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)
Vivrant Thing
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh, no doubt now
Uh, yo, check it out now
Uh, no doubt, yo
Special girl, real good girl
Biggest thing in my itty bitty world
Called her up and she made me feel right
Sittin' back with this mic in my hand
Spittin' hot shit tryin' to see grand
Imprinted on my mind every minute
Make my plans and you always in it, yo
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
And even though we both fly
Give each other space and not the evil eye
Actin' like grownups
Don't even try to hide cause the spot blown up
Girlfriend tellin' you she want to see
I say 'I dunno' but you say 'Gladly'
And when we both do hemp
We go on and on and on and on and on and
Sweeter than Ben & Jerry
Can I rhyme? Well you know I gets mine
Sittin' round in my abstract part
This abstract thing goin abstract far, yo
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
Gettin' back to my MC status
All the willy that I kick make the other niggaz maddest
Movin', to your town and situation
Shorty thought she subtle but she really was blatant when she
Shook her thing and violated
Now these wolf-like thoughts are formulated
I'm sayin, "Yo is this some heartfelt shit here?
Am I strong-backed nigga? Well shit yeah"
Plus we can hold a convo'
Or go to the movies, my crib, whatever yo
Just want to see you by my side
We on 95, know the stash is in the ride
A rappin' nigga for real
You would find me in a cypher if I didn't cop a deal
Rap slate like big grate
You buy, I sell, we split big cake
Uh uh, just move your little thing
Move it around and shake your little thing
Uh uhh yo
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
In "Vivrant Thing," A Tribe Called Quest praises a special girl who is the “biggest thing in my itty bitty world.” They describe her as a “vivrant thing” - full of life, excitement, and enthusiasm. The song revolves around their experiences with this girl, who has injected energy and color into their lives, making them feel alive and happy.
The lyrics of the song is quite jovial and upbeat, with Q-Tip expressing admiration for the girl at the center of the song. He raps that she “made [him] feel right” and that “the bliss could never take flight.” In the chorus, she's referred to as a “vivrant thing,” a phrase that Q-Tip uses to capture her energizing presence. Despite their mutual attraction, Q-tip and the girl agree to give each other space, knowing that being clingy will only drive them apart. They act like grownups and respect each other's need for privacy.
Overall, the song is a celebration of the joy and brilliance of young love. Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest are in awe of the vivrant girl that has entered their lives. They describe her in the most positive of terms, and the lively and catchy beat matches the happy tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Special girl, real good girl
This girl is special and really good
Biggest thing in my itty bitty world
She is the biggest thing in my small world
Called her up and she made me feel right
I called her and she made me feel good
Wish the bliss could never take flight
I wish this happiness could last forever
Sittin' back with this mic in my hand
I'm sitting and holding a microphone
Spittin' hot shit tryin' to see grand
I'm rapping and trying to make it big
Imprinted on my mind every minute
You're constantly on my mind
Make my plans and you always in it, yo
You're always a part of my plans
You're such a vivrant thing,
You're a very lively and energetic person
And even though we both fly
Even though we're both busy
Give each other space and not the evil eye
We give each other room and don't get jealous
Actin' like grownups
We're acting like mature adults
Don't even try to hide cause the spot blown up
We don't even try to hide because everyone knows about us
Girlfriend tellin' you she want to see
Your girlfriend is saying she wants to see you
I say 'I dunno' but you say 'Gladly'
I say 'I don't know' but you say 'of course'
And when we both do hemp
And when we both smoke weed
We go on and on and on and on and on and
We continue for a long time
Sweeter than Ben & Jerry
You're sweeter than ice cream
Can I rhyme? Well you know I gets mine
Can I rap? Well, you know I'm good at it
Sittin' round in my abstract part
I'm sitting around in my creative space
This abstract thing goin abstract far, yo
My creative process is going really well
Gettin' back to my MC status
Going back to my status as a rapper
All the willy that I kick make the other niggaz maddest
The way I rap makes other rappers jealous
Movin', to your town and situation
Moving to where you are and what you're doing
Shorty thought she subtle but she really was blatant when she
You thought you were being subtle, but you were obvious when you
Shook her thing and violated
Danced and crossed a line
Now these wolf-like thoughts are formulated
Now I have aggressive thoughts
I'm sayin, 'Yo is this some heartfelt shit here?
I'm saying, 'Is this serious?'
Am I strong-backed nigga? Well shit yeah'
Am I a tough guy? Yeah, I am
Plus we can hold a convo'
We can have a conversation
Or go to the movies, my crib, whatever yo
Or we can go to the movies, my place, or whatever
Just want to see you by my side
I just want to be with you
We on 95, know the stash is in the ride
We're on the highway and I know we have drugs in the car
A rappin' nigga for real
I'm a real rapper
You would find me in a cypher if I didn't cop a deal
I'd be freestyling in a group if I didn't get a record deal
Rap slate like big grate
My raps are great
You buy, I sell, we split big cake
You buy drugs, I sell them, and we split the money
Uh uh, just move your little thing
Move your body
Move it around and shake your little thing
Dance and move your body
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Barry White, Kamaal Ibn Jonathan Davis Fareed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luvcoffee7842
I am 26 years old and Japanese.
I think Q-Tip was intentionally trying to create a major atmosphere for Amplified.
I feel that they were trying to differentiate themselves from atcq.
Amplified has its pros and cons, but I really like the unique music that only Q-Tip could make at this time.
With Renaissance, he was back to his true self.
Amplified has a black jacket and Renaissance has a white jacket.
I feel it is very meaningful.
@FreebieBabe
"Special girl, real good girl
Biggest thing in my itty bitty world
Called her up and she made me feel right
Wish the bliss could never take flight
Sittin back with this mic in my hand
Spittin hot shit tryin to see grand
Imprinted on my mind every minute
Make my plans and you always in it, yo
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing"
#Old School baby.
@GeminiJo
The beat alone was epic.
@robertgoines2855
Yep + no cursing
@lmrdrummer1
TheHatedHater there were three writers that got credit actually.
@dallascorpio
Barry White sample.
@lisaellis4105
Heck! yeah!
@charleymartinez-rodriguez8358
Sounds like "Just Like Music"-Marvin Gaye
@londontravellers22
I was listening to this the other day. My 17 year old daughter told me I was too old to listen to hip hop and that I need to listen to songs in my generation. I told her this song IS from my generation. I've been listening to this song since I was 16.
@oldirtybastard667
😂😂
@napkinbob4689
HAHA
@funkysexy69
😍...Nice one! 😎🤙🏽🖤