Midnight Marauders

Last updated
Midnight Marauders
ATCQMidnightMarauders.jpg
Studio album by
A Tribe Called Quest
ReleasedNovember 9, 1993 (1993-11-09)
RecordedJanuary – September 1993 [1]
StudioBattery Studios, Platinum Island Studios and Scorcerer Sound in New York City
Genre
Length51:12
Label Jive
Producer
A Tribe Called Quest chronology
The Low End Theory
(1991)		Midnight Marauders
(1993)		 Beats, Rhymes and Life
(1996)
Singles from Midnight Marauders
  1. "Award Tour"
    Released: October 19, 1993
  2. "Electric Relaxation"
    Released: February 28, 1994
  3. "Oh My God"
    Released: May 30, 1994

Midnight Marauders is the third studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on November 9, 1993, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album occurred at Battery Studios, Platinum Island Studios and Scorcerer Sound in New York City. Its production was mainly handled by Q-Tip, with contributions from Skeff Anselm, Large Professor and the group's DJ, Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A culmination of the group's two previous albums, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and The Low End Theory , it features an eclectic, gritty sound based on jazz, funk, soul and R&B samples, in addition to socially conscious, positively-minded, and humorous lyrics.

Contents

Midnight Marauders debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The first two singles, "Electric Relaxation" and "Award Tour", charted on the Billboard Hot 100, before the release of the final single, "Oh My God". On January 14, 1994, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. It was certified platinum by the RIAA nearly a full year later, on January 11, 1995, with shipments of one million copies.

The album received mostly positive reviews from critics upon release. In the following years, Midnight Marauders has acquired further acclamation from within the hip hop community for its production, chemistry and influence, with some regarding it as the group's best work, and one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. Several writers have credited it as a contributor to a "second golden age" of hip hop in the mid-1990s, as well as the pinnacle of the Native Tongues movement. In 2020, it was ranked at number 201 on Rolling Stone 's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Recording

A Tribe Called Quest sought to further develop the bass-heavy sound of its previous album, The Low End Theory , with group member Q-Tip setting up his production equipment in the house basement of fellow member Phife Dawg's grandmother. [2] [3] [4] Phife Dawg explained, "my grandmother gave him a key, the whole nine, he used to just go in and do his thing." [4] Most of the album was planned in the basement, though Q-Tip also worked on outside projects there, including the beat for Nas's single "One Love", which appeared on his debut album Illmatic (1994). [3] Rapper and producer Large Professor recalled the inviting, relaxed atmosphere in the basement: "[Phife Dawg] would just be there chilling, watching a basketball game or something, playing a video game and just listening to the beats, like, 'Yeah, yeah, I like that right there.' It was just so casual and cool  ... just kind of sitting there and chillin' out, going to get something to eat, going through sounds and picking the sounds out. Telling a few jokes, watching some television like that; it was really nice. It wasn't forced in any way." [3]

Phife Dawg recalled the pressure that the group faced to make a solid follow-up to The Low End Theory: "Obviously, that's a two-year wait, so there was a lot of pressure like, 'Can they do it again?' Q-Tip is really hands on, Tip is a genius, so by the time he was finished sequencing the album, I was lookin' at him sayin, 'Yo, b, we did it again.'" [5] The album's title, Midnight Marauders, originated from Q-Tip's lyrics in the song "Vibes and Stuff" from The Low End Theory, though it was later interpreted by group member Ali Shaheed Muhammad that "A Tribe Called Quest are like sound thieves looting for your ears." [6] [7]

Recording sessions for Midnight Marauders took place at Battery Studios, Platinum Island Studios and Scorcerer Sound in New York City, over a period of nine months, [8] ending in September 1993. [1] All songs were mixed at Battery Studios and mastered at The Hit Factory in New York City. [8] Production was mainly handled by Q-Tip, with contributions from Skeff Anselm, Large Professor and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, who also contributed DJ scratching. [9] [10] Raphael Saadiq (credited as Raphael Wiggins) played bass guitar on the song "Midnight". [11]

The group hired Jive secretary Laurel Dann to be the album's "tour guide", having liked her voice, which is digitized throughout the album. [10] With a sample of Cal Tjader's "Aquarius" as a backdrop, Dann opens the album on the track "Midnight Marauders Tour Guide", introducing herself as the woman on the album cover and describing the album's sound. She resurfaces on interludes at the end of some songs, providing information and adding to the overall aesthetic of the album. [10] Q-Tip explained the decision to use her voice: "Everybody was used to hearing that kind of voice whether they were calling a phone company or they were on hold. There was always some type of monotone female voice that had a computerized vibe that was giving you information. So I thought how cool would it be if you called to pay your bill and then you would hear this female voice start rattling shit off like, 'Keep bouncing?'" [12]

Despite Jarobi White leaving the group midway through recording The Low End Theory, the group maintained a "revolving door policy" with him, in which he would continue to attend recording sessions and supply the group with humor that became part of their songwriting process. [13] Clarifying his role, he stated, "You come in [to the studio]. You might have had a bad day today. Some lady might have pushed you on the train  ... I walk in the studio and I'm bringing all my rambunctious silly stupid jokes and now we're all laughing." [13] Because of his efforts, White is referenced on Midnight Marauders.

Music

Production

The production on Midnight Marauders is a return to the eclectic sampling that the group was originally known for, featuring samples of mainly 1970s jazz, funk, soul and R&B. [14] [15] [16] The sound is noticeably grittier and funkier than The Low End Theory, with John Bush of AllMusic noting that the group "moved closer to their harder contemporaries" and praising them for producing "the most inviting grooves heard on any early-'90s rap record." [17] [18] The album has been described as "hooky" and was given critical praise for its frequent horn hooks. [19] Q-Tip implemented his drum layering technique to great effect on the album, varying the drum frequencies on each song. [20] Describing the album's drum programming to Vibe , Q-Tip said:

These are some epic drum sounds that will tear your fucking head off. And there are ways you can get that sound on different levels too. The drums don't always have to be super loud. When you listen to 'Electric Relaxation' the drums are not trying to kill you. It's [very much] controlled. But even if it's a smaller sounding beat you want the tone to be like at any moment the tone of these drums can go from 5 to 10! That's the whole vibe of Tribe's drum sound I was trying to go for. [12]

Q-Tip also experimented with vocal sampling techniques on the album. For the song "Lyrics to Go", he sampled a portion of "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton, in which Riperton's whistle register is sustained throughout, giving "Lyrics to Go" a droning backdrop. [10] [21] The song "Sucka Nigga" contains a slowed-down sample of Rodney Cee's voice, taken from "M.C. Battle" with Busy Bee, which was featured in the old school hip hop film Wild Style (1983). [10]

While DJing at a party, Q-Tip played Jade's hit "Don't Walk Away"; noting the positive crowd reaction when the song's bassline began playing, he was inspired to sample the bassline for the album's lead single, "Award Tour". [22] For The Low End Theory, engineer Bob Power removed all excess noise from the samples, however, Q-Tip instructed him to leave the noise in the samples on Midnight Marauders, adding to the gritty nature of the album. [23] [24] In addition, Q-Tip has stated that the album has more "sheen" to it than The Low End Theory, having been recorded on an SSL mixing console rather than the Neve console they previously used. [20]

Lyrics

The lyricism on Midnight Marauders is often regarded as the best on any A Tribe Called Quest album, and the group's biggest improvement since their debut People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm . [17] [25] The group's documentary director Michael Rapaport stated, "They followed a classic and upped the ante. Put it like this: [The Low End Theory] would be the first run at the championship ring, but it takes a different mentality to stay focused and do it again." [10] Subject matter on the album includes social issues, use of the word nigger and everyday life, as well as several sports references. [26] [27] Building on the lyrical interplay that was established on The Low End Theory, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg are "practically telepathic" on some songs, providing a contrast in both delivery and style. [17] AllMusic's John Bush described this contrast as "focused yet funky" and "polished but raw." [17]

All aspects of the group's lyricism improved on the album, including cadence, flow, diction and use of metaphors. [25] The song "8 Million Stories" finds Phife Dawg storytelling, as he details "a laundry-list of mundane annoyances." [26] On the single "Oh My God", he refers to himself as a "funky diabetic" in a moment of self-deprecation. Throughout the album, the group blends their brand of intelligence, reflection and positivity with humorous anecdotes. [17] [28] James Bernard of Entertainment Weekly praised the group for managing to "hold our attention without resorting to gun references or expletives." [15]

Tom Breihan of Stereogum noted that Q-Tip and Phife Dawg "sounded slicker and more comfortable than they ever had before." [26] Owing to that comfort and their chemistry, the two occasionally performed each others's lyrics during the recording sessions. Describing the "Electric Relaxation" session to XXL , Phife Dawg said, "On that record, [Q-Tip] wrote my lines and I wrote his—actually, we wrote our own lines, and when we recorded, we traded. That's why the whole back and forth, you know what I mean?" [4]

Cover artwork

The back vinyl cover of Midnight Marauders Midnightmarauderscoverart.jpg
The back vinyl cover of Midnight Marauders

The album cover artwork depicts a woman painted in Afrocentric colors, continuing the artistic theme found on The Low End Theory. [25] According to Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists, there are a reported 71 different hip hop luminaries and radio DJs who adorned Midnight Marauders. [29] Andrew Noz of Complex called it one of hip hop's "last grand displays of cultural unity as the Coastal fallout loomed imminent." [30] The cover was issued in three different color schemes: red, black and green, with black being the rarest. The book goes into detail as to which artists were on which particular album cover using a number scheme to easily identify each artist. [29] The complete list of artists is as follows: 3rd Bass, Afrika Bambaataa, AMG, Ant Banks, Beastie Boys, Awesome Two, Black Moon, Busta Rhymes, Casual, Chi-Ali, Chubb Rock, Chuck D, The Cold Crush Brothers, Daddy-O of Stetsasonic, Dallas Austin, Del the Funky Homosapien, Diamond D, De La Soul, Doctor Dré, Doug E. Fresh, Fab Five Freddy, Grandmaster Dee of Whodini, Grandmaster Flash, Heavy D, Ice-T, Jazzy Jay, DJ Jazzy Joyce, Jungle Brothers, Kid Capri, Kool DJ Red Alert, Kool Moe Dee, Large Professor, Litro, Lords of the Underground, MC Lyte, Neek the Exotic, Organized Konfusion, The Pharcyde, Rashad Smith, Rock Steady Crew (Crazy Legs, Mr. Wiggles, Pee Wee Dance and Ruel), DJ Ron G, DJ Silver D, Sean Combs, Skeff Anselm, Souls of Mischief, Special Ed, Sweet Tee, Too Short and Zulu Nation Supreme Council. [29]

Commercial performance

Midnight Marauders peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [10] Two of its singles, "Award Tour" and "Electric Relaxation", charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 47 and 65, respectively. On January 14, 1994, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. [10] It was certified platinum by the RIAA nearly a full year later, on January 11, 1995, with shipments of one million copies. [10] It became the first of three A Tribe Called Quest albums to be certified platinum by the RIAA, doing so 21 days before The Low End Theory achieved the feat. [10]

Critical reception

Contemporary professional reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
Calgary Herald C [31]
Chicago Sun-Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [32]
Entertainment Weekly A [15]
NME 7/10 [33]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [34]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [35]
Select U+25A0.svgU+25A0.svgU+25A0.svgU+25A0.svgU+25A1.svg [36]
The Source Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [37]
Spin 3/3 [38]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [39]

Midnight Marauders was generally well received by music critics, with Vibe hailing it as "a rap classic" and NME calling it the group's "most complete work to date." [40] [33] James Bernard of Entertainment Weekly stated that the album "sounds as fresh" as People's Instinctive Travels, praising its "smooth-as-butter" production and "whimsical vibe." [15] The Source 's dream hampton credited the group for doing "what they've always done—ignore all of the current trends in hip-hop and deliver a solid collectable", adding that they "rely solely on their street poetry, Zulu delivery and be-bop beats" to attract consumers. [37]

Colson Whitehead of Spin praised Q-Tip and Phife Dawg for "complementing each other's styles perfectly", finding that their lyrical interplay "evokes the spontaneity of an improv jam session", and also lauded the album's "smooth textures that bubble up from unseen, mellow depths." [38] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice , Robert Christgau quipped that it was "intelligent easy-listening rap", choosing the track "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" as a highlight; [41] he later commended the album, rating it higher than The Low End Theory. [19] In a negative review, Glenn Kenny of Rolling Stone felt that the "lively wit" of the group's previous work had been "replaced with tired boasts", also stating, "The music still has its beguiling moments, but nothing approaches the revelatory jazz stylings and laid-back cool of past work." [35]

Retrospect

John Bush of AllMusic praised the album for being "impeccably produced", "artistically adept" and "lyrically inventive." [17] Bush also stated that it cemented the group's status as "alternative rap's prime sound merchants" and hailed them as "authors of the most original style since the Bomb Squad first exploded on wax." [17] Stereo Williams of The Daily Beast credited the album's "jazzy boom bap" with exerting a "lasting impact on the group’s legacy—and on Black music of the next 30 years." [42] In Oliver Wang's book Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide, writer Joseph Patel noted how the album helped unify hip hop in the early 1990s:

Their new crew extended beyond the Native Tongues and included all of hip-hop—as shown by the faces depicted on the album's front and back covers—and Tribe was quickly becoming the one group who could negotiate both underground respect and aboveground fame. Midnight Marauders worked all the elements that constituted Tribe previously to utter perfection: storytelling; anthemic singles; sexually charged rhymes; innovative production; and an exploration of life experiences, emotion, sentiment, history, and heritage. As hip-hop began to change and stratify and develop into generations and geographies, Midnight Marauders could have been the last record that every single hip-hopper—whether from Queensbridge or Queensland, whether gangsta or wannabe poet—had in their collection. [43]

Writing in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide , Mac Randall wrote that it "certainly doesn't skimp on the funk." [44] For About.com's 10 Essential Hip-Hop Albums, where the album was ranked seventh, writer Henry Adaso declared, "No other album showcased this amalgamation of jazz, soul, and rap better." [16] Steve Juon of RapReviews.com lauded its "unparalleled level" of "lyrical brilliance by both Tip and Phife." [45] It was ranked number 75 on Pitchfork 's list of the Top 100 Favorite Records of the 1990s, with Rollie Pemberton stating that the group "produced a jazz-hop clinic that finds itself equal parts Pete Rock, Buckshot and Diamond D." [2]

Accolades

PublicationCountryAccoladeYearRank
About.com U.S. 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time [46] 200826
About.comU.S.10 Essential Hip-Hop Albums [16] 20087
About.comU.S.Best Rap Albums of 1993 [47] 20082
Ego Trip U.S.Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–1998 [48] 19992
Exclaim! Canada 100 Records That Rocked 100 Issues [49] 2016*
Gary Mulholland UK 261 Greatest Albums Since Punk and Disco [50] 2007*
Giannis Petridis Greece 2004 of the Best Albums of the Century[ citation needed ]2003*
The Guardian UK1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die [51] 2007*
The GuardianUKAlternative Top 100 [52] 199998
New Nation UKTop 100 Albums by Black Artists[ citation needed ]11
No RipcordUKTop Albums 1990–1999 [53] 201368
OOR Moordlijst Netherlands The 100 Best Albums of 1991–1995[ citation needed ]199531
Pitchfork U.S.Top 100 Albums of the 1990s [54] 200375
Popblerd/bLISTerdU.S.Top 100 Albums of the 1990s [55] 201120
Porcys Poland The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s [56] 201284
Rock & Folk France The 300 Best Albums from 1965–1995[ citation needed ]1995*
Rock de Lux Spain The 300 (+200) Best Albums from 1984–2014[ citation needed ]2014301
Rolling Stone U.S. The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time [57] 2020201
Slant Magazine U.S.The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s [58] 201142
The Source U.S.The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time [59] 1998*
Spex Germany The 100 Albums of the Century[ citation needed ]199919
Spin U.S.The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985-2014) [60] 201584
TrebleU.S.Top 100 Albums of the 90s (10 Per Year) [61] 200810
Vibe U.S.150 Albums That Define the Vibe Era (1992–2007) [62] 2007*
VibeU.S.The 50 Greatest Albums Since '93 [63] 201321
(*) designates lists which are unordered.

Legacy and influence

Retrospective professional reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [17]
Christgau's Consumer Guide A− [19]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [64]
MusicHound R&B 4.5/5 [65]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [44]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [66]
Tom Hull – on the Web A− [67]
XXL 5/5 [68]

Midnight Marauders helped establish a "second golden age" of hip hop, [69] [70] and has been regarded as the pinnacle of the Native Tongues movement. [26] [71] Hip-hop critics and writers have cited it as the group's best album, despite it not being as acclaimed as The Low End Theory. [45] [16] Lauding it as the group's "masterwork", writer Joseph Patel stated, "It's hard to believe they could top The Low End Theory, but A Tribe Called Quest did so." [43] Steve Juon of RapReviews.com called Midnight Marauders "the best album that Tribe ever made" and an "overlooked work of genius." [45] In 2020, Rolling Stone added the album to its revised list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, ranking it at number 201. [57]

Q-Tip later contributed to the sound of hardcore hip hop during the mid-1990s, producing artists such as Nas, Mobb Deep, Crooklyn Dodgers and Cypress Hill, yet retaining elements of the sound he created on Midnight Marauders. [26] [72] [73] In NME, producer Mark Ronson said that the album "changed the sound of East Coast hip-hop, which before was very noisy and aggressive. But Midnight Marauders just had this sheen to it — it wasn't too cleaned-up or sanitised, the snares still had that amazing 'crack' to them, but it sounded like nothing you'd ever heard before. It changed everything." [74]

They embraced me as an unoffical member after 'Scenario'. I would go to Battery Studios, where they were making the record, and chill. That's how I ended up on the track 'Oh My God'. When Q-Tip played the finished album to me, I just started crying.

—  Busta Rhymes [75]

In 2003, Pitchfork writer Rollie Pemberton stated that "a deep listen to this record unveils the sound that helped promote the current chilled vibe-oriented underground", citing the J Dilla-affiliated duo Frank n Dank, Madlib and 9th Wonder's former group Little Brother as examples. [2] Other underground artists influenced by the album include Terrace Martin, Jean Grae, Currensy, RJD2, Oddisee, Hiatus Kaiyote and Karriem Riggins. [76] [77] [78] In a 20th anniversary review of the album for XXL, rapper Talib Kweli gave it a perfect "XXL" rating and stated, "It established Tribe as a commercial, mainstream almost pop group, but it did it by being completely true to their rudiments, and it did it by finding the greatest jazz samples and making the most classic underground hip-hop they could make. They were so good at making underground hip-hop that it went pop." [68]

The singer Bilal names it among his 25 favorite albums, explaining that, "It's just a special album to me. I like where they were as far as beat making. I think it changed a lot in hip-hop on that record." [79]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Midnight Marauders Tour Guide" Jonathan Davis, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Malik Taylor 0:45
2."Steve Biko (Stir It Up)"Davis, Muhammad, Taylor3:11
3."Award Tour" (featuring Trugoy the Dove)Davis, Muhammad, Taylor3:46
4."8 Million Stories"Davis, Muhammad, Taylor, Skeff Anselm4:30
5."Sucka Nigga"Davis, Muhammad, Taylor, Freddie Hubbard 4:05
6."Midnight" (featuring Raphael Wiggins)Davis, Muhammad, Taylor3:49
7."We Can Get Down"Davis, Muhammad, Taylor4:19
8."Electric Relaxation"Davis, Muhammad, Taylor4:04
9."Clap Your Hands"Davis, Muhammad, Taylor, Bob James, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr., Cyril Neville, Joseph Modeliste 3:16
10."Oh My God" (featuring Busta Rhymes)Davis, Muhammad, Taylor3:29
11."Keep It Rollin'" (featuring Large Professor)Davis, Muhammad, Taylor, William Mitchell 3:05
12."The Chase, Part II"Davis, Muhammad, Taylor, Steve Arrington, Victor Godsey, Buddy Hankerson4:02
13."Lyrics to Go"Davis, Muhammad, Taylor4:09
14."God Lives Through"Davis, Muhammad, Taylor4:15
Total length:51:12

Personnel

Credits are adapted from AllMusic. [80]

Charts and certifications

See also

Bibliography

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Jarobi White is an American hip hop artist, chef, and a founding member of alternative hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, alongside members Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. He left the group after the release of their debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm in order to pursue culinary arts, before returning for their last album, 2016's We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service. In the early 2010s, Jarobi formed evitaN with Dres, formerly of Black Sheep. Their first album, Speed of Life, was released in October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Find a Way (A Tribe Called Quest song)</span> 1998 single by A Tribe Called Quest

"Find a Way" is a song by A Tribe Called Quest, the first single from their fifth album The Love Movement. The New York Times' Ben Ratliff wrote that "Find a Way" "innocently wonders about the point at which friendship spills over into sex."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Check the Rhime</span> 1991 single by A Tribe Called Quest

"Check the Rhime" is the first single from A Tribe Called Quest's second album The Low End Theory. The song was written by group members Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. It was recorded at the legendary Greene St. Recording studio in New York City. The song peaked at number 59 on Billboard on November 16, 1991. Rolling Stone listed "Check the Rhime" as one of the group's 20 essential songs, noting that Phife Dawg "quickly proves himself Q-Tip's lyrical equal."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scenario (song)</span> 1992 single by A Tribe Called Quest

"Scenario" is the third single from A Tribe Called Quest's second album The Low End Theory. The song features the rap group Leaders of the New School. Matt Cibula of PopMatters called the track hip-hop's greatest posse cut. The song is commonly considered a breakout moment for Leaders of the New School member Busta Rhymes, who was 19 when this song was released. Time included the song on its list of its All-TIME 100 Songs in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oh My God (A Tribe Called Quest song)</span> 1994 single by A Tribe Called Quest featuring Busta Rhymes

"Oh My God" is the third single from A Tribe Called Quest's third album Midnight Marauders. The song contains a sample of "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" by Kool & the Gang. It also features Busta Rhymes on the chorus. Rolling Stone magazine included "Oh My God" on their list of 20 essential A Tribe Called Quest songs, noting "It's not easy to listen to Phife boast 'When's the last time you heard a funky diabetic?' now that the disease has taken his life. But that line also sounds fiercer and more defiant than ever."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Tribe Called Quest discography</span>

A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group, formed in 1985. They released six studio albums, five compilations, sixteen singles and two extended plays. The group was made up of rapper/main producer Q-Tip, the late rapper Phife Dawg and DJ/co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Phife Dawg was only persuaded to join when a fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, joined the group. In 1989 they signed a demo deal with Geffen Records, but not given a full-fledged recording contract. After receiving many offers, they opted for the Jive Records label, an independent rap label. In under a year, they managed to produce People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm to critical acclaim, but lukewarm sales, reaching #91 on the Billboard 200, though it did eventually achieve gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service</i> 2016 studio album by A Tribe Called Quest

We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service is the sixth and final studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. It was released on November 11, 2016, by Epic Records.

"The Space Program" is a song by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, from their sixth and final album, We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service. Produced by Q-Tip and co-produced by Blair Wells, it is the opening track on the album, and includes posthumous vocals by group member Phife Dawg, who recorded the song with the group before his death in March 2016. Praised as the "triumphant return of the Tribe", it is a political hip hop song that addresses gentrification and racism in the United States.

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