A Tribe Called Quest is back to kick it, and by kick it I mean release an entire album that essentially rap battles with the systemic injustices of the world’s minorities. And it wins by a long shot.
Not only does it feature supremely talented rap, it samples true to the group’s celebrated 80’s and 90’s hip hop hey day’s style. In the New York Native Tongues collective, eclectic, polyrhythmic and jazz inspired beats mellifluously intertwine socially conscious, afrocentric subject matter, while still maintaining relevance in current events. In this case, releasing the album was arguably a reaction to President elect Donald Trump and his army of predominantly white, racially motivated and gender biased followers, or for those who don’t like to be pigeon-holed, ‘domestically driven’.
Either way, the opening line of the album from ‘A Space Program’ declaring, “It’s Time to go Left and not Right” is definitely a thematic precursor for ‘We got it From Here’. Also demonstrating the patience ATCQ had in picking the perfect release date for an album, We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service is year in the making and debuts nearly two decades after their last studio album.
With the tragic passing of Tribe member Phife Dawg in March earlier this year due to complications with diabetes, members of the Tribe Q-tip, Jarobi and Consquence finished the album under the blueprint of Phife’s vision. His memory is honoured in the strength of the notorious vocal interplay between himself and Q-Tip. In the bridge of ‘We The People’, they even manage to rhyme together:
“The fog and the smog of news media that logs, False narratives of Gods that came up against the odds, We’re not just n**** rappers with the bars, It’s kismet that we’re cosmic with the stars.”
The chemistry the two have in verse aids the centrality of worldly subject matter, rather then each taking turns to have their say. This inherently diverts from the branding of the artists themselves (notably transparent in hip hop artist’s today) and rather maintains focus on the album’s political conversation, accentuating Tribe’s negation of media sensationalism and capitalism.
As Jarobi vocalises in ‘Whatever will be‘: “Subliminate their youth, hyper-sexualise women, They ain’t got enough strong hold, so they built the prisons”. Their undying loyalty to the people is why they are so loved by their fans, and in keeping that voice, We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service doesn’t measure the loss of Phife Dawg, but rather celebrates the genius that liberated the minds of his youthful following with a blunt outspokenness. With mimicking lines like “All you Black folks, you must go/ All you Mexicans, you must go/ And all you poor folks, you must go/ Muslims and gays, boy, we hate your ways” Q-Tip recently discussed the motivation behind releasing the album now as an important reflection of sentiments “brewing in this country [the USA].” He explains here,
“One of the things that we have to remember in this society [of] capitalism, is that the bottom line is truly money, In order for someone to truly capitalise on a situation there has to be something that’s weak.. There has to be something or someone that you take advantage of, that you kind of expose and exploit.”
In acknowledging their voice and innovative musicality, A Tribe Called Quest really set the bar for hip hop music to come, and has been immensely influential for artists like Common, Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar, The Roots, Snoop Dogg and Kamasi Washington. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service plays like an old school DJ set with an ebb and flow of rhythm, samples and beats that has more of a real life studio feel rather than the Ableton Liveschool production you can make from your bedroom feel.
There is definitely hints of genre diversity and multigenerational melodies hidden amongst the tracks; especially with first song ‘The Space Program’ sampling Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and even paying homage to the late Gene Wilder who passed earlier this year by including an excerpt from ‘Willy Wonker and the Chocolate Factory’. We challenge you to find where ‘Benny and the Jets’, ‘Pass the Dutchie’, Black Sabbath and Malcolm McLaren are hiding away in there, too.
Longtime fans will be stoked to see them back in full force, and with Anderson Paak, Andre 3000, Elton John, Talib Kweli, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar contributing, We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service will attract a whole new millennial fan base that will perhaps recognise how influential A Tribe Called Quest has been on the hip hop artists of today.
In a world where we tend to churn through music constantly looking for the next big thing or surprise album, this will definately remain relevant in your music playlist purely on quality, musical integrity and all around dope beats for years to come.
Check ’em out below.
