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)
Sucka N***a
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics
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"Hey sucka nigga, hey sucka nigga
Whoever you are, whoever you are"
I be hating sucka MC's, and the sucka niggas
Posing like they hard when we know they damn card
What you figure, rhyme-wise, I do the figure eight
So concisely, musically we are the herb so sit back
My style is kinda fat reminiscent of a whale
Young girls desires for the females dreams
I be the Abstract Poetic representing from Queens
Socially I'm not a name, black and white got game
If you came to the jam, well I'm glad you came
See, nigga first was used back in the Deep South
Falling out between the dome of the white man's mouth
It means that we will never grow, you know the word dummy
Other niggas in the community think it's crummy
But I don't, neither does the youth cause we
Em-brace adversity it goes right with the race
And being that we use it as a term of endearment
Niggas start to bug to the dome is where the fear went
Now the little shorties say it all of the time
And a whole bunch of niggas throw the word in they rhyme
Yo I start to flinch, as I try not to say it
But my lips is like the oowop as I start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop as I start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop as I start to spray the
Sucka nigga, nigga nigga
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
The sucka niggas, nigga nigga
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
The sucka niggas, nigga nigga
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
It's the neo-nigga of the nineties, c'mon
I be hating sucka MC's, and the sucka niggas
Posing like they hard when we know they damn card
What you figure, rhyme-wise, I do the figure eight
So concisely, musically we are the herb so sit back
And light me inhale
My style is kinda fat reminiscent of a whale
Young girls desires for the females dreams
I be the Abstract Poetic representing from Queens
Socially I'm not a name, black and white got game
If you came to the jam well I'm glad you came
See, nigga first was used down in the Deep South
Falling out between the dome of the white man's mouth
It means that we will never grow, you know the word dummy
Other niggas in the community think it's crummy
But I don't, neither does the youth cause we
Em-brace adversity it goes right with the race
Yo I start to flinch, as I try not to say it
But my lips is like the oowop as I start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop as I start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop, yo you know the rest
The sucka niggas, niggas niggas
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
The sucka niggas, nigga nigga
I throw the suckas in the front for the ones that front
The sucka niggas, nigga nigga
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
Sucka niggas, nigga nigga
Hey yo Shaheed, take us the fuck outta here
In the song "Sucka N***a" by A Tribe Called Quest, the word "n***a" is used throughout. The song focuses on the singer's disdain for fake people in the music industry, calling them "sucka MCs" and "sucka n***as". The singer also discusses the history and usage of the word "n***a" within the Black community. The singer recognizes that some members of the community view the word negatively, but ultimately embraces it as a term of endearment.
The lyrics of the song express the singer's frustration with those who pretend to be "hard" in the music industry. The singer calls out "sucka MCs" and "sucka n***as" who pose as something they're not. The rap style of the singer is described as "fat reminiscent of a whale". The lyrics are self-referential, with the singer referring to themselves as the "Abstract Poetic" representing from Queens.
The song explores the controversy surrounding the use of the word "n***a" within the Black community. The singer explains that the word was originally used as a derogatory term by white people in the Deep South. However, the word has since been reclaimed by the Black community as a term of endearment. The singer acknowledges that some members of the community view the word negatively, but ultimately decides to embrace it.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey sucka nigga, whoever you are
Addressing an unknown person who is acting like a fool
I be hating sucka MC’s, and the sucka niggas
Disliking people who pretend to be tough when they are not
Posing like they hard when we know they damn card
Acting tough when everyone knows they are not
What you figure, rhyme-wise, I do the figure eight
Performing perfect rhymes while also being creative
So concisely, musically we are the herb so sit back
Being musically skilled and unique
And light me, inhale
Celebrating the good music by enjoying it together
My style is kinda fat reminiscent of a whale
Their style is unique and noticeable similar to a fat whale
Young girls desires for the females dreams
Girls have dreams for a brighter future
I be the Abstract Poetic representing from Queens
Representing the street culture from his hometown, Queens
Socially I’m not a name, black and white got game
Not being famous but he has black and white fans
If you came to the jam, well I’m glad you came
Being thankful for the audience who came to listen to their music
See, nigga first was used back in the Deep South
Explaining the historical origin of the word nigga
Falling out between the dome of the white man’s mouth
It came from white people who used it at first
It means that we will never grow, you know the word dummy
The word nigga is a symbol of how society still has a lot to grow and learn
Other niggas in the community think it’s crummy
Some people in society find the word cringy or inappropriate
But I don’t, neither does the youth cause we
Some people like him and the younger generation find the word lighthearted and endearing
Embrace adversity it goes right with the race
Accepting challenges is part of the black community
And being that we use it as a term of endearment
They use it to express affection towards each other
Niggas start to bug to the dome is where the fear went
People start to misunderstand and get scared when they hear the word nigga
Now the little shorties say it all of the time
Nowadays, young kids use the word frequently
And a whole bunch of niggas throw the word in they rhyme
Many rappers use the word in their music
Yo I start to flinch, as I try not to say it
Even he feels uncomfortable using the word sometimes
But my lips is like the oowop as I start to spray it
But he can't resist using it because it flows naturally in his music
The sucka niggas, niggas niggas
Referring to people who pretend to be tough
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
Calling out the fake people and putting them on display
It’s the neo-nigga of the nineties, c’mon
Describing himself as a new and modern version of the word nigga
Hey yo Shaheed, take us the f**k outta here
Ending the song and asking the DJ to play the next track
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ali Shaheed Jones-Muhammad, Freddie Hubbard, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, Malk Izaak Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tate Buitrago
on Electric Relaxation
another of my dads