A Tribe Called Quest celebrated the 25th anniversary of their debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, in November by re-releasing the album with a selection of remixes by Pharrell, CeeLo Green and J Cole.
It is the first of several re-releases planned by the group.
"We have a 25th for The Low End Theory, we have a 25th for Beats, Rhymes and Life, we have a 25th for Midnight Marauders, which all are pretty monumental moments for us, personally, as well," says Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, better known as Q-Tip.
The group – also featuring Malik Isaac Taylor (Phife Dawg), Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White – talked about celebrating quarter of a century in the music business, a possible tour, a biopic and more.
25 years later
Q-Tip says one word explains Tribe’s longevity: humility.
“You go back and you look at everything and you’re kind of like, ‘Wow, I lived through a few lives’, and it just happened so fast. It’s somewhat overwhelming,” he says. “Not trying to be egotistical or braggadocios, it has nothing to do with that, but it’s like ... a lot of people don’t get to see 25 in life.”
Ask Phife Dawg, Muhammad and White if they want to hit the road again, and they’ll say ‘yes’. Q-Tip is not so sure.
“I don’t know … I mean, who knows?” he says, interviewed separately from the other members because he was running late. “Everybody makes it look like it’s me that’s not open to [it].”
Says Phife Dawg: “These are my brothers. I know nothing but them. I only wanna work with them … in terms of going on tour, I wanna go on tour with them.”
Muhammad adds that it is exciting to see “a 15-year-old now discovering A Tribe Called Quest 25 years later” at a concert. “The spirt of the music and the feeling and the love is strong. It’s bigger than us.”
He also shuts down any rumours about tensions in the group: “If there was tension you would feel it. Do you feel tension? So there it is.”
Calling on the youth
Pharrell remixed Bonita Applebum, Green worked his magic on Footprints and Cole remixed Can I Kick It? for the anniversary release. Muhammad says the band reached out to younger hip-hop acts but not everyone was keen to work with them.
“We reached out to many people,” he says. “And I will go on record and say – and it might not be the most favourable thing to say – you reach out to people and there are some people that call you right back and there are some people who you got to chase.
“And you would think that with a legacy project and a group that I think stood for a lot for hip-hop and music – you know, bridging jazz to hip-hop, bridging so many different genres – that people would be scratching to be a part of this celebration.”
Hip-hop today
Tribe is easily one of the most respectable acts in the history of hip-hop. What about the new generation?
“Just a lot of laziness, whereas back when we were doing it everybody had their own lane,” says Phife Dawg. “Nowadays, it’s one on top of the other – ‘Oh, this sold three million with that style. Let me duplicate that style and run with it.’
“For us to see the future everybody can’t sound like Future. Like, everybody sounds like Future. Like, I don’t even know who’s who outside of Future.”
The big screen
With the success of the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, could there be a film about Tribe's story?
“As private as I am, I’m like, ‘No’ – but I think so,” says Muhammad. “I think there’s a lot more to be told. It’s a really vulnerable thing to open up that way. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”
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