A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip-hop group formed in St. Albans, Qu… Read Full Bio ↴A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip-hop group formed in St. Albans, Queens, New York, in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. The group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip hop music.
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)
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)
Scenario
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Here we go yo, here we go yo
So what so what so what's the scenario
Here we go yo, here we go yo
So what so what so what's the scenario
A-yo Bo knows this (what?) and Bo knows that (what?)
But Bo don't know jack, cause Bo can't rap
Well what do you know, the Di-Dawg, is first up to bat
No batteries included, and no strings attached
No holds barred, no time for move faking
Gots to get the loot so I can bring home the bacon
Brothers front, they say the Tribe can't flow
But we've been known to do the impossible like Broadway Joe so
Sleep if you want NyQuil will help you get your Z's, troop
But here's the real scoop
I'm all that and then some, short dark and handsome
Bust a nut inside your eye, to show you where I come from
I'm vexed, fuming, I've had it up to here
My days of paying dues are over, acknowledge me as in there (yeah!)
Head for the border, go get a taco
Watch me wreck it from the jump street, meaning from the get-go
Sit back relax and let yourself go
Don't sweat what you heard, but act like you know
Yes yes y'all (yes y'all!)
Who got the vibe it's the Tribe y'all (Tribe y'all!)
Real live y'all (live y'all!)
Inside outside come around
(Who's that?) Brown!
Some may, I say, call me Charlie
The word is the herb and I'm deep like Bob Marley
Lay back on the payback, evolve rotate the gates
(Contact!) Can I get a hit? (Hit!)
Boom bip with a brother named Tip and we're ready to flip
East coast stomping, ripping and romping
New York, North Cak-a-laka, and Compton
Checka-checka-check it out
The loops for the troops, more bounce to the ounce
And wow how now wow how now Brown cow
We're ill till the skill gets down
For the flex, next, it's the textbook old to the new
But the rest are doo-doo
From radio, to the video, to Arsenio
Tell me! Yo, what's the scenario
(True blue!) Scooby Doo, whoopie doo
Scenarios, radios, rates more than four
Scores for the smores that smother dance floors
Now I go for mine, shades of sea shore
Ship-shape plush Grape Apes to play tapes
(Papes make drapes) great for the wakes
Of an L-AH, an E-ADER, simply just a leader
Bass innerspace means peace see ya later
Later (later!), later alligator
Pop blows the weasel and the herb's the inflater
So yo the D what the O, incorporate I-N-C into a flow
Funk flipped flat back first this foul fight fight fight
Laugh yo, how'd that sound? (oh!)
It's a Leader Quest mission and we got the goods here (here!)
Never on the left cause my right's my good ear (ear!)
I could give a damn about a ill subliminal
Stay away from crime so I ain't no criminal
I love my young nation, groovy sensation
No time for hibernation, only elation
Don't ever try to test, the water little kid
Yo Mr. Busta Rhymes, tell him what I did
I heard you rushed and rushed, and attacked
Then they rebuked then you had to smack
Causing rambunction throughout the sphere
Raise the levels of the boom inside the ear
You know I did it
So don't violate or you'll get violated
The Hip Hop sound is well agitated
Won't ever waste no time on the played out ego
So here's Busta Rhymes with the scenario
Watch, as I combine all the juice from the mind
Heel up, wheel up, bring it back, come rewind
Powerful impact - boom! - from the cannon
Not bragging, try to read my mind just imagine
Vo-cab-u-lary's necessary
When digging into my library
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!
Eating Ital Stew like the one Peter Tosh
Uh! Uh! Uh! All over the track man
Uh! Pardon me, uh! As I come back
As I did it yo I heard you beg your pardon
When I travel through the town I roll with the squadron
RRRRRROAW RRRRRRROAW like a dungeon dragon
Change your little drawers cause your pants are sagging
Try to step to this, I will twist you in a turban
And have you smelling ripe like some old stale urine
Chickity-choco, the chocolate chicken
The rear cock diesel, buttcheeks they were kicking
Yo, bust it out before the Busta bust another rhyme
The rhythm is in sync (Uh!) the rhymes are on time (time!)
Ripping up this dance just like a radio
Observe the vibe and check out the scenario
Here we go yo, here we go yo
So what so what so what's the scenario
Here we go yo, here we go yo
So what so what so what's the scenario
So what so what so what's the scenario
Here we go yo, here we go yo
So what so what so what's the scenario
A-yo Bo knows this (what?) and Bo knows that (what?)
But Bo don't know jack, cause Bo can't rap
Well what do you know, the Di-Dawg, is first up to bat
No holds barred, no time for move faking
Gots to get the loot so I can bring home the bacon
Brothers front, they say the Tribe can't flow
But we've been known to do the impossible like Broadway Joe so
Sleep if you want NyQuil will help you get your Z's, troop
But here's the real scoop
I'm all that and then some, short dark and handsome
Bust a nut inside your eye, to show you where I come from
I'm vexed, fuming, I've had it up to here
My days of paying dues are over, acknowledge me as in there (yeah!)
Head for the border, go get a taco
Watch me wreck it from the jump street, meaning from the get-go
Sit back relax and let yourself go
Don't sweat what you heard, but act like you know
Yes yes y'all (yes y'all!)
Who got the vibe it's the Tribe y'all (Tribe y'all!)
Real live y'all (live y'all!)
Inside outside come around
(Who's that?) Brown!
Some may, I say, call me Charlie
The word is the herb and I'm deep like Bob Marley
Lay back on the payback, evolve rotate the gates
(Contact!) Can I get a hit? (Hit!)
Boom bip with a brother named Tip and we're ready to flip
East coast stomping, ripping and romping
New York, North Cak-a-laka, and Compton
Checka-checka-check it out
The loops for the troops, more bounce to the ounce
And wow how now wow how now Brown cow
We're ill till the skill gets down
For the flex, next, it's the textbook old to the new
But the rest are doo-doo
From radio, to the video, to Arsenio
Tell me! Yo, what's the scenario
(True blue!) Scooby Doo, whoopie doo
Scenarios, radios, rates more than four
Scores for the smores that smother dance floors
Now I go for mine, shades of sea shore
Ship-shape plush Grape Apes to play tapes
(Papes make drapes) great for the wakes
Of an L-AH, an E-ADER, simply just a leader
Bass innerspace means peace see ya later
Later (later!), later alligator
Pop blows the weasel and the herb's the inflater
So yo the D what the O, incorporate I-N-C into a flow
Funk flipped flat back first this foul fight fight fight
Laugh yo, how'd that sound? (oh!)
It's a Leader Quest mission and we got the goods here (here!)
Never on the left cause my right's my good ear (ear!)
I could give a damn about a ill subliminal
Stay away from crime so I ain't no criminal
I love my young nation, groovy sensation
No time for hibernation, only elation
Don't ever try to test, the water little kid
Yo Mr. Busta Rhymes, tell him what I did
I heard you rushed and rushed, and attacked
Then they rebuked then you had to smack
Causing rambunction throughout the sphere
Raise the levels of the boom inside the ear
You know I did it
So don't violate or you'll get violated
The Hip Hop sound is well agitated
Won't ever waste no time on the played out ego
So here's Busta Rhymes with the scenario
Watch, as I combine all the juice from the mind
Heel up, wheel up, bring it back, come rewind
Powerful impact - boom! - from the cannon
Not bragging, try to read my mind just imagine
Vo-cab-u-lary's necessary
When digging into my library
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!
Eating Ital Stew like the one Peter Tosh
Uh! Uh! Uh! All over the track man
Uh! Pardon me, uh! As I come back
As I did it yo I heard you beg your pardon
When I travel through the town I roll with the squadron
RRRRRROAW RRRRRRROAW like a dungeon dragon
Change your little drawers cause your pants are sagging
Try to step to this, I will twist you in a turban
And have you smelling ripe like some old stale urine
Chickity-choco, the chocolate chicken
The rear cock diesel, buttcheeks they were kicking
Yo, bust it out before the Busta bust another rhyme
The rhythm is in sync (Uh!) the rhymes are on time (time!)
Ripping up this dance just like a radio
Observe the vibe and check out the scenario
Here we go yo, here we go yo
So what so what so what's the scenario
Here we go yo, here we go yo
So what so what so what's the scenario
The song βScenarioβ by A Tribe Called Quest featuring Leaders of the New School was released in 1991 as the second single from their album βThe Low End Theoryβ. The song begins with a simple call and response message - "Here we go yo, here we go yo. So what, so what, so what's the scenario?" This message is repeated throughout the song, with different artists in the group providing unique verses. The opening verse by Q-Tip sets the stage for the rest of the song, with rhymes about "bring home the bacon" and "doing the impossible".
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALI SHAHEED JONES-MUHAMMAD, BRYAN HIGGINS, JAMES JACKSON, KAMAAL IBN JOHN FAREED, MALIK IZAAK TAYLOR, TREVOR SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@STREETBEEFS_
I appreciate these artists so much more as an adult....in my youth gangsta rap was everything, and the "alternative rap" was an afterthought...Every rap song talked about "my nine" and "smokin a fool"...wich is fine, i still love gangsta rap...but seeing the devastation of violence in the streets makes me appreciate that these men tried to go a different route with their lyrics!
Think about it...most of them KNEW they werent gonna make crazy money if they werent doin gangsta rap..yet they chose to do conscious music anyways.
Respect to the whole genre
@Jump7Off
This is a classic album period.
@jirensentry7609
That's a plus Cuz! I think about it as you laid that out - with NWA, Eazy, Too Short, E-40, Spice One, Compton's Most Wanted, Cube - it went on and on. Then you had Illegal, EPMD, DMX, Naughty By Nature, Eric B and Rakim, LL, D-Nice, and others like BlackMoon, Gangstarr, Jay Z and Nas, AZ and your girl Foxy, it went on and on from Gangsta Bangin, to Underground, Hip Hop Hardcore... then there was Public Enemy and Kane.
But the Native Tongues??? That was Heaven! They were a sanctuary! They, along with Christian artists like Kirk Franklin, BeBe and CeCe Winans, even some R&B Artists - they balanced the Street Digest of Gutta Reality. GOD I miss them all! Every one of them!
The Jungle Brothers, Leaders of a New School, Tribe, Queen Latifa, Moni Love, Digable Planets, Common, Phacyde!
STREETBEEFS... THAT WAS HIP HOP!!!
@hjillumi880
they were adults
@thdoom81
What do you mean gangster rap is cool? No it wasn't
@Neilpoe
This comment right here. It's how I feel.
@ashleymonday298
Busta's verse is legendary.
@jerseybricks6426
19 year old busta
@meta1211
@@jerseybricks6426 wait for real?
@NotSoTypikal
@@meta1211 FOR REAL!!!!! π