friends' behavior
Listen here, This is Cool DJ Red Alert
Returning to the DJ and ending the song
Known as the true, the only, the very one, the Propmaster
The DJ's nickname and introduction
There's only one thing I gotta tell ya
Concluding the song
There's a whole lotta propmasters out there, you know what I mean
Commenting on the prevalence of promiscuity
Shaheed a propmaster, Q-Tip a propmaster
Mentioning other people who engage in promiscuity
The Jungle Brothers a propmaster, BDP a propmaster
Naming more people who engage in promiscuity
45 King a propmaster
Another name on the list
I won't tell you nothing bout the ladies, they ain't no propmaster
Excluding women from the list of promiscuous people
But you know who's the main propmaster
Revealing who the DJ thinks is the biggest promiscuous person
Me!
The DJ claims to be the most promiscuous person
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tate Buitrago
on Electric Relaxation
another of my dads