q-tip Archives

The Native Tongues Had Mad Flavor. This 6-Hour Mix Celebrates All The Ingredients (Audio)

There are not many collectives that have had as much impact on Hip-Hop, and on music in general, as Native Tongues. Although they never released an album as a unit, this extended family started in the late 1980s with seminal groups Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La... Read more

July 6, 2018 Audio, Mixes

A Tribe Called Quest’s Final Video Is Now Available For All To See

Three months ago, A Tribe Called Quest released their final music video, "The Space Program." However, the late March visual accompaniment to 2016's We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service album was only available to some platform subscribers. Now, the incredible farewell video (dedicated to the late Phife... Read more

June 28, 2018 Video

Finding The GOAT Group: A Tribe Called Quest vs. Black Sheep. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual competition series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry (which has been determined), including the possibility... Read more

June 27, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Q-Tip Is Working On His First Solo Album In Nearly 10 Years & It’s Coming Soon

It has been exactly four years since AFH readers heard anything about Q-Tip's The Last Zulu album. Once slated to be The Abstract's first release since signing with Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music, the proposed LP marks a follow-up to 2008's Grammy-nominated album, The Renaissance. It was Tip's third solo... Read more

June 18, 2018 Fresh

Finding The GOAT Group: A Tribe Called Quest vs. Souls Of Mischief. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to... Read more

April 9, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Q-Tip Will Teach College Students The Low End Theory & Other Hip-Hop Lessons

In March, A Tribe Called Quest released its final music video, "The Space Program." Currently an exclusive at Apple Music, the single from 2016's We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service closes the visual book on one of Hip-Hop's most beloved groups, according to a recent Sway... Read more

April 7, 2018 News

Slum Village Release A Lost Song With Q-Tip From The Fantastic Era (Audio)

Twenty years ago, Slum Village finished recording an album that would forever change the trio's path. Fantastic, Vol. 2 took two additional years to release after its completion. Even after unexpected delays, shifting to indie label resources, and a newly-crowded Detroit Rap scene in the marketplace, the LP thrived as... Read more

April 6, 2018 Audio

Phife Loved Hip-Hop, But Hip-Hop Needed Him (Video)

Today (March 22) marks two years since the passing of one of Hip-Hop’s grandest luminaries, Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest. While his legacy and imprint on music is still unfolding and carving out its place within the Rap history books, his efforts on the microphone maintain their relevancy... Read more

March 22, 2018 Do Remember

Q-Tip To Portray Miles Davis In A Play Written By Nelson George

Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest are often credited with bringing the genres of Hip-Hop and Jazz closer together through sampling, collaboration, and emphasizing different sounds in the music. Q-Tip will now portray one of the most iconic Jazz figures of all-time. The veteran MC, producer, DJ, and actor will... Read more

March 21, 2018 News

Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Consequence Explain Why ATCQ Was Angry About The Grammys (Video)

To most, the 2018 Grammys represented a strong field of what Hip-Hop music had to offer in the previous year, but many believed that a few were snubbed in the nominees for Best Rap Album. The decision not to select A Tribe Called Quest was a particular sore spot for... Read more

March 13, 2018 News, Video

The Kennedy Center Put Q-Tip In Charge Of Hip-Hop Culture & He Built A Dream Team To Help

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. has announced the inauguration of its Hip Hop Culture Council, and the names are nothing short of heavyweights. According to the center's Medium page, the council is comprised of Hip Hop luminaries from across various elements of the culture.... Read more

March 6, 2018 News

Q-Tip & Kendrick Lamar Link On A Song That Sounds Like Vintage ATCQ (Audio)

It’s no secret that Kendrick Lamar is heavily influenced by A Tribe Called Quest. During his To Pimp A Butterfly Tour, Lamar made 18,000 concertgoers in Sydney, Australia pay homage to Phife Dawg the day Tribe's co-founder passed away back in 2016. Later that year, fans heard Phife and Lamar... Read more

February 10, 2018 Audio

An New Video Shows The Rise Of The Soulquarians & Why Things Fell Apart

During the week of special engagements leading up to last Sunday's Grammy Awards, The Roots held a four-day residency at The Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan. During the day, the three-time Grammy-winners programmed events that included the first live taping of Questlove Supreme with guest Common, as well as a Black... Read more

January 30, 2018 Throwback, Video

Nas & The National Symphony Are Taking Illmatic From QB To The Kennedy Center (Video)

Back in 1994, Nas' debut Illmatic peaked at #12 on the charts. The commercial performance was highly respectable for an emerging Rap artist, but Hip-Hop Heads who heard and loved the album knew those 10 songs meant so much more than any chart, music review, or record store display could... Read more

January 12, 2018 News, TV, TV/Film, Video

Salute To LL Cool J. He Is Now Hip-Hop’s First Kennedy Center Honoree

Fans have waited four months since it announced, but Hip-Hop has its first Kennedy Center Honoree. LL Cool J was among the five artists celebrated at the honors this weekend in Washington, D.C. The MC, actor, host, and author born James Todd Smith attended the event at the John F.... Read more

December 3, 2017 News

Q-Tip is FURIOUS. He Calls Out The Grammys For Snubbing A Tribe Called Quest (Video)

Last February, A Tribe Called Quest were joined by Busta Rhymes and Anderson .Paak for a show-stealing Grammy Awards performance that included "We The People," "Movin Backwards," and splashes of "Can I Kick It?" and "Award Tour." Nine months later, neither A.T.C.Q. nor their final album (released one year ago... Read more

November 28, 2017 News, Video

Steve Stoute Explains Why He Took Nas From The Underground To The Mainstream (Video)

Music industry veteran Steve Stoute recently launched UnitedMasters, a company that allows musicians to market directly to their fans across digital platforms. The service promotes artists keeping their master recordings and provides resources for the modern market that once seemed reserved for major label acts. Stoute is the latest guest... Read more

November 20, 2017 Video

The Kennedy Center Is Celebrating Rap’s Pioneers With A Concert Series

The John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center has gradually created a bona fide space for Hip-Hop within its gates over the past year. It has appointed A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip as its First Artistic Director of Hip-Hop Culture in 2016 and is awarding LL Cool J as the first ever... Read more

November 10, 2017 News

A Tribe Called Quest Are Releasing Their Own Line Of Sneakers For Kickin’ It (Video)

A Tribe Called Quest is a legendary Hip-Hop group which has had a major impact on fashion. In their earliest days, the group helped usher in a new era of afrocentrism and, in later years, as they moved, so did their listeners. A year later, Phife Dawg he had legions... Read more

November 6, 2017 Exclusive, Last 7, Video

Q-Tip Explains Why The Institutionalization Of Hip-Hop Is A Good Thing (Audio)

In March of 2016, A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip was named Artistic Director of Hip-Hop Culture at Washington, D.C.'s famed Kennedy Center. With fellow Queens, native LL Cool J already confirmed as a center honoree for December, Tip spoke with NPR and explained why the looks are validations at a... Read more

October 9, 2017 Audio

This ’96 Freestyle From Tribe, Busta, The Roots & More Packs Lines That Truly Punch (Audio)

The City of Brotherly Love has undoubtedly produced some of Hip-Hop's best MCs to ever grip the mic, and equally, some of the greatest DJs to touch the turntables. Legendary Philadelphia DJ Cash Money has an extensive resumé with memorable mixtapes to prove the latter. After making seminal 1980s 12"... Read more

September 21, 2017 Do Remember

A Tribe Called Quest Have Performed Their Last Show Ever (Video)

In a career that lasted more than 29 years, A Tribe Called Quest have completed their final concert. Over the weekend, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White played Bestival in East Lulworth, United Kingdom before hanging up their mics and turntables as a collective. The 90-minute-show followed an international run... Read more

September 11, 2017 News, Video

Weldon Irvine Influenced Black Star, KRS-One, JAY-Z, Common & Q-Tip. His Story Is Being Told (Video)

Best-known perhaps as the songwriter of the unofficial Civil Rights anthem, "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" (popularized by Nina Simone), the late Weldon Irvine bridged the generations as a key mentor and collaborator to Hip-Hop icons during the '90s and beyond. Guru, Roy Ayers, & Donald Byrd Brought Jazzmatazz... Read more

August 29, 2017 TV/Film, Video

2 Chainz Is Working With Q-Tip On An Album To Show The World He’s A Lyricist (Video)

While respected by his peers, 2 Chainz is generally not revered as a lyricist among most Hip-Hop Heads. Enlisting the help of A Tribe Called Quest’s visionary rapper/producer Q-Tip, the Playaz Circle artist hopes to change that perception. To follow up his fourth studio album as a solo artist, last... Read more

July 19, 2017 Video

Puffy Explains How He Landed On Tribe’s Midnight Marauders Cover Before Fame (Video)

The week of Puff Daddy's 24th birthday, the would-be mogul ended up on his first album cover. In late 1993, before Bad Boy Records ever released a single, and No Way Out was a distant dream, Sean Combs appeared on the outer artwork to A Tribe Called Quest's third album,... Read more

June 29, 2017 Video

Big Boi Explains Just How Real The OutKast & A Tribe Called Quest Joint Album Was (Video)

Between 2007 and early 2016, two of the most exciting Hip-Hop acts on Epic Records were seemingly inactive. Through a series of label moves, restructuring, and dissolving imprints, Outkast and A Tribe Called Quest were label-mates. LaFace/Arista rolled into Jive, which restructured into Epic. Both groups had fans and media... Read more

June 26, 2017 Video

Listen To The Sure Shot Verse From MCA’s Career Through Large Professor’s Remix (Video)

Five years ago today (May 4, 2012), the world was shocked to learn about the death of Adam "MCA" Yauch. It is a loss that Hip-Hop is very much still mourning. The co-founder of the Beastie Boys impacted lives on and off the microphone, across mediums. However, from Tibetan Freedom... Read more

May 4, 2017 Do Remember

Prodigy Reveals Nas’ Illmatic Was A Blueprint For Mobb Deep’s The Infamous (Video)

In April of 1995, Mobb Deep released The Infamous, a legacy-ensuring sophomore LP that kept the rugged, unadulterated reputation of Queensbridge alive and well. Featuring Ghostface Killah, Q-Tip, Raekwon, Nas, and others, Prodigy and Havoc's second album would arrive the same year as equally enduring albums from Smif-n-Wessun (Dah Shinin), Big L... Read more

May 2, 2017 Video

Termanology & Saigon Use Q-Tip Production For A Sobering Look At What’s Wrong (Video)

One of the most poignant tracks in Termanology's expansive catalog is "We're Both Wrong." The track pairs the 1982 MC with production from A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip. For a song about the ills of society, especially law enforcement profiling and brutalizing people of color, Saigon's slang editorial is a... Read more

April 12, 2017 Video

Talib Kweli’s 10 Favorite Albums Are An Eternal Reflection Of Great Music

Last month, Raekwon raised some eyebrows and even more discussion when he listed his Top 10 albums. While his own acclaimed purple tape and Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele were on the list, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) missed the cut. That prompted some discourse from fans, surrounding the classic LP upon... Read more

April 12, 2017 Fresh

Finding The GOAT Producer: J Dilla vs. A Tribe Called Quest. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

February 22, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Producer: The Elite 8 Has Been Determined

Last night (February 20), Round 2 voting closed for “Finding The GOAT Producer.” This competition, launched in early January, began with 32 producers (including two Wild Card inductees into the bracket). The 32 eventually became a pack of 16, and as of now, has reached its Elite 8 in this... Read more

February 21, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Producer: A Tribe Called Quest vs. Timbaland. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

February 16, 2017 Finding the GOAT

A Tribe Called Quest Resist For ALL OF US At The Grammys (Video)

Nearly 20 years after their latest Grammy nomination, A Tribe Called Quest took the stage tonight (February 12). While their 2016 release of We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service is not eligible for awards at the 59th Grammys, tonight's showcase may be a preview for 2018.... Read more

February 12, 2017 Video

Finding The GOAT Producer: The Sweet 16 Has Been Determined

Last night (February 5), Round 1 voting closed for "Finding The GOAT Producer." That round, launched in early January, began with 32 producers (including two Wild Card inductees into the bracket). As of today's tiebreaker between Organized Noize vs. Erick Sermon (which was within less than 1% when the polls closed),... Read more

February 6, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Leaders Of The New School Are Recording New Music With Comeback Plans (Audio)

It has been nearly 25 years since Leaders Of The New School released an album, care of 1993's T.I.M.E. Mentored by The Bomb Squad, especially Chuck D, Long Island, New York's L.O.N.S. would create a launchpad for Busta Rhymes, along with Dinco D, Charlie Brown and DJ, Cut Monitor Milo.... Read more

February 3, 2017 Audio, News

A Tribe Called Quest & Anderson .Paak Will Rock The Grammy Stage Together

In just a couple of weeks, the 59th Grammy Awards will broadcast on February 12. While De La Soul, Chance The Rapper, Fat Joe & Remy Ma, Kanye West, Drake, and other Hip-Hop stars are nominated in various categories, performances have begun to announce. One particularly exciting stage show will... Read more

January 31, 2017 Fresh

A New List Declares Who’s Been The Best MC Every Year From 1979 to 2016

2017 is still too young to have its best MC crowned, but a new list has named the best MC in each year, since 1979. From Grandmaster Caz to Chance the Rapper, MCs of all generations have found themselves mentioned in the comprehensive list generated by a team of writers... Read more

January 30, 2017 Fresh

Finding The GOAT Producer: No ID vs. A Tribe Called Quest. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer” begins. The third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving... Read more

January 23, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Q-Tip Recalls Playing The “One Love” Beat For Nas The First Time They Met

Q-Tip, Jarobi White, Busta Rhymes, and Consequence appear on this week's episode of Drink Champs. N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN interview A Tribe Called Quest members and affiliates about a litany of subjects. Q-Tip, who speaks at length about producing "Bonita Applebum," as well as A.T.C.Q's 2016 material, spoke about his... Read more

January 13, 2017 Throwback

A Producer Reimagines The Music Of A.T.C.Q.’s Midnight Marauders (Audio)

A Tribe Called Quest's third album, Midnight Marauders is one of their most beloved. The late 1993 Jive/RCA Records release picked up where '91's Low End Theory left off, featuring easy-to-relate-to rhymes and incredible sample-based musical compositions. Large Professor and Skeff Anslem each contributed a single track, while guests included... Read more

January 12, 2017 Audio

Skillz’s 2016 Rap Up Reminds Us Of The Year’s Highs, Lows & Reasons To Stay Woke (Audio)

2016 is coming to a close. Years from now, how will we, the people, remember such an expansive year in Hip-Hop music, news, and culture? This year, some of the biggest MCs in the genre released new albums. Several of these efforts came in short notice, challenging new distribution platforms... Read more

December 30, 2016 Food for Thought

Here Are The Best Hip-Hop Performances & Videos Of 2016

2016 has been a unique year. With it, Hip-Hop had a lot to say, visually. Poets new and old, independent and well-heeled, used their art to promote awareness, suggest change, and when appropriate, provide distraction. At a time when the music video largely lives online, artists made statements—about themselves, their... Read more

December 13, 2016 Food for Thought

The Symphony 2016 Was Just 1 Of The Truly Amazing Performances & Videos Of The Year

2016 has been a unique year. With it, Hip-Hop had a lot to say, visually. Poets new and old, independent and well-heeled, used their art to promote awareness, suggest change, and when appropriate, provide distraction. At a time when the music video largely lives online, artists made statements—about themselves, their... Read more

December 12, 2016 Video

Parrish Smith Has Hit Squad Heat On A New Solo Single (Audio)

Parrish Smith (aka PMD) has been building a solo career for more than 22 years. Whenever legendary group EPMD was on hiatus, both Parrish and partner Erick Sermon struck with side projects. Three albums, starting with 1994's Shadé Business showed just was PMD was able to do on his own,... Read more

December 10, 2016 Audio

Talib Kweli Explains How A Tribe Called Quest Fathered Hip-Hop Music As We Know It (Video)

Talib Kweli is one of the distinguished guests on A Tribe Called Quest's final album. Appearing on "The Killing Season," Kweli worked alongside Q-Tip, Jarobi White, and the late Phife Dawg. The album has topped the charts, and become one of music's most talked about releases in 2016. Speaking with... Read more

December 7, 2016 Video

Masta Ace Reveals Why The Crooklyn Dodgers Lineup Changed (Video)

In conjunction with the Spike Lee Joint Crooklyn, A Tribe Called Quest and Q-Tip began assembling a Hip-Hop collaboration for the Geffen Records soundtrack. While the film was set in the 1970s, director Spike Lee has historically attached Hip-Hop to his films. According to Q-Tip, considerations were reportedly made for... Read more

December 5, 2016 Video

Questlove Gets Nostalgic About What Makes ’90s Hip-Hop So Important (Video)

When thinking of quintessential Hip-Hop from the 1990s, the Roots are, without question, included in the conversation. That makes it hard to remember that there was a time when Questlove, Black Thought, and the rest of the band were just fans of the genre and not recording artists. It wasn't... Read more

November 28, 2016 Video

This Documentary On Sampling Highlights Some Rap Classics (Video)

A documentary on the evolution of music production has been airing this fall. Soundbreaking on PBS examines what music producers do, how the craft and technology has advanced, and the impact some men and women have had on superstars in Pop, Rock & Roll, Soul, and Hip-Hop. Episode 6 of... Read more

November 26, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Q-Tip Describes The Shift In Music That Caused The End Of A Tribe Called Quest (Video)

This month has returned A Tribe Called Quest to album-making for the first time in 18 years. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service is the current #1 album, and A.T.C.Q's first in 20 years—achieving a new chart feat within the Hip-Hop genre. The LP reunited Q-Tip... Read more

November 23, 2016 Video