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 this month) is anywhere to be found in any category within the just-released 2018 Grammy nominations. Nearly 25 years after Phife Dawg proclaimed, “I’ll never let a statue tell me how nice I am” on “Award Tour,” there are very clearly tensions between music’s biggest award platform and one of Hip-Hop’s most beloved acts.

Q-Tip has reacted angrily and publicly. There is nothing abstract about the MC/producer’s frustration towards the same institution that recently asked him to perform. In three connected Instagram videos, Q-Tip vented, “Y’all think it’s some caveat ’cause this is the first time that no white man is nominated in no major categories and sh*t? We were the most Black, cultured group out! That’s all we stood on. That’s all we represented. This f*ckin’ album that we just put out, this last Tribe album, it stands with everybody else’s sh*t that’s up there; I don’t give a f*ck! Respect to everybody who’s nominated and all that, but whatever; I’m speaking for mine! I’m sick of y’all f*ckin’ Grammy ni**as, man! Y’all f*ckin’ get us to get out there and f*ckin’ perform the closing sh*t, and y’all don’t get us no f*ckin’ nominations!” He continues, “They was tryin’ to get me to come out there and vote in the Rap category for some new sh*t that they doin’; I ain’t do it, and we don’t get sh*t? For that album? For that album? I’m tired of bitin’ my tongue all the f*ckin’ time and trying to be nice and sh*t. I’ma say the sh*t that ni**as always be f*ckin’ sayin’ [in private]. Yes, I’m hot! Get off my lawn; whatever. None of y’all Rap ni**as don’t say sh*t! Don’t say sh*t! Mothaf*ckin’ right I’m hot. [It is] the last Tribe album. Y’all don’t give us no f*ckin’ nominations. Y’all don’t even give Bob Marley a Grammy. Marvin [Gaye] only got f*ckin’ one. Jimi [Hendrix] ain’t got none and sh*t. Led Zeppelin ain’t…. You know what, y’all ni**as is corny! You know what, come over to the Kennedy Center in December; we gonna honor the G.O.A.T. LL [Cool J] and sh*t and give him his nomination and give him his award and sh*t. Y’all see what the f*ck we do over there. F*ck y’all Grammy ni**as, f*ck y’all!”

A Tribe Called has been four-times nominated for Grammy Awards. The most recent was in 1999 for The Love Movement. Tip, who has been also nominated for his solo material, won his only trophy in 2006 for “Best Dance Recording” for his feature on The Chemical Brothers’ single “Galvanize.”

In September, A.T.C.Q. allegedly performed for the last time. Founding group member Phife Dawg died on March 22, 2016, ahead of public reports that the album was recording.

We Got It From Here…Thank You For Your Service features Kendrick Lamar, who is nominated in seven 2018 Grammy categories.