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)
What?
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Game for the buzzer who kicked it to the losers
Lame as a brain, could be, golly gee
If you see a shrink he'll charge you a fee
If you see me ya see the fee is nothing
(Fee will be for patience) all that's no fronting
What is a party if it doesn't really rock?
What is a poet? All balls, no cock
What's channel nine if it doesn't have Arsenio?
What is life if you don't have fun?
What is a what if you ain't got a gun?
What's Ali without Shaheed Muhammad?
Nothing. Kapelka makes you vomit
What is a Quest if the players ain't willing?
What is a pence if you don't have a shilling?
Excuse me if I'm chilling, hey what, say what
What's a fat man without food in his gut?
What's a child birth, without the umbilical?
What's United Parcel, without the deliverer?
What's momma-san, without poppa-san?
What's martial arts without Daniel-San?
What's Rasheed without Tonya, Tamika?
What's orange juice and Doug E. Doug without Shaniqua?
Not a not a not a, not a damn thing
What's Duke Ellington without that swing?
What's Alex Haley if it doesn't have roots?
What's a weekend if you ain't knocking boots?
What's a black nation, without black unity?
What is a child who doesn't know puberty?
What is my label when I exit boom status?
What's menage-a-trois, or, that is
What is sex when you have three people?
What are laws if they ain't fair and equal?
What's Clark Kent without a telephone booth?
What is a liquor if it ain't 80 proof?
What are the youth if they ain't rebelling?
What's Raplh Kramden, if he ain't yelling
At Ed Norton, what is coke snorting?
What is position if there is no contorting?
What is hip-hop if it doesn't have violence?
Chill for a minute, Doug E. Fresh said, "Silence"
What is a glock if you don't have a clip?
What's a lollipop without the Good Ship?
What's S&M if you don't have chains?
What's a con artist if he doesn't have brains?
What's America without greed and glamor?
What's an MC if he doesn't have stamina?
What's music fractured without Mr. Walt?
What's Trugoy without a phrase called torte?
What's Chris Lighty if he wasn't such a baby?
What is a woman if she didn't say maybe?
Baby laid down, I removed the frown
What would be my penal cord if it wasn't brown?
What is a paper without a president?
What is a compound without a element?
What is a jam if you don't spike the punch?
Was it Bruce Lee if you don't like brunch?
Oh oh, it's like that you keep going
Freak freak y'all cause you know that we showing
What? tigga what? tigga what? tigga what? tigga what?
Tigga what? tigga wha?t tigga? what tigga? what? (what?)
The lyrics to A Tribe Called Quest's "What?" explore the relationship between different concepts, asking what they would be without their counterparts. The song is a commentary on the interconnectedness of life and the need for balance. The lyrics are full of rhetorical questions, posing ideas and then answering them by suggesting that without their counterpart, they are nothing.
The song's lyrics touch on everything from war and poets to racism and childbirth, demonstrating the many facets of life and the importance of balance. The repeated refrain of "What?" emphasizes the song's theme of questioning and searching for meaning.
One of the most striking aspects of the song is its use of rhyme, with multiple words and phrases rhymed in each verse. The song also features catchy hooks and smooth beats that make it easy to groove to.
Line by Line Meaning
Babies babble on, they lookin' for excuses
Babies are always trying to find excuses for everything.
Game for the buzzer who kicked it to the losers
The game is over and it's time for the losers to leave.
Lame as a brain, could be, golly gee
Someone's brain being weak.
If you see a shrink he'll charge you a fee
If you visit a therapist, you'll have to pay.
If you see me ya see the fee is nothing
No need to pay since their help comes for free.
(Fee will be for patience) all that's no fronting
The fee is only for those who are not willing to be patient.
What is a party if it doesn't really rock?
Parties are only worth going to if they're a lot of fun.
What is a poet? All balls, no cock
Poets speak boldly but may not always be able to follow through.
What is a war if it doesn't have a general?
A war needs a leader to be successful.
What's channel nine if it doesn't have Arsenio?
What good is channel nine without the popular talk show host.
What is life if you don't have fun?
Life is only worth living if you enjoy it.
What is a what if you ain't got a gun?
Implying that you need a gun to be someone in society.
What's Ali without Shaheed Muhammad?
Muhammad Ali without the help and support of his coach Shaheed Muhammad.
Nothing. Kapelka makes you vomit
Not having someone to support you like a coach could make you lose and feel sick.
What is a Quest if the players ain't willing?
The group isn't worth much if the individual members aren't interested.
What is a pence if you don't have a shilling?
Having a smaller unit of currency, pence, is useless without a higher denomination of currency, shilling.
Excuse me if I'm chilling, hey what, say what
Apologizing for taking it easy.
What's a fat man without food in his gut?
A heavier man, who does not have food to sustain his weight.
What's a child birth, without the umbilical?
Childbirth without the help and support of the medical staff.
What's United Parcel, without the deliverer?
United Parcel Service without the delivery person, which is their main service.
What's momma-san, without poppa-san?
A mother without the father.
What's martial arts without Daniel-San?
Martial arts without the legendary character from the iconic movie 'Karate Kid'.
What's Rasheed without Tonya, Tamika?
Rasheed without the women in his life.
What's orange juice and Doug E. Doug without Shaniqua?
Orange juice and Doug E. Doug without the woman named Shaniqua.
Not a not a not a, not a damn thing
Implies that there is no value or importance without the elements mentioned in the previous lines.
What's Duke Ellington without that swing?
The famous musician Duke Ellington would be nothing without his music.
What's Alex Haley if it doesn't have roots?
Alex Haley would be nothing without the famous novel 'Roots' that he wrote.
What's a weekend if you ain't knocking boots?
Having sex on the weekend is essential for having fun and celebrating.
What's a black nation, without black unity?
A black country cannot be successful if the people within it are not united.
What is a child who doesn't know puberty?
A young person who has not gone through the physical changes of puberty.
What is my label when I exit boom status?
What will the group be known for when the trend is over.
What's menage-a-trois, or, that is
A sexual activity involving three people, or more realistically, often just used as a fantasy.
What is sex when you have three people?
Asking what the difference between sex with three people and sex with only two people is.
What are laws if they ain't fair and equal?
If the laws are not just, then they are not worth having.
What's Clark Kent without a telephone booth?
The alter ego of Superman, Clark Kent, is useless without a quick way to change into Superman.
What is a liquor if it ain't 80 proof?
Liquor that is not as strong as 80 proof is worthless.
What are the youth if they ain't rebelling?
Young people are often known for rebelling against their elders, so they are nothing without this trait.
What's Raplh Kramden, if he ain't yelling
Ralph Kramden, the main character from 'The Honeymooners', is known for yelling at his wife, so he would not be recognisable without this characteristic.
At Ed Norton, what is coke snorting?
Asking what is the point of coke snorting, referencing the character Ed Norton from 'The Honeymooners'.
What is position if there is no contorting?
Position becomes meaningless unless it is accompanied by the ability to contort oneself.
What is hip-hop if it doesn't have violence?
Hip-hop music is often associated with violent lyrics and themes.
Chill for a minute, Doug E. Fresh said, "Silence"
Doug E. Fresh, a prominent hip-hop artist, encourages the listener to relax and take a moment of silence to appreciate the music.
What is a glock if you don't have a clip?
A Glock, a popular pistol, is worthless without a clip.
What's a lollipop without the Good Ship?
A popular candy, lollipops, is pointless without the Good Ship, an allusion to great adventures or voyages.
What's S&M if you don't have chains?
S&M, a sexual subculture involving domination and submission, is not complete without chains.
What's a con artist if he doesn't have brains?
A con artist without their wit and intelligence is nothing.
What's America without greed and glamor?
There are many facets to America, but some people only focus on the greed and glamor that they associate with the country.
What's an MC if he doesn't have stamina?
An emcee, or rapper, needs stamina to perform and entertain their audience.
What's music fractured without Mr. Walt?
Mr. Walt is a producer who has had a significant impact on the composition of music.
What's Trugoy without a phrase called torte?
Trugoy, a member of A Tribe Called Quest, is known for using the phrase 'torte', and he would not be as notable without it.
What's Chris Lighty if he wasn't such a baby?
Chris Lighty was a music industry executive who was known for demanding what he wanted and being unapologetic.
What is a woman if she didn't say maybe?
A woman who does not express her desires or wants, and often gives in to the will of others.
Baby laid down, I removed the frown
Comforting someone who is upset.
What would be my penal cord if it wasn't brown?
Playing on the word 'penal' and 'cord', implying that skin colour is essential for identity.
What is a paper without a president?
Referring to money, which has a president's face on it, suggesting that it is not valuable without it.
What is a compound without a element?
A compound is made up of elements, without which it would not exist.
What is a jam if you don't spike the punch?
A party is not really a successful one if people aren't drinking spiked punch.
Was it Bruce Lee if you don't like brunch?
Asking if the famous martial artist would still be famous if he didn't like brunch or breakfast foods.
Oh oh, it's like that you keep going
Encouragement to keep going and not give up.
Freak freak y'all cause you know that we showing
Declaring that they are amazing and putting on an impressive show.
What? tigga what? tigga what? tigga what? tigga what?
Rhetorical questions, all asking variations of 'what is something without _____?'
Tigga what? tigga what tigga? what tigga? what? (what?)
Repeating the previous lines, emphasising the importance of the topic at hand.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ali Shaheed Jones-Muhammad, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, Malik Izaak Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tate Buitrago
on Electric Relaxation
another of my dads