Native Tongues

Last updated
Native Tongues
Origin New York City, U.S.
Genres
Years active1988 – late 1990s
Members Jungle Brothers
De La Soul
A Tribe Called Quest
Monie Love
Queen Latifah
Black Sheep
Chi-Ali

The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal members were the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love, and Queen Latifah. The collective was also closely tied to the Universal Zulu Nation. Rolling Stone cites the track "Doin' Our Own Dang" as "the definitive Native Tongues posse cut". [3]

Contents

Naming

The Native Tongues took their name from a line in the song “African Cry,” by Motown-offshoot funk group New Birth, which features the lyric, “took away our native tongues." [4]

History

The New York City-based Native Tongues crew was a collective of like-minded hip hop artists who would help bring abstract and open-minded lyricism that addressed a range of topics—from spirituality and modern living to race, sex, and just having fun—to the mainstream. Together with the use of eclectic samples that would take on an increasingly jazzy sound, they would be pioneers of so-called conscious hip hop, alternative hip hop, and jazz rap.

De La Soul's Trugoy the Dove recalled: "The Native Tongues came about where, basically, we had a show together in Boston. [De La Soul], Jungle [Brothers] and we linked from there. We had a natural love for the art and a natural love for each other on how we put stuff together. So we invited [the Jungle Brothers] to a session, and when they hooked up with us, we happened to be doing "Buddy." It wasn't business; it wasn't for a check. It was just trading ideas and just seeing what you're doing. Bottom line, it was just having fun." [5]

According to Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest: "I remember Afrika [Baby Bam] called me that night, like, two in the morning. "Yo these kids, De La Soul, you gotta meet ’em! I swear we're just alike!" I went there, met them, and it was just fuckin' love at first sight. It was disgusting. In hip hop, it praises individualism. I think that's the main achievement of the Native Tongues. It just showed people could come together." [6]

Fostered by Kool DJ Red Alert, the success of the Jungle Brothers would pave the way for De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest; together, these three groups would form the core of the crew and continue the spirit of Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation. By 1989 they had been joined by Queen Latifah and the United Kingdom's Monie Love, and soon by the Black Sheep & Chi-Ali. Collectively, the members of the Native Tongues had a huge effect on the style and trends of hip hop during its most important period, the golden age of the late 1980s–early 1990s. A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul's albums of this time are considered among the best and most important in the hip hop genre.

If you’re old enough, recall the naive early-'90s moment when young rappers from Nassau County and so forth were so brave they considered mellow and humorous a righteous path as well as a commercial ploy.

Robert Christgau, 2019 [7]

The song "Scenario" was the final track on A Tribe Called Quest's album The Low End Theory and featured the fledgling Leaders of the New School—Dinco D, Busta Rhymes, and Charlie Brown.

While featuring an extensive discography, the collaborations of the Native Tongues have been fairly limited: the collective never recorded anything under that name, and the number of notable crew cuts can be counted on one hand. The various groups grew distant with time, and, by 1993, De La Soul's Trugoy the Dove proclaimed, "That native shit is dead." The collective would, however, reunite in 1996 for the Jungle Brothers’ "How Ya Want It We Got It (Native Tongues Remix)"; collaborators in this period, such as Common, The Roots, Truth Enola, DJ S.T.R.E.S.S., Da Bush Babees, and Mos Def, could be seen as latter-day additions to the crew. [8] In 1998 on A Tribe Called Quest's album The Love Movement, the last track ("Rock Rock Ya'll") features Jane Doe, Mos Def, Punchline & Wordsworth. Q Tip states near the track's end that "this right here is a family".

Legacy

The Native Tongues are credited with expanding the hip-hop genre, inspiring and enabling the future success of artists such as Kanye West, The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo) and Tyler, The Creator. In 2019, the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. launched an annual Native Tongues Festival to celebrate the musical legacy of the Native Tongues. [9]

There are several collectives today—with overlapping membership—that can be seen as the spiritual heirs to the Native Tongues crew: the Spitkicker crew (founded by De La Soul's Trugoy and Posdnuos in 2000), the Okayplayers, and the Soulquarians. Chris Lighty was a member of the Native Tongues-affiliated street crew the Violators and began his career carrying records for Zulu Nation DJs, and later as the Jungle Brothers' roadie. Until his death in 2012 he ran the successful Violator Management company, which represented Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip, among other high-profile clients.

Members

Core members

Peripheral members

† According to De La Soul interview on MuchMusic's RapCity in 1996.

†† According to Q-Tip interview the BBC Radio 1 special The Story Of Q-Tip.

Collaborations

Collaborations involving the original members, those that could be considered true Native Tongues crew cuts, are in bold. Note that this list is incomplete.

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2010

2011

2012

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Tribe Called Quest</span> American hip hop group

A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. The group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip hop and merging jazz with hip hop, influencing numerous hip hop and R&B musicians.

<i>Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star</i> 1998 studio album by Black Star

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star is the debut studio album by Black Star, a hip hop duo consisting of emcees Talib Kweli and Mos Def. The album was released on September 29, 1998, to critical acclaim. The title is a reference to the Black Star Line, a shipping line founded by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. The album deals with modern-day issues, philosophical ideas, and life in Brooklyn, New York City as the two artists know it.

Tony Louis Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek, is an American rapper and music producer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band, whom Hi-Tek featured on his second album, Hi-Teknology 2.

<i>Midnight Marauders</i> 1993 studio album by A Tribe Called Quest

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phife Dawg</span> American rapper (1970–2016)

Malik Izaak Taylor, known professionally as Phife Dawg, was an American rapper and a member of the group A Tribe Called Quest with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. He was also known as the "Five-Foot Assassin" and the "Five-Footer," because he stood at 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Consequence (rapper)</span> American rapper from New York

Dexter Raymond Mills Jr., better known by his stage name Consequence, is an American rapper from Queens, New York City, New York. He is best known for his collaborative work with A Tribe Called Quest and Kanye West. He later squashed his feud with rapper Pusha T in 2016.

<i>Quality</i> (Talib Kweli album) 2002 studio album by Talib Kweli

Quality is the first studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on November 19, 2002, by Rawkus Records. It received wide critical acclaim and had some commercial appeal from the song "Get By", produced by Kanye West. Kludge magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinia Mojica</span> American hip hop musician

Vinia A. Mojica is an American singer from Queens, New York. She is best known for her collaborations with the Native Tongues collective and other hip hop artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Star (rap duo)</span> American hip hop duo from New York

Black Star is an American hip hop duo formed in 1996, from Brooklyn, New York City. The duo is composed of rappers Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli. The duo is named after The Black Star Line, a shipping company founded by Marcus Garvey. Their critically-acclaimed debut album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star was released on September 29, 1998. After decades of only releasing singles and appearing on compilations, Black Star released their sophomore studio album No Fear of Time May 3, 2022 on the podcasting platform Luminary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soulquarians</span> American musical collective

The Soulquarians were a rotating collective of experimental Black music artists active during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Members of the collective included singer and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo, drummer and producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, producer J Dilla, singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, keyboardist James Poyser, singer Bilal, bassist Pino Palladino, rapper-producers Q-Tip and Mos Def, and rappers Talib Kweli and Common. Prior to its formation, Q-Tip, Common, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli were members of the Native Tongues collective, while Q-Tip's original group A Tribe Called Quest served as another inspiration behind the Soulquarians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy (De La Soul song)</span> 1988 song by De La Soul

"Buddy" is the third single released by De La Soul from their album 3 Feet High and Rising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"</span> 1991 single by De La Soul

"A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'" is a song by American hip hop trio De La Soul, released in July 1991 as the second single from their second studio album, De La Soul Is Dead (1991). The track includes vocal contributions from rapper Q-Tip, R&B singer Vinia Mojica and entrepreneur Russell Simmons. The track's composition is built around many samples. The song was generally well-received by critics. The song peaked at number twenty-two on the UK Singles Chart and at numbers six and forty three on the United States Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs charts respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get By</span> 2003 single by Talib Kweli

"Get By" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Talib Kweli. It was released on March 11, 2003 as the third single from his debut studio album Quality (2002). The hip hop song, produced by Kanye West, samples "Sinnerman" as performed by Nina Simone and features background vocals from Abby Dobson, Chinua Hawk, Kendra Ross, Vernetta Bobien, and William "Na2" Taylor. The song peaked at number 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming Kweli's most successful solo hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival</span> Annual hip-hop festival in New York, US

The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (BHF) is an annual celebration of Hip-Hop music and culture. It is produced The Bodega Agency a wholly owned subsidiary of Brooklyn Bodega, Inc.

<i>The Best of De La Soul</i> 2003 compilation album by De La Soul

The Best of De La Soul is a compilation album by American hip hop group De La Soul, released in June 2003 through Tommy Boy and Warner Bros. Records. It compiles their biggest hits over the years. It reached the top 20 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D Prosper</span> Musical artist

D. (Derick) Prosper began his career as a poet on the NPS National Poetry Slam circuit. He won several regional competitions and featured on the 1994 Providence Poetry Slam Team. D. Prosper was the youngest poet featured on the tour. He ranked fourth in the nation at the NPS finals in Asheville, North Carolina. Prosper was also featured in respected publication Fast Folk Music Magazine. He eventually earned a coveted spot on the 1994 Lollapalooza Tour D. Prosper's love of spoken word poetry ignited his passion for hip-hop music.

The following is a discography of production by Q-Tip, an American hip hop musician, record producer, and DJ. All songs credited as "produced by A Tribe Called Quest" were produced by Q-Tip, with the exception of "True Fuschnick", "Heavenly Father", and "La Schmoove" by Fu-Schnickens, which were produced by Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Q-Tip's contributions as a member of The Ummah production team are also listed. Q-Tip has also been credited under the pseudonyms "The Abstract", "The Lone Ranger", and "Qualiall".

The following list is a discography of production by J Dilla, an American hip hop record producer and recording artist from Detroit, Michigan. It includes a list of songs produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artist, album and title.

References

  1. Johnson, Kevin C. (December 23, 2011). "Q&A: Local artists pay tribute to Native Tongues rap acts". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  2. Reed, Ryan (November 10, 2022). "Psych-Rap: A Trippy History: Inside hip-hop's legacy of mind expansion, from acid-rock to A$AP Rocky". Tidal. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  3. Relic, Peter (2004). "Jungle Brothers". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  444–45. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  4. Thurm, Eric (5 July 2013). "A beginner's guide to hip-hop collective Native Tongues". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  5. Staff (21 September 2014). "Day of Trugoy The Dove". Global Exchange Chronicles. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  6. Coplan, Chris (10 January 2014). "Q-Tip, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jonah Hill are making a TV show". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  7. Christgau, Robert (September 18, 2019). "Consumer Guide: September 2019". Substack. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  8. "Native Tongues". Discogs. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  9. Kimble, Julian (19 July 2019). "Native Tongues festival brings together hip-hop's past and present". The Washington Post . Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  10. As seen in Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011)
  11. Consequence Q & A at HipHopDX.com (2010)
  12. "Hear Iz..." Discogs. Retrieved 27 September 2015.

Further reading