The Quest Finally Reach their Destination

The hip hop legends’ newest and final project is coming out this November, inspired by the group’s reunion last year on The Tonight Show. The yet-to-be named new album will also feature Busta Rhymes and Consequence. It’s the result of new material written prior to Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor’s passing.

It was in November last year when the Tribe decided to get together for a new collaboration after the success of their Tonight Show TV appearance. Q-Tip said on that occasion that it was a feeling they hadn’t experienced on stage in quite a while. Actually, this was their first performance in 18 years. Terrorists infamously attacked Paris that same night. Inspired by these two events, they decided to go back to the studio.

This will be their sixth album, the last one being 1998’s ‘The Love Movement’. Described as “something special” by RCA records CEO LA Reid, the new album is yet to be named but will be released this November 11th according to Q-Tip. Although Phife Dawg is gone, he left them with a “blueprint” to guide them in the process. Along with the help of Busta Rhymes and Consequence, they were able to finish what they say will be their last work.

Why is The Quest so legendary?

In 1992, the world saw the appearance of some of the best works by some of the greatest artists, such as Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Cypress Hill, and yet that year’s outstanding jewel was A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Low End Theory’.

The crafting of beats that incorporated jazz influences would impact beat making to this day, and introduced some much-needed fresh air to the mainstream scene. The incorporation of jazz themes in their  hip hop beats brought a new cultural element to a class of listeners that otherwise might have never been willingly exposed to such music. Of course, they weren’t the first to incorporate jazz influence to their songs. But they were the first to get the backup of a jazz legend such as renowned double bass player Ron Carter, which lends credibility to their efforts to respect the genre.

This isn’t the only element that made the album so important. It’s also the focus on the actual integrity of the craft – the beats and rhymes elevating and complementing each other, creating something appealing not only for the insider hip hop fan but also for the curious outsider.

A Tribe Called Quest, then and now

This September marked the 25^th anniversary of this album, and we still feel its influence in the music of artists like Madlib, J Dilla, The Roots, Flying Lotus, Kamasi, and Kendrick Lamar. Others like Pharrell, Kanye and Andre 3000 have also talked about the Tribe’s influence on their music.

We also had a chance to appreciate their influence when ‘Phife Dawg’ Taylor passed away last March, when many of the most influential figures in the industry came forward to pay their respect. He was the founder and the drive behind the group’s socially conscious lyrics that became signature of their style.

We recommend Michael Rapaport’s excellent documentary on the group called Beats, Rhymes and Lines: The Journeys of a Tribe Called Quest. It will complement this article and help to better understand the impact of these legends. The film is the result of Rapaport’s time on tour with them. It was a box office success in spite of the Tribe’s 15 year hiatus at the time the film was released.

A Tribe Called Quest is an example of how the effort that goes into making something out of true appreciation for the craft, and not worrying about the mainstream opinion, can result in that promised land that functions as a meeting point for music lovers all across the spectrum.