A Tribe Called Quest

Artist Image: A Tribe Called Quest

Biography

A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of MC/producer Q-Tip, MC Phife Dawg aka Phife Diggy (Malik Taylor), and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 1991. Along with De La Soul, the group was a central part of the Native Tongues Posse, and enjoyed the most commercial success out of all the groups to emerge from that collective. Many of their songs, such as "Bonita Applebum", "Can I Kick It?", "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo", "Scenario", "Check the Rhime", "Jazz (We've Got)", "Award Tour" and "Electric Relaxation" are regarded as classics by the hip hop community. They released five albums between 1990 and 1998; the group disbanded in 1998. In 2006, the group reunited and toured the U.S., and planned to release a new album. The group is regarded as iconic pioneers of alternative hip hop music, having helped to pave the way for innovative hip hop artists. John Bush of Allmusic called them "the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s," while the editors of About.com ranked them #4 on their list of the "25 Best Rap Groups of All Time." In 2005, A Tribe Called Quest received a Special Achievement Award at the Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta. In 2007, the group was formally honored at the 4th VH1 Hip Hop Honors.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1985
Number of Albums 14
Record Label Jive
Website
Wikipedia A Tribe Called Quest on Wikipedia
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Trivia

How many years after their 1998 split did A Tribe Called Quest reconvene onstage?

Six

...question one of the most progressive and crucial rap groups of the 1990s. Six years after their 1998 split, they reconvened onstage and continued to o...
When did Tribe Called Quest come out?

1989

... the 2010s. The recorded debut of A Tribe Called Quest followed later in 1989 with Description of a Fool, issued on Jive. (The group had recorded a de...
What was the name of Tribe's first album?

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

...llowing April, Tribe released their first album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm . In addition to its rich assemblage of samples, ...
Who was the label that Tribe recorded a demo for?

Geffen

...scription of a Fool, issued on Jive. (The group had recorded a demo for Geffen , but the major label balked on offering a contract.) The following Apri...
Who played double bass for Verses from the Abstract?

Ron Carter

...n addition to its rich assemblage of samples, it featured jazz legend Ron Carter on double bass for Verses from the Abstract. Like the debut, it yield...
Which single topped the rap chart?

Check the Rhime

...he Abstract. Like the debut, it yielded a trio of charting singles. Check the Rhime topped the rap chart, and Scenario, featuring Leaders of the New S...
Which single featured Leaders of the New School went to number six?

Scenario

... a trio of charting singles. Check the Rhime topped the rap chart, and Scenario , featuring Leaders of the New School (with future solo star Busta Rhym...
What year did the Midnight Marauders debut?

1993

...followed by the similarly successful and influential Midnight Marauders ( 1993 ), and Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996), which topped the Billboard 200. In ...
In what year did Beats, Rhymes and Life top the Billboard 200?

1996

...l and influential Midnight Marauders (1993), and Beats, Rhymes and Life ( 1996 ), which topped the Billboard 200. In 1998, the group disbanded shortly b...
What was the name of the group's fifth album?

The Love Movement

...1998, the group disbanded shortly before releasing its fifth album The Love Movement , but in 2006, the original members reunited and toured sporadical...
In what year did the group release its sixth and final album?<extra_id_51>

2016

...al members reunited and toured sporadically for the next seven years. In 2016 , the group released its sixth and final album, We Got It from Here... Th...
What was the name of the band's sixth and final album?

We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service

...2016, the group released its sixth and final album, We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service , which received critical acclaim and became its se...
How many months before the release of A Tribe Called Quest did Phife Dawg die?

eight

...oard 200; it featured posthumous contributions from Phife Dawg, who died eight months before its release. A Tribe Called Quest was the most commercial...
Who contributed posthumously to the album We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service?

Phife Dawg

...m to top the Billboard 200; it featured posthumous contributions from Phife Dawg , who died eight months before its release. A Tribe Called Quest was t...
How many of A Tribe Called Quest's albums were certified either gold or platinum?

all six

...st was the most commercially successful act in the Native Tongues, with all six of its albums certified either gold or platinum. John Bush of AllMusic...
What year did A Tribe Called Quest receive the Founders Award at the Billboard R&BHipHop Awards?

2005

...arded them as one of the greatest acts that hiphop has ever produced. In 2005 , A Tribe Called Quest received the Founders Award at the Billboard R&BHi...
Who regarded the group as one of the greatest acts that hiphop has ever produced?

Kris Ex

... called them the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s. Kris Ex of Pitchfork regarded them as one of the greatest acts that hiphop has...
What year did the group receive the Brit Award for International Group?

2017

...ards, 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....
Where did QTip, Phife, Ali, and Jarobi attend high school?

Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers

...p only until 1991were classmates at New York Citys Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers . From this holiday congregation was born the Nativ...
When did Jarobi leave the band?

1991

...he Native Tongues. Previous lineup included Jarobi, who left the band in 1991 . Group formed in 1988; all members attended the Murry Bergtraum vocation...
When did the group form?

1988

...vious lineup included Jarobi, who left the band in 1991. Group formed in 1988 ; all members attended the Murry Bergtraum vocational school in New York ...
What label did A Tribe Called Quest sign with?

Jive Records

... Tribe Called Quest chose to sign with the distinctly hiphoporiented Jive Records , figuring correctly that this label best represented their sound. QT...
Who serves as the trio DJ?

Ali

...directly out of his throat, according to Source contributor Chris Wilder. Ali serves as the trios DJ, and Phife, who also goes by Phife Dawg, generall...
Who was the one who turned me on to jazz and poetry?

My father

...aimed abstract poet, told Rap Express contributor Michael A. Gonzales, My father was the one who turned me on to both jazz and poetry. When everyone w...
Where was A Tribe Called Quest formed in 1985?

St. Albans, Queens, New York

...A Tribe Called Quest was a pioneer hiphop ensemble formed in St. Albans, Queens, New York , in 1985. During the 1990s, A Tribe Called Quest had a strin...
What number did a Way Steppin It Up reach in the UK?

41

...eleased in 1994 included the singles, Find a Way Steppin It Up reached no. 41 UK. Later that year, 1994, the ensemble won The Source Awards for Group o...
When did the band disband briefly to pursue solo careers?

1998

...year, 1994, the ensemble won The Source Awards for Group of the Year. In 1998 , the group disbanded briefly to pursue solo careers but remains connecte...
Who was the honorary member of A Tribe Called Quest?

Jarobi

... legendary, beloved and revered groups of all time and for good reason. Jarobi , the honorary member of ATCQ, though not always heard, was a fixture of...
ATCQ, the Jungle Brothers, and De La Soul formed what group?

The Native Tongues

...ong with the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul, formed a unit called The Native Tongues . With a building buzz around The Native Tongues and Tribes energe...
ATCQ was a decisive and welcomed tangent of what type of music?

jazz

... Records in 1989. Sonically, ATCQ was a decisive and welcomed tangent of jazz , bassheavy rhythmic vibes and eclectic sampling when compared to the mun...
What was the name of the group that composed a number of successful singles and albums with their creative approach to rap music in 1990?

ATCQ

...dane recycling of soul loops, breaks and vocals of their contemporaries. ATCQ composed a number of successful singles and albums with their creative a...
When was Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm released?

1990

...cessful singles and albums with their creative approach to rap music. In 1990 , the group released Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm,...
What was the name of the record that influenced many future artists and producers?

Midnight Marauders

... in the creation and feel of this record along with its successor Midnight Marauders influenced many future artists and producers such as Common, The ...
What was my reasoning for the film?

Can they make more music? Will they make more music?

... why. That was really my reasoning for the film: Can they make more music? Will they make more music? You become obligated to the fans, he says, talki...
How many high school friends from New York City make up the A Tribe Called Quest group?

Three

...users of this site, please on how to submit A Tribe Called Quest lyrics. Three highschool friends from New York CityQTip, Phife, and Alicomprise the p...
What did A Tribe Called Quest do to preserve the essence of hiphop?

helped form the musicians' alliance

...egation was born the Native Tongues. A Tribe Called Quest helped form the musicians' alliance to preserve the essence of hiphop, maintain rap's sharp ...