A Tribe Called Quest
The Return of the Greats
2008-03-04
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There could easily be a book written about A Tribe Called Quest, discussing their legendary status and place in hip-hop history from their contributions, influence and experiences throughout their 16-year career, but I’m not getting paid like that, nor do I want to bore the reader with commonly known facts. It is indeed hard to hide the excitement that the group, which hasn’t put out an album since 1998, is back together and on the road for a reunion tour of sorts, in support of the new NBA 2K7 video game. Odd, I know, but whatever it takes to get Ali Shaheed Muhammad behind the turntables, while Phife Dawg and Q-Tip give a lesson of group dynamics, is good in my book. There has been speculation over the years as to what happened to the group, and if anything this tour is a testament that things aren’t as bad as knitting circles would like you to believe. From his new home in the Bay Area, Phife spoke on his new video game character, heading back on the road and the rumors about an Outkast/Tribe collaboration.
The big news is that Tribe is back together and touring this September in support of NBA 2K7. Is it safe to say the game is responsible for bringing Tribe back?
We were talking but nothing was concrete, so I guess you can say 2K Sports brought us together for this upcoming tour. Their PR is on that, so you gotta give it to them because like I said, nothing was concrete.
They just hit me off the info; you’re going to be a character in the game?
Yeah, yeah, that should be funny.
So what’s up, did you stack him up a little bit, give him a nicer crossover or something?
Yeah, you know the handles are correct, the defense, all the things a point guard should be doing.
Is that you, playing the point?
I mean shit, I can’t play nothing else [laughs]. Maybe shooting guard, but I’m too small for the most part.
Do you enjoy being on the touring or are you past that?
The road is something I’ve always enjoyed, but after two weeks, it’s time to come home, at least for like four days and restart again because the road is hectic. If you’re not on top of your game as far as your health, forget it. That stuff is tiring. You get tired of going from hotel to hotel to be honest.
I know the tour hasn’t kicked off yet, but I’m curious about the audience. Has the younger generation caught on and really understand and knowing Tribe, or is it mostly older cats who grew up on you guys?
The new kids come out because they had brothers and sisters who talk about how we put it down in ’91 and ’93, the heyday of hip-hop to me, and they come out to see it themselves. You have the vintage Tribe fans that were always there, and then you have their younger siblings coming out to see what the fuss is about. At least that’s how it was two or three years ago when we did a few shows; now it might even be younger. I’m waiting to see what’s up with that myself.
Does that trip you out that you mean something different to two generations of people?
Yeah, it does trip me out because I never imagined that it would be like this, and I definitely didn’t imagine that people would still care when we haven’t done anything since ’98. You gotta look at it as a blessing; it’s just up to us to take full advantage of what we still happen to have, and that’s some good-ass fans. Word.
Now that you’re grown up, do you look at the game differently?
You know what, I haven’t really focused on it. I’ve been out of the loop for a while now. The only reason why I’m even a little in the loop is because I still love it, but I haven’t really been in it head-first. I think I have to go to New York for a month or two to really be back in it. Even though New York is kinda different now, that’s the foundation from which I emerged, so I feel like that’s where I need to go, just chill, go to the studio, go to some parties, just to bring back that vibe and catch that feeling again. I live in Atlanta and the Bay Area, and the Bay Area is cool ‘cause they got the whole scene jumping off, but I always felt like the Bay Area had it going on because I always liked their independent grind. They always had it going on, but to me New York is the birthplace, that’s my birthplace personally, and that’s where I need to be to catch a vibe in order to come back to the Bay or Atlanta and continue that particular vibe ‘cause it stays with you.
That’s crazy, I didn’t know you were out in the Bay.
My wife is from west Oakland, she got me out here, nahwhatimean? It took her a minute, too.
Did I hear a little yadidamean in there [laughs]?
Nah, nahmean, that’s the way we said it [laughs]. But yadidamean, that’s the first time I’ve said that a matter of fact [laughs].
I just wanted to see if it was rubbing off on you like that.
I mean it’s here, my little stepson talks like that. I’ll be saying hecka and hella sometimes, and when I went back home to New York they wanted to beat my ass, like what are you talking about!?! They had no idea what I was talking about, but it was all good. I was like Keak Da Sneak, kid, you know!
I heard rumblings of a Tribe/Outkast collaboration. What’s really up with that one?
It would be for a song, but it’s funny because how they did it, they made it seem like we actually had spoke to each other about that. I think Q-Tip and Andre have been talking about doing something for Tip’s album. I saw Big Boi at the video shoot for “Morris Brown,” and I was talking to him about doing something for my joint, but MTV made it seem like all four of us spoke. It would be hot, though, the idea is definitely major.
I was thinking about that collaboration, and in terms of group dynamics you and Big Boi represent the same thing, and Andre and Tip are on the same thing.
Yeah, I definitely feel like that. Living in Atlanta, I would see them from time to time, Big Boi for the most part. We’d be at the same the same club, the same strip clubs. I think the only difference is that Big Boi has the whole pimpology thing down; me, I know nothing about that. As far as getting women or whatever, yeah cool, but as far as the whole dress and apparel, I’ve never worn that before.
The big news is that Tribe is back together and touring this September in support of NBA 2K7. Is it safe to say the game is responsible for bringing Tribe back?
We were talking but nothing was concrete, so I guess you can say 2K Sports brought us together for this upcoming tour. Their PR is on that, so you gotta give it to them because like I said, nothing was concrete.
They just hit me off the info; you’re going to be a character in the game?
Yeah, yeah, that should be funny.
So what’s up, did you stack him up a little bit, give him a nicer crossover or something?
Yeah, you know the handles are correct, the defense, all the things a point guard should be doing.
Is that you, playing the point?
I mean shit, I can’t play nothing else [laughs]. Maybe shooting guard, but I’m too small for the most part.
Do you enjoy being on the touring or are you past that?
The road is something I’ve always enjoyed, but after two weeks, it’s time to come home, at least for like four days and restart again because the road is hectic. If you’re not on top of your game as far as your health, forget it. That stuff is tiring. You get tired of going from hotel to hotel to be honest.
I know the tour hasn’t kicked off yet, but I’m curious about the audience. Has the younger generation caught on and really understand and knowing Tribe, or is it mostly older cats who grew up on you guys?
The new kids come out because they had brothers and sisters who talk about how we put it down in ’91 and ’93, the heyday of hip-hop to me, and they come out to see it themselves. You have the vintage Tribe fans that were always there, and then you have their younger siblings coming out to see what the fuss is about. At least that’s how it was two or three years ago when we did a few shows; now it might even be younger. I’m waiting to see what’s up with that myself.
Does that trip you out that you mean something different to two generations of people?
Yeah, it does trip me out because I never imagined that it would be like this, and I definitely didn’t imagine that people would still care when we haven’t done anything since ’98. You gotta look at it as a blessing; it’s just up to us to take full advantage of what we still happen to have, and that’s some good-ass fans. Word.
Now that you’re grown up, do you look at the game differently?
You know what, I haven’t really focused on it. I’ve been out of the loop for a while now. The only reason why I’m even a little in the loop is because I still love it, but I haven’t really been in it head-first. I think I have to go to New York for a month or two to really be back in it. Even though New York is kinda different now, that’s the foundation from which I emerged, so I feel like that’s where I need to go, just chill, go to the studio, go to some parties, just to bring back that vibe and catch that feeling again. I live in Atlanta and the Bay Area, and the Bay Area is cool ‘cause they got the whole scene jumping off, but I always felt like the Bay Area had it going on because I always liked their independent grind. They always had it going on, but to me New York is the birthplace, that’s my birthplace personally, and that’s where I need to be to catch a vibe in order to come back to the Bay or Atlanta and continue that particular vibe ‘cause it stays with you.
That’s crazy, I didn’t know you were out in the Bay.
My wife is from west Oakland, she got me out here, nahwhatimean? It took her a minute, too.
Did I hear a little yadidamean in there [laughs]?
Nah, nahmean, that’s the way we said it [laughs]. But yadidamean, that’s the first time I’ve said that a matter of fact [laughs].
I just wanted to see if it was rubbing off on you like that.
I mean it’s here, my little stepson talks like that. I’ll be saying hecka and hella sometimes, and when I went back home to New York they wanted to beat my ass, like what are you talking about!?! They had no idea what I was talking about, but it was all good. I was like Keak Da Sneak, kid, you know!
I heard rumblings of a Tribe/Outkast collaboration. What’s really up with that one?
It would be for a song, but it’s funny because how they did it, they made it seem like we actually had spoke to each other about that. I think Q-Tip and Andre have been talking about doing something for Tip’s album. I saw Big Boi at the video shoot for “Morris Brown,” and I was talking to him about doing something for my joint, but MTV made it seem like all four of us spoke. It would be hot, though, the idea is definitely major.
I was thinking about that collaboration, and in terms of group dynamics you and Big Boi represent the same thing, and Andre and Tip are on the same thing.
Yeah, I definitely feel like that. Living in Atlanta, I would see them from time to time, Big Boi for the most part. We’d be at the same the same club, the same strip clubs. I think the only difference is that Big Boi has the whole pimpology thing down; me, I know nothing about that. As far as getting women or whatever, yeah cool, but as far as the whole dress and apparel, I’ve never worn that before.
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