Native Tongues Archives

De La Soul & Nas Are Hip-Hop Gods & Their Collaboration Is Heavenly (Audio)

De La Soul and Nas have been two of the most dependable sources of Hip-Hop music, with nearly 50 years, combined. Crossing paths in one of 2015's biggest collaborations so far, Posdnous, Dave, Maseo, and Nasir sound incredible together on "God It." Presumably the first 2015 public presentation from De... Read more

April 21, 2015 Audio

Finding The GOAT (Round 4): Busta Rhymes vs. Ludacris…Who You Got?

We have now reached the critical Round 4 in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 21 MCs remaining (with the largest winning margin, Rakim receives a bye for the round), things are really coming down to 10 match-ups, leading AFH's bracket-style series towards... Read more

April 14, 2015 Fresh

Do Remember: Scritti Politti, Mos Def & Lee Majors – Tinseltown To Boogie Down Remix (Audio)

Heads may or may not be up on Scritti Politti. However, the band from Leeds, England has been working for almost as long as Hip-Hop has been around. Since 1977, singer Green Gartside has carried the outfit (with revolving fellow band members) through the decades, and dabbles with Synth Pop,... Read more

April 2, 2015 Throwback

Finding The GOAT (Round 3): Redman vs. Phife Dawg…Who You Got?

We have reached the third round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 42 MCs remaining, we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into... Read more

April 1, 2015 Throwback

Finding The GOAT (Round 3): Andre 3000 vs. Q-Tip…Who You Got?

We have reached the third round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 42 MCs remaining, we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into... Read more

March 23, 2015 Throwback

Finding The GOAT (Round 3): Busta Rhymes vs. Jadakiss…Who You Got?

We have reached the third round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 42 MCs remaining, we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into... Read more

March 10, 2015 Fresh

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): Erick Sermon vs. Trugoy…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

March 4, 2015 Throwback

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): Busta Rhymes vs. Killer Mike…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

February 19, 2015 Fresh

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): Phife Dawg vs. Posdnuos…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

February 5, 2015 Throwback

You Maybe Missed Ali Shaheed’s “Black Lives Matter” Commentary, But It Stands Tall (Video)

Earlier this month, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest, Lucy Pearl, NPR Hip-Hop) made a song in support of the Black Lives Matter protests. The highly-respected Queens, New Yorker works as he was portrayed in Beats, Rhymes & Life: quietly. However, in making "CPR" with Merna, JaPoet and David... Read more

December 31, 2014 Fresh, Video

Blu Makes A Trippy Track That Seems Inspired By De La Soul (Audio)

Although he represents a coast across the country from Amityville, Long Island, Blu is definitely a De La Soul disciple. Johnson Barnes' vulnerability, his love of far-reaching concepts, interludes and skits are surely inspired by Posdnuos, Maseo, and Dave (as well as Prince Paul). A lover of Jazz, Funk, and... Read more

November 29, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Are Native Tongues Hip-Hop’s Best Collective Ever? Listen to This (Mixtape)

A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Black Sheep, The Jungle Brothers...Each of these artists are legendary in their own right. When you combine them? You have one of the finest Hip-Hop collectives ever assembled, in Native Tongues. Here's a mix by DJ Ready that features... Read more

November 29, 2014 Throwback

Finding The GOAT: Busta Rhymes vs. Inspectah Deck…Who You Got?

As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not... Read more

October 27, 2014 Fresh

DJ Vadim Lays Down That Supreme A Tribe Called Quest Megamix (Audio)

DJ Vadim and A Tribe Called Quest are contemporaries of one another. However, the London-raised DJ/producer (born in Russia) came into vogue in the mid-1990s, and 20 years later, his mixes are staples in highlighting the popular, under-the-surface, and downright rare moments from the culture, whether in the '80s or... Read more

October 21, 2014 Audio, Throwback

Finding The GOAT: Heavy D vs. Trugoy…Who You Got?

As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not... Read more

October 20, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Finding The GOAT: Phife Dawg vs. Queen Latifah…Who You Got?

As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not... Read more

October 17, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Finding The GOAT: CL Smooth vs. Posdnuos…Who You Got?

As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not... Read more

September 30, 2014 Featured-homepage, Fresh, Throwback

Q-Tip Laced The Track For AdAD, Who Urges Us To Get It Together (Video)

MC AdAD is making moves. The budding talent gets a look from Q-Tip, who makes a cameo in the video. "Get It Together" may remind some Abstract fans of the Ill Communication-era track with the Beastie Boys. However, this appears to have a similar pastiche. AdAD tells the Heads to... Read more

August 29, 2014 Fresh, Video

UGK’s Bun B & De La Soul’s Posdnuos On The Same Track? Statik Selektah Knows (Audio)

Known for assembling jaw-dropping collaborations, Statik Selektah's biggest feat may be "God Knows." Taking a Jared Evan-sang riff from the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds classic, the album's closer pairs UGK's Bun B and De La Soul's Posdnous, an unlikely pair of '80s Rap vets, who take a similar stance on... Read more

August 12, 2014 Audio, Fresh

De La Soul’s Next Mixtape Is Produced Entirely By DJ Premier & Pete Rock

In March, De La Soul hipped Heads to the fact that Smell The Da.I.S.Y , their mixtape which featured strictly J. Dilla beats, was only the beginning, as far as 2014 is concerned. Posdnous, Dave, and Maseo are hard at work on the group's eighth studio album, rumored to be... Read more

August 5, 2014 Fresh

Black Sheep Dres Breaks Down Ageism In Hip-Hop, Delivers HOT 97 A Message From DJ Kool Herc (Audio)

One of Hip-Hop's true mainstays over the last 25 years has been Dres. Since his days building with Kool DJ Red Alert and former Black Sheep to his latest songs about marriage and flexing Bars In The Booth alongside DJ Premier, the Queens, New York-born MC has been a strong,... Read more

July 22, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Throwback

Hear The Story Of Q-Tip, With Some A Tribe Called Quest & Last Zulu News (Audio)

The BBC keeps covering Hip-Hop with an elite edge. Benji B of the 1Xtra platform curated an extensive narrative audio mix, telling the Abstract story that is Q-Tip. With the playlist on display for "The Story Of Q-Tip," Benji cues records from the 1980s to set the stage for what... Read more

June 23, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Throwback

Black Sheep’s Dres Says We Can All Share (Audio)

In what appears to be a revival of Tommy Boy Records, Black Sheep front man Dres begins a new solo venture. The mentor to Chi-Ali and Jarobi's evitaN partner released "We Can All Share" via NahRight. The song shows the 25-year veteran and Native Tongues member has only gained ground... Read more

May 21, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Look Back To An Ill 1998 Future Flavas Freestyle From The Last Days Of A Tribe Called Quest (Audio)

Heads may remember the late '90s, early 2000s HOT 97 "Future Flavas" radio show hosted by Marley Marl and Pete Rock. In the glory days of underground Hip-Hop, this show bridged the gap between old school and emerging greats, with two legends on the boards, transmitting to the tri-state. This... Read more

May 19, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Throwback

De La Soul Is Pressing Up 100 Copies Of Smell The Da.I.S.Y. & Hiding Them In Record Stores (Video)

De La Soul is forever the coolest. Following last month's Smell The Da.I.S.Y. mixtape, combining Posdnous and Dave verses, with some Maseo flavor with J Dilla beats, the group that invented the three-sided single back in the late '80s is coming to wax (white vinyl to be exact) with it.... Read more

April 17, 2014 Audio, Featured-homepage, Fresh, Video

Dres Goes In For DJ Premier’s Bars In The Booth. How Does The Black Sheep / evitaN O.G. Do? (Video)

Late last year, DJ Premier launched his Bars In The Booth series. Kicking things off with Papoose, the spot pairs MCs of all sorts with a Premo instrumental in the studio, seemingly on the spot. Next up, Premo goes to a peer in Dres. The former front-man of The Black... Read more

April 15, 2014 Fresh, Video

De La Soul Unleashes Their J Dilla-Produced Smell The D.A.I.S.Y. (Mixtape)

During a relatively quiet year for the mixtape medium, three Long Island veterans and a late Detroit mainstay have shattered the tranquil waters. As planned, De La Soul released Smell The D.A.I.S.Y. today (March 26th). The 30-minute mixtape pairs Posdnuos, Maseo, and Dave (fka Trugoy) with the music of their... Read more

March 26, 2014 Audio, Featured-homepage, Fresh, Mixes

De La Soul Reworks Some Of Their Own Classic Lyrics On This J Dilla Beat (Audio)

On March 26th, De La Soul is releasing Smell The D.A.I.S.Y., the group's first mixtape since 2006 (not counting the Nike project). The release pairs Posdnous, Dave, and Maseo with some unreleased/under-heard J Dilla productions, who was the trio's dear friend and collaborator since the Stakes Is High days. Following... Read more

March 21, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Check Out This Mix Of De La Soul Samples That Has Even Maseo’s Head Nodding

The Native Tongues are known for positive messages, social consciousness, sense of humor, and of course, sampling. Whether talking about A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love, or Jungle Brothers, these acts pulled liberally (and cleverly) from other eras, genres, and movements to make their own. On the sample tip, few... Read more

March 11, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

De La Soul Reunites With J Dilla’s Producerial Essence On A Dope New Song (Audio)

When De La Soul releases ANY new song, it's usually a stop-the-presses moment for the Heads. However, learning that Amityville, Long Island's finest hopped on an unheard J Dilla track to make a song praising the late Jay Dee and his mom, Ma Dukes, is especially incredible. With the radio... Read more

March 4, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Oodles Of Downloads: De La Soul’s Whole Catalog Is Free For The Next 25 Hours!

As reported yesterday, the entire De La Soul music catalog is available for free download from just this minute (11am EST) to noon EST tomorrow (February 15). In part a Valentines Day gift, but more probably an early nod to the 25th anniversary of 3 Feet High And Rising, this... Read more

February 14, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

De La Soul Is Celebrating Their 25th Year By Giving Away Their Catalog For Free, For 25 Hours

In just over two weeks, De La Soul's groundbreaking debut album, 3 Feet High And Rising turns 25 years old. The first time Heads heard Posdnous, Trugoy, and DJ Maseo has already turned a quarter century old, as has the shapeshifting production from Prince Paul, and all the colorful artwork,... Read more

February 13, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

2014 Dilla Day Detroit To Include Native Tongues, Slum Village & DJ Premier vs. Pete Rock

From his work with Slum Village to "Fuck The Police," J Dilla helped give Detroit a rhythm throughout the '90s and 2000s. Jay Dee, as Heads first knew him, helped take the sound coming out of the Electronica influence, combined with Soul City sampling, and made artists ranging from De... Read more

January 23, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Chi Ali Shows A Street Side Alongside Jadakiss On G Check (Video)

Introduced as a Beatnuts and Black Sheep protege, Chi Ali was the Native Tongues' young'in that had a mischievous side, but a youthful innocence throughout the early '90s. After a 2000 conviction of manslaughter for a high-profile murder in The Bronx, Chi went from "Funky Lemonade" to over a decade... Read more

January 15, 2014 Fresh, Video

Q-Tip, Leonardo Dicaprio & Jonah Hill Are Creating a Native Tongues-Inspired TV Show

Q-Tip has many friends in high places. The longtime front-man MC/producer for A Tribe Called Quest has starred in films with Nicole Kidman, rolled with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, and kicks it with Leonardo Dicaprio. Leo and Tip have been friends for years, and even had a lively 2008... Read more

January 10, 2014 Fresh

Native Tongues Fans Rejoice As Q-Tip & Busta Rhymes Release Their Collabo (Mixtape)

In the Wilson Pickett midnight hour, Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes released—as promised—The Abstract And The Dragon. The collaborative free mixtape with the catchy artwork included some material, as previewed in yesterday's "Butch & Sundance." However, the project also catches up the G.O.O.D. Music artist and the Cash Money Records artist's... Read more

December 12, 2013 Fresh, Mixes

Q-Tip & Busta Rhymes Are Wild Cowboys As Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (Audio)

Hours away from The Abstract And The Dragon, Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes take on other personas as "Butch & Sundance." Playing off of Robert Redford and Paul Newman's Western flick, the chemistry is evident. This isn't throwback Rap at all, but finds both MC/producers exactly where they are now. Notice... Read more

December 11, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip Bring Kanye West & Lil Wayne To Thank You Visual (Video)

One of the more exciting collaborations of the last month puts those pesky Young Money vs. G.O.O.D Music rumors to bed. Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne join Q-Tip and Kanye West in this Disco-inspired cut that has all four artists doing what they do best. It's great how the beat... Read more

November 25, 2013 Fresh, Video

Phife Dawg Promises MUTTYmopPHosis LP, Names 3 Of His Favorite Diabetics (Video)

While A Tribe Called Quest was in New York City for Kanye West's Yeezus Tour, The Five-Foot Assassin Phife Dawg caught up with OkayPlayer to answers "The Questions." In turn, Phife discusses his regained love for making music on his sophomore solo LP, his favorite J Dilla productions, and his... Read more

November 25, 2013 Fresh, Video

Q-Tip & Busta Rhymes Announce Collaborative Mixtape

After over 20 years of collaborations on a litany of albums, features, remixes, and concerts, A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Leaders Of The New School's Busta Rhymes are linking for a mixtape, The Abstract And The Dragon. The December 12 freebie joins Dres and Jarobi's Evitan album last year... Read more

November 21, 2013 Fresh

Busta Rhymes Combines Cash Money With Native Tongues Alongside Q-Tip On Thank You (Audio)

Busta Rhymes' career is truly dynamic. Christened his name by Public Enemy's Chuck D; a Leader Of The New School tied to Native Tongues; an animated solo star; constant major label provider to J Dilla; onetime Dr. Dre affiliate; once signed Raekwon; forever tied to EPMD's DJ Scratch; mentor to... Read more

November 7, 2013 Audio, Fresh