The Music of Q-Tip & A Tribe Called Quest

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A Tribe Called Quest is arguably the greatest Hip Hop group to ever rock a mic. Wikipedia has a good write-up on this iconic group, and their recently released documentary entitled Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.(produced by Michael Rappaport) is something for any serious fan to add to their collection w hen the DVD comes out. Commercial rap music has become overly materialistic, predictable and oftentimes ridiculously irresponsible which makes some of us long for the good old days of quality rap which made us dance, think & agitate (sometimes all at the same time!). ATCQ did that, and their music sounds just as fresh today as it did over a decade ago.

Above are some of my favorite Q-Tip/Tribe Called Quest jams which, in my opinion, sounds better than the garbage I’m hearing on the commercial airwaves. Track# 2 (“Description of a Fool”) is a Groove Armada acoustic remix of the original which appeared on their debut album. They were one of the few rap groups who took a stand against patriarchy/domestic violence which is what this song is about. Only Common, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, KRS-One, Ceelo Green (& a few others) dare go against the narrative of hyper-masculine posturing in hip-hop which has made fools out of so many. Nuff Respect to the Tribe!

OneLove

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