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)
Start It Up
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hope ya'll ready
Are ya ready? Here we go
What ya deal with, uh
What ya deal wit', what ya deal wit'
Turn me up some more?
Feel this, have it, makin' music
Men and women, boys an' girls an'
Welcome to the movement, the fifth wit' improvement
Aristotle, Plato, Freud
Yeah right, Abstract, never void
I make it easy for ya'll to boogie down to
Hard to the ground, ooh the Tribe with the sound boo
Touch me, tease me, feed me, squeezy
Take it easy, never sleazy
Promise that I will not answer
The phone when it rings love, while we do out thing love
Never fakin', it's late, spirits
Through the music is our mission
Honies who were not cooler than the ghetto rebel risin'
To overthrow a ruler
Dearly beloved, dearly departed
There's a reason why we did it
'Cause it's inside the body and the hearts
So here we are fam let's start, c'mon
Don't beat me in the head with the bullshit bat
C'mon everybody let's start
Don't beat me in the head with the bullshit bat
C'mon everybody let's start
Ummah, Mos, Jane Doe, Willy
Punchline, Wordsworth, SV, Chrissy
S.O.S., Tribe Called Quest
Get it off your chest, say it: "Tribe Called Quest!"
Can you feel it when it hit right
Can you feel it when we do it
Truth, power, taste, devour
Niggas in the street here comes the illest beat now
Move oceans wit' your mental
Think it, do it, be it, embellish
Here's another point for everyone to relish
When Ski busts his tools all ya'll foes will embellish
For somethin' wicked at ya'll faces
What I see is longin', needin'
Hey I got you with that goooooood stuff
And ya probably won't get enough
Ay-yo, lyrics I got it, lyrics, cadence
Do it with fun and patience
Funky, rhythmic, characteristic
Ebonically lingustic wit' the ghetto futuristic
Ay
Don't beat me in the head with the bullshit bat
C'mon everybody let's start
Beat me in the head, don't beat me in the head
Don't beat me in the head, don't beat me in the head
Don't beat me in the head, don't beat me in the head
Don't beat me in the head, head, head, head
So here we are fam let's start, so here we are fam let's start
So here we are fam let's start, so here we are fam let's start
To the Ummah family lets start
A-yo get off your ass and let's start, A-yo, here we are fam let's start
C'mon, get off your ass and let's start, here we are fam let's start
Here we is fam let's start, get off your ass and let's start
Here we are fam let's start, get off your ass
And let's start
In the song "Start It Up" by A Tribe Called Quest, the opening lyrics of "Incognito, speakin' to ya / Feel this, have it, makin' music" set the tone for the overall theme of the song. The band is welcoming their listeners (men, women, boys, and girls) to join them on this musical journey. The following lines refer to well-known philosophers and thinkers, including Aristotle, Plato, and Freud, but the singer dismisses them as not being relevant to the party they are starting. Instead, they offer up their own brand of music that is easy to dance to and enjoy. The lyrics also touch on themes of rebellion and overthrowing authority with the lines "Honeys who were not cooler than the ghetto rebel risin' / To overthrow a ruler." Through it all, the band emphasizes that their music is meant to bring people together and have a good time.
The chorus of "Don't beat me in the head with the bullshit bat / C'mon everybody let's start" echoes the idea of the band wanting to provide a positive, uplifting experience rather than one filled with negativity or politics. The verses continue with references to other hip-hop artists (Ummah, Mos, Jane Doe, Willy, Punchline, Wordsworth, SV, Chrissy) and urging the listener to speak their mind and let their voice be heard. The song concludes with the same message of starting something new and positive: "So here we are fam let's start, so here we are fam let's start."
Line by Line Meaning
Incognito, speakin' to ya
We are talking to you, but not revealing our true identities.
Feel this, have it, makin' music
Listen to and experience our music that we are creating.
Men and women, boys an' girls an'
Everyone is welcome to join us and be a part of our movement.
Welcome to the movement, the fifth wit' improvement
Join our improved and evolved musical movement.
Aristotle, Plato, Freud
We are not interested in traditional philosophers and thinkers.
Yeah right, Abstract, never void
We are into abstract ideas that never become pointless.
I make it easy for ya'll to boogie down to
Our music is easy to dance to and enjoy.
Hard to the ground, ooh the Tribe with the sound boo
Our music is distinct and unique, and we represent it proudly.
Touch me, tease me, feed me, squeezy
Our music is sensual and engaging.
Take it easy, never sleazy
We create music that is laid back and pure.
Promise that I will not answer
We are focused solely on creating music and not answering phone calls.
The phone when it rings love, while we do out thing love
We are too busy making music to be bothered by phone calls.
Never fakin', it's late, spirits
Our music is never fake, and we are always in a creative zone.
Through the music is our mission
Our mission is solely through the music we create.
Honies who were not cooler than the ghetto rebel risin'
Our music empowers those who feel marginalized or oppressed.
To overthrow a ruler
We want to overthrow the oppressive systems and structures in place.
Dearly beloved, dearly departed
We recognize those who have come and gone, a homage to those who paved the way for us.
There's a reason why we did it
We have a reason for our music and why we create it.
Cuz it's inside the body and the hearts
We create music from within ourselves, from our souls.
So here we are fam let's start, c'mon
We are here, ready to begin and make music together.
Don't beat me in the head with the bullshit bat
Don't try to force false ideas, opinions or narratives on us.
Ummah, Mos, Jane Doe, Willy
We mention artists to showcase our appreciation of their work.
Punchline, Wordsworth, SV, Chrissy
Again, we mention artists to give credit where credit is due.
S.O.S., Tribe Called Quest
We mention ourselves and others as part of our musical collective.
Get it off your chest, say it: "Tribe Called Quest!"
We want everyone to fully embrace and identify with us and our music.
Can you feel it when it hit right
When our music is on point, it is palpable, and you can feel it.
Can you feel it when we do it
We want our music to be felt and experienced by everyone.
Truth, power, taste, devour
Our music embodies truth, power, and flavor, which captivates our listeners.
Niggas in the street here comes the illest beat now
Our music is so good that even those outside of our usual demographic will enjoy it.
Move oceans wit' your mental
Our music has the power to move and inspire you.
Think it, do it, be it, embellish
We encourage our listeners to think, act, and become the change they want to see in the world.
Here's another point for everyone to relish
We have more to say and more music to make.
When Ski busts his tools all ya'll foes will embellish
When our music brings the heat, even our enemies will appreciate it.
For somethin' wicked at ya'll faces
Our music has an impact and can change the world.
What I see is longin', needin'
Our music speaks to those who are searching for something more or have a need that needs to be filled.
Hey I got you with that goooooood stuff
We have the power to give our listeners something that they truly want and need.
And ya probably won't get enough
Our music is so good that people will always want more.
Ay-yo, lyrics I got it, lyrics, cadence
We have a mastery of lyrics and cadence in our music.
Do it with fun and patience
We enjoy making our music and have a patient approach to the creative process.
Funky, rhythmic, characteristic
Our music is unique and has specific characteristics that make it stand out.
Ebonically lingustic wit' the ghetto futuristic
Our music embodies elements of the African diaspora and embraces the future.
So here we are fam let's start, so here we are fam let's start
We are a family and are ready to create music together, we are starting now.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ali Shaheed Jones-Muhammad, Ben Bernie, James Dewitt Yancey, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, Kenneth Casey Sr., Maceo Pinkard, Malik Izaak Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tate Buitrago
on Electric Relaxation
another of my dads