"You're like a hip-hop song, you know?" quotes Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 hit, "Bonita Applebum." In this case, he was referring to an alluring woman, but it could have been any woman. It matters not who the song is about, but rather the way she's described. Q-Tip doesn't equate the female of his desire to a beautiful flower or sunset, but to a rap song. Today, hard-hitting, brash sounds often accompanied by vulgar lyrics tend to characterize popular hip-hop music. But let's take a trip back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, a time period often described by many hip-hop aficionados as the "Golden Era" of hip-hop. Melodic, jazzy beats with inspirational lyrics were the standard. And there was A Tribe Called Quest.
This past Wednesday, A Tribe Called Quest performed at Ram's Head Live! on the Baltimore leg of the second annual 2K Sports Bounce Tour. Other artists featured included Rhymefest and The Procussions. Despite the $48 ticket price, the show drew tons of fans. As always, the environment in Ramshead was very generous. With two upper levels and a large bar, there was no problem finding a desirable place to view the show. Q-Tip, Phife and Ali Shaheed entered the stage as if it was a reunion, exchanging handshakes and hugs. Phife's complete Baltimore Orioles outfit was definitely a crowd favorite, earning him loads of cheer. Without haste, the show started with tons of force. Tribe performed some of their hit songs like "Award Tour," "Can I Kick It?" and "Find A Way." Just when I thought the show couldn't get any better, the original fourth member of the group, Jarobi, arrived on stage. Other songs performed included "Butter," "Electric Relaxation," and the hype old school anthem, "Scenario." It seemed unreal to see all four of the original members of Tribe performing on stage together. They entertained the crowd with amazing energy, as if they haven't aged at all over the past 16 years. Ramshead became a house of Tribe fans, with hundreds of people on all three levels spitting the group's lyrics in unison.
While the show was not necessarily the best for sound quality and replication of their original hit recordings, it did not deter the audience from having a great time. Tribe is such a reputable group that nothing could have stopped listeners from attending the show in great numbers. A Tribe Called Quest's performance was an unforgettable event that only enhanced the group's legacy and high-acclaim. It brought all in attendance back to an era where hip-hop was positive, passionate and inspirational.
News-Letter was able get an exclusive interview with Phife of A Tribe Called Quest before his Ram's Head Live! show last week.
News-Letter: What was the first song that got you into hip-hop?
Phife: The first song? Um, wow. "[That's] the Joint," who's that by? Funky four plus one more? It's the joint [singing]. That joint, um, and "Looking for the Perfect Beat," Afrika Bambaata and them, Soul Sonic, you know what I mean? So those groups, and Super Rhymes.
N-L: What year was that?
P: Man. Shoot, I don't know. That was back around `78, `79.
N-L: How and when did you, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed all meet?
P: Well, I've known Q-Tip since I was two years old and he went to the same high school as Ali Shaheed. That's how I met Ali Shaheed. ... Since high school, he used to bring him around the way.
N-L: What led you guys to create the group? How did that come about?
P: I mean we was all rhyming you know what I'm saying, me and Tip were rhyming, and Ali was [sic] beat jam and it just came together, you know. We was always doin' it around the way and once we got to high school we realized that's what we wanted to do. You know, you had people on the basketball team, people on the football team, we wanted to MC, you know what I'm saying?
N-L: How did you guys come up with the group name?
P: Well, Afrika, Mike G from the Jungle Brothers kinda came up with that name, you know what I'm saying. We were playing a card game in school or whatever and they came up with the name because, you know, you had like so and so crew, so and so productions, so and so MC. With tribe, that's basically a bunch of people of African origin, so we became tribe, and then we called it quest, because you know quest came in. We used to walk everywhere, like around the neighborhood, and we'd always run into strange things, like a homeless man singing at the top of his lungs, and whatever having fun with that, or someone getting beat up, so after a while it was like we were questing for it, you know what I'm saying? And then Tribe Called Quest and then the "A" came in because we wanted people to know that there's many tribes but there's only one tribe called quest, so that's how A Tribe Called Quest came about.
N-L: You guys must have known Afrika Bambaata from the start then, right?
P: Yeah, because you know we were rollin' pretty much with Red Alert. Mike G from the Jungle Brothers, that's his uncle, Red Alert. So Red was rolling with Bam and them so that's how we all met Bam and it's been nothing but love and respect ever since, since day one.
N-L: So that basically explains your involvement with the Zulu Nation then huh?
P: Yeah, definitely.
N-L: How was J-Dilla's production influential on Tribe's music? When you guys started doing work with Dilla, what did his sound do for or bring to A Tribe Called Quest?
P: I mean I think his sound pretty much enhanced what we were doing already. ... It was funky, it was brolic, it was just heat, you know what I'm sayin g? There's no other way to explain it, he just had hot shit, you know what I'm saying? His bass lines were rich, you know what I'm saying? And nobody has drums like J-Dilla. I don't care who you say, his drums are incredible. I mean the patterns, the patterns are even more serious, you know what I'm saying?
N-L: Being part of such a classic hip-hop group, how do you feel, personally, about the hip-hop scene today compared to what it was in the late `80s and early `90s?
P: Umm, I mean it got better, you know what I'm saying? It enhanced whereas, nowadays, it's kind of aggression. There was a time where hip-hop was getting better and better and better, and then it took a fat fall off from greatness for a minute, you know what I'm saying?
N-L: And when do you think it took that fall?
P: Like, right now, you know what I'm saying? Right now it's definitely taking a fall. You know what I'm saying? Nobody wants to take a risk, as far as being original. You know what I'm saying? I understand everybody wants to eat but, how do you expect to eat when you're doing the same thing the next man is doing? Somebody's gonna starve, you know what I'm saying?
N-L: Lastly, what can your all of your fans expect from tonight's show at Rams Head Live!?
P: Oh, I'm not telling you that. You gotta come out. You gotta come out. That's what I tell everybody that asks that, you know what I'm saying? That's cheating! You know what I'm saying?