A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip-hop group formed in St. Albans, Qu… Read Full Bio ↴A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip-hop group formed in St. Albans, Queens, New York, in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. The group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip hop music.

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)

get it up
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics

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Who that at the door? (Yo, Tip, it's her)
What you doin here, in front of my face?
You didn't want my, you didn't want it
To go somewhere, you all on it
But if you want to, then you can come here
Come here, yo

Have you ever met a woman that just took your breath?

So deep inside her life, she contemplated death
Can't help but get attatched to a woman like that (true dat)
The contact was quite immediate, I had to attack
(Because you the man, yo, you know you the man)
We related and debated over food and tunes
Started out in September, now we enterin June (say word)
Simple night in the crib, no, it just won't do
(no it just won't do, no it just won't do)
Because she liable to start shit that's wildin you
(wildin you, wildin)
She wanna push my whip, buy diamond chips
And take on trips, conversin my flip
Gotta do her hair, take her out to the fair
When a jake be there, make sure you don't stare
At another one comin, don't be startin nuthin
Be a slave to her, don't be brave to her
Make sure that she's right, make sure that you're wrong
When she wants to do it, make sure that it's long
F anyone wanna make it work it's me (Phife Dawg help me out)
But we gotta come through with common ground baby
Any man, he can claim to be the one for you
But put it straight to your lover in life runs true

And if it's me then let's get it going on
Get it going on, let's get it going on
And if it's me then let's get it going on

Phife Dawg in the break, is she more than you can take?

See, I'm not the one to be taken advantage of
And if you really think about it, I got nuthin but love
Now if your heart isn't in it, please let me know
There's no need to waste time, if it's no, then I'll go

And if it's me then let's get it going on
Get it going on, let's get it going on

And if it's me then let's get it going on
Get it going on, let's get it going on

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to A Tribe Called Quest's song "Common Ground" depict the common struggle that many couples face in relationships. The song tells the story of a man who is enamored with a woman that he is unsure how to please. The first verse starts with a panicky tone as Q-Tip's girlfriend surprises him and he questions her presence. He then proceeds to tell her that if she wants to be with him, she has to come to him, as he's tired of chasing something that doesn't want him.

The second verse introduces a woman that Tip is deeply in love with, but has a hard time satisfying. He explains how this woman is so complex and troubled, that he's fallen for her, but can't figure out how to help. He describes how they get into heated arguments over trivial matters and how she wants him to shower her with gifts, attention, and time, which is making him lose his mind.

The chorus of the song is where Q-Tip concludes that there is "common ground" that can unite them, and he is willing to make it work. The last verse is a reflection of Phife Dawg, who warns Q-Tip to not let this woman take advantage of him and to make sure he's fully invested in the relationship. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the desire to find common ground and make the relationship work.

Overall, "Common Ground" is a song that highlights the difficulties of relationships and how working towards finding common ground can help bring people together.

Line by Line Meaning

Who that at the door? (Yo, Tip, it's her)
Who could be knocking? (Hey, Tip, it's her)

What you doin here, in front of my face?
Why are you here, standing in front of me?

You didn't want my, you didn't want it
You didn't want me, you didn't want anything to do with me

To go somewhere, you all on it
But now you want to go somewhere, you're all about it

But if you want to, then you can come here
But if you really want to, then come over here

Come here, yo
Come over here, my friend

Have you ever met a woman that just took your breath?
Have you ever met a woman who just mesmerized you?

So deep inside her life, she contemplated death
Her life is too complicated, making her think of death

Can't help but get attatched to a woman like that (true dat)
It's hard not to get attached to a woman like her (that's true)

The contact was quite immediate, I had to attack
We had an instant connection, I had to make a move

(Because you the man, yo, you know you the man)
(Because you're the man, you know you're the man)

We related and debated over food and tunes
We connected while discussing food and music

Started out in September, now we enterin June (say word)
We started in September, now it's June (can you believe it)

Simple night in the crib, no, it just won't do
Just staying in for the night won't cut it

(no it just won't do, no it just won't do)
(it just won't do, it just won't do)

Because she liable to start shit that's wildin you
She's capable of doing things that'll make you go crazy

(wildin you, wildin)
(driving you wild, driving you wild)

She wanna push my whip, buy diamond chips
She wants to drive my car, buy me diamonds

And take on trips, conversin my flip
And go on trips, talking with me

Gotta do her hair, take her out to the fair
I have to do her hair and take her out to the fair

When a jake be there, make sure you don't stare
When a cop is there, make sure you don't stare

At another one comin, don't be startin nuthin
Don't start anything with another man

Be a slave to her, don't be brave to her
Submit to her, don't defy her

Make sure that she's right, make sure that you're wrong
Make sure she's always right and you're wrong

When she wants to do it, make sure that it's long
When she wants to have sex, make sure it lasts a long time

F anyone wanna make it work it's me (Phife Dawg help me out)
If anyone wants to make it work, it's me (Phife Dawg, help me)

But we gotta come through with common ground baby
But we have to meet each other halfway, baby

Any man, he can claim to be the one for you
Any man can say he's the one for you

But put it straight to your lover in life runs true
But ask your heart if he's the one who's right for you

And if it's me then let's get it going on
And if it's me, then let's make it happen

Get it going on, let's get it going on
We'll make it happen, let's make it happen

Phife Dawg in the break, is she more than you can take?
Phife Dawg in the break, can you handle her?

See, I'm not the one to be taken advantage of
I won't let anyone take advantage of me

And if you really think about it, I got nuthin but love
If you really think about it, I only have love for you

Now if your heart isn't in it, please let me know
If you don't feel the same way, please let me know

There's no need to waste time, if it's no, then I'll go
There's no point in wasting time, if it's a no, I'll leave

And if it's me then let's get it going on
And if it's me, then let's make it happen

Get it going on, let's get it going on
We'll make it happen, let's make it happen

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALI SHAHEED JONES-MUHAMMAD, KAMAAL IBN JOHN FAREED, MALIK IZAAK TAYLOR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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