Slum Village and A Tribe Called Quest’s fates are forever tied. Thousands of miles apart geographically, A.T.C.Q. would be the archetype that T3, Jay Dee, Baatin and aspired to follow in the mid-1990s. Moreover, those early Villa tapes were what Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad were playing around New York City, even before they started working together.

Tied on several levels throughout the years, most notably through the late J Dilla, Phife and Slum go back. With T3 and Young RJ hitting the road (with Pete Rock) beginning this week, the two outfits reunite for “Push It Along.” Clearly and recognizably (Phife even addresses it in his verse) taking the title from the 1990 Tribe jam, the MCs show that the past is with them in the present, but that things have to move forward. As Phife and Slum Village both fight to step forward from their glorious shadows, great music like this is exactly what it takes to turn the page, and still embrace the past at once.

For Heads seeking fresh S.V. music, don’t sleep on 2014’s Vintage EP.

Oh, and salute Phife Dawg for beating another friend/peer, De La Soul’s Posdnuos in Round 2, and moving to Round 3 in Ambrosia For Heads’ “Finding The GOAT…” series.

Related: Phife Dawg Honors Dilla In This Endearing Visual To His Jay Dee Tribute (Video)