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)
The Remedy
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To put the blame on something else rather than sometimes looking at
Ourselves, recognizing a lot of the stuff that happens... but if we look
Within ourselves, we could prevent a lot of this nonsense. it's about
Relating back to the essence, where it all stems from. i'm-a do my thing
Over this drum, like a native tongue.
Verse one
Do what you will, if you feel that your steeze is real
Complicated with the skills over reel to reel
Brown skin is what I feel, my mind and body's appeal
Is to the no-frill mills, who hear the beats to chill
Constantly, I'm hearing black americans just sneering
Looking for a leader who can fill us up with either
Hitting us up with great emotional chat
About the fact
That the black
Is constantly held back
Like 50 tracks back in a relay race
And the white team's ahead
So let's keep up the pace
And I be needing something
To feed my logical taste
At the end of the race is there a paradise place?
Yo, we can't get involved in what the next man is doing
Material gain we put too much in persuing
Yo duke, I need this dough so we can step to this party
But we can all mardi grati
Minus that shit in our body
What that got to do with that
'cause kid that's the essence,
Your physical presence
Embodies every lesson
You can't run the rolls royce if the engine is busted.
Can't even life the knife to cut the mustard.
What we need to do first
Now listen to this verse
Let's concentrate on our spiritual plate.
Recognize your existence in this vast blue space
From a tiny cloud of blood
To the human beings with taste, sight, touch, smell
And sound
Let's deem it profound!
And prioritize this cause it was allah's wish
Allah? I'm god
No I ddon't believe that. that's a mystery
If God is so good why does shit be happening to me?
There's divinity within
Because we come from the divine
A froce that's not seen but you feel it every time
When the wind blows, and the world turns,
And the rain drops, and the baby cries
And the bird flies, and the ground quake,
And the stars gleam
So many things are eident of it's existence
What we need to do is link it with persistence
Once we recognize that, we can move ahead
Native tongue, common sense yo he's hip-hop bred...
Common:
From the spiritual world my former life has developed
First person I lost close to me was stella
Some of my mellows
Lost their mothers and their brothers
For them I feel empathy
But I ain't pouring out no liquor for no niggas
I pour my heart out when I see dot out on the deck
Knowing two weeks ago he slapped-box with death
I hear of niggas dying in the wind-in the news
But when it's somebody you know it hits you
And emotions get bruised
I ain't been in your shoes,
I won't judge you for knocking
Because the spirit of the ghetto says you gotta!
They snatch you again from rock flippin'
Give back into the neighborhood, you better start kickin'
Stickin' stores
On the strip
I'm tired of arabs giving me my change back
Devil bomb my yesterday
My tomorrow he never gave back
I lay back, looking at the ceiling
Wonndering what can I do
So my homie won't have to be dealing
Not cause you serving and I'm rapping I'm better
Just different pieces to the puzzle of black life
That we have to put together, better ourselves
Cause families we gotta raise
No matter how long the money
Shorter become the days
Men become like women
And no difference in the season
If you got popped five times
You breathing for a reason
Let's put the five tenure plan into progression
Before we count our paper
Count our blessings
The song "The Remedy" by A Tribe Called Quest is an introspective exploration of the African American experience in the United States, and a call to action for listeners to improve themselves and their communities. The opening verse by Q-tip speaks to the need for self-reflection and personal responsibility, rather than blaming external factors for problems. He encourages listeners to focus on their spiritual well-being and recognize the divinity within themselves and the world around them. He also recognizes the systemic barriers faced by black Americans and the need for leadership to overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
Do what you will, if you feel that your steeze is real
You should be true to yourself and do what you feel is right.
Complicated with the skills over reel to reel
My music is complex and layered, recorded with the analog technology of reel-to-reel.
Brown skin is what I feel, my mind and body's appeal
As a Black man, I am proud of my heritage and my physical and mental abilities.
Is to the no-frill mills, who hear the beats to chill
My music is meant for those who appreciate simple, no-nonsense beats to relax and unwind.
Constantly, I'm hearing black americans just sneering
I often hear fellow Black Americans complaining and criticizing others rather than trying to make a change.
Looking for a leader who can fill us up with either
We are searching for a leader who can inspire and motivate us to succeed.
Hitting us up with great emotional chat
The leader we seek should speak to our hearts and emotions, and empower us.
About the fact
They should address the truth.
That the black
That Black people
Is constantly held back
Are often oppressed and prevented from reaching their full potential.
Like 50 tracks back in a relay race
Black people often start from a disadvantage, as if they are 50 tracks behind in a relay race.
And the white team's ahead
White people have an advantage in this scenario.
So let's keep up the pace
We need to work hard to catch up and even surpass others.
And I be needing something to feed my logical taste
I am searching for logical and rational solutions to our problems.
At the end of the race is there a paradise place?
Will there be a better future for us at the end of our struggles?
Yo, we can't get involved in what the next man is doing
We should focus on our own lives instead of getting sidetracked by others.
Material gain we put too much in persuing
We should focus less on material possessions and more on bettering ourselves.
Yo duke, I need this dough so we can step to this party
I need money to go to this party.
But we can all mardi grati
We can still have fun without spending money.
Minus that shit in our body
We should avoid drugs and other harmful substances.
What that got to do with that 'cause kid that's the essence
Avoiding harmful substances is part of the essence of what we should do to better ourselves.
Your physical presence embodies every lesson
We can learn lessons from our experiences and the people around us.
You can't run the rolls royce if the engine is busted
You can't achieve success if you are not taking care of yourself properly.
Can't even life the knife to cut the mustard
You can't succeed if you don't have the necessary tools and skills.
What we need to do first Now listen to this verse
First, let's listen to this song.
Let's concentrate on our spiritual plate
We should focus on our spiritual well-being.
Recognize your existence in this vast blue space
Understand that we are small in the grand scheme of things.
From a tiny cloud of blood To the human beings with taste, sight, touch, smell And sound
We are all connected through our senses and our origins as human beings.
Let's deem it profound!
We should appreciate this connection and view it as profound.
And prioritize this cause it was allah's wish
It is important to focus on our spiritual well-being because it was Allah's wish (according to Islamic teachings).
Allah? I'm god
Some people refer to a higher power as Allah, but I refer to it as God.
No I don't believe that. that's a mystery
I don't understand everything about religion and spirituality.
If God is so good why does shit be happening to me?
Sometimes I question why bad things happen to me despite believing in a higher power.
There's divinity within
We all have a divine quality within us.
Because we come from the divine
We were all created by a divine power.
A force that's not seen but you feel it every time
We may not see this divine power, but we can feel its presence in many ways.
When the wind blows, and the world turns, And the rain drops, and the baby cries And the bird flies, and the ground quake, And the stars gleam
The natural world is full of examples of this divine force.
So many things are eident of it's existence
There are many things that suggest the existence of a divine power.
What we need to do is link it with persistence
We need to persistently connect with this divine force to better ourselves and our world.
Once we recognize that, we can move ahead
Once we acknowledge the existence of this divine force, we can progress.
Native tongue, common sense yo he's hip-hop bred...
This is the essence of hip-hop music.
From the spiritual world my former life has developed
My spiritual beliefs have shaped who I am today.
First person I lost close to me was stella
The first person I lost who was close to me was named Stella.
Some of my mellows Lost their mothers and their brothers For them I feel empathy
I feel empathy for my friends who have lost family members.
But I ain't pouring out no liquor for no niggas
I won't drink in memory of my fallen friends.
I pour my heart out when I see dot out on the deck Knowing two weeks ago he slapped-box with death
I express my emotions when I see a friend who recently had a close call with death.
I hear of niggas dying in the wind-in the news But when it's somebody you know it hits you And emotions get bruised
Hearing about deaths in the news is one thing, but when it hits close to home, it hurts even more.
I ain't been in your shoes
I can't fully understand your experiences.
I won't judge you for knocking
I won't judge you for resorting to violence.
Because the spirit of the ghetto says you gotta!
The circumstances of the ghetto often require resorting to violence for protection or survival.
They snatch you again from rock flippin'
The authorities will arrest you if you're caught selling drugs on the street.
Give back into the neighborhood, you better start kickin' Stickin' stores On the strip
Once released, you should give back to the community instead of resorting back to a life of crime.
I'm tired of arabs giving me my change back Devil bomb my yesterday My tomorrow he never gave back
I'm tired of racist attitudes towards Black people and the system that doesn't allow us to progress.
I lay back, looking at the ceiling Wondering what can I do So my homie won't have to be dealing
I reflect on what I can do to prevent my friends from turning to a life of crime or drug dealing.
Not cause you serving and I'm rapping I'm better
I'm not superior to you just because I'm a rapper and you're selling drugs.
Just different pieces to the puzzle of black life That we have to put together, better ourselves
We are all trying to survive and succeed in our own unique ways, but we should work together to improve our conditions.
Cause families we gotta raise No matter how long the money Shorter become the days
We all have families to support and the time we have to do so is growing shorter.
Men become like women And no difference in the season
Black men are becoming feminized and losing their sense of masculinity.
If you got popped five times You breathing for a reason
If you have survived multiple close calls with death, there must be a reason why you're still alive.
Let's put the five tenure plan into progression
We should plan for the future and work towards long-term goals.
Before we count our paper Count our blessings
We should appreciate what we already have before focusing on material possessions or monetary gains.
Writer(s): Graham Edwards, Scott Spock, Lauren Christy, Jason Thomas Mraz
Contributed by Daniel H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
London Floor Plan
Common killed this track!
Antonio Gambardella
This is rap classic 🔝🎙✌🙏💣🔥👊
krutoy
<3 !
London Floor Plan
I think I see Bernie Mac...up on this...........RIP Dilla
London Floor Plan
Qtip caught wreck!
Me You
Dilla didn't produce this. It sounds like Ali Shaheed Muhammad of The Uhmah
icedoutleeko
Dilla did produce this