When a band splits apart and doesn’t create any music for nearly 18 years, there’s always a danger that a reunion would be drowned in outdated sounds and obsessive pining for a time once past. But when A Tribe Called Quest decided to release a new album, they managed to avoid these pitfalls with ease.
Prior to the new release, “We got it from Here…Thank you 4 Your Service,” their last album was released in 1998. Despite the drastic difference in hip-hop sound between now and then, this new album doesn’t feely dated and still manages to stick true to the classic Tribe sound that inspired so many in the 90s.
With features from Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Jack White, and Anderson Paak they manage to sprinkle in modern sounds while keeping old school influences with features from Andre 3000 and Busta Rhymes. These features are mixed in seamlessly throughout the album and are a true testament to the Tribe’s knowledge of their own style by choosing such a complimentary selection.
Even after all these years Q-tip still has an energetic and pragmatic flow that attracts the ear more so than most other MCs in the current crop of hip-hop artists. And even though Phife Dawg passed away before the completion of this album, he still gives strong performances on the tracks he managed to record and the rest of the tracks still hold their own under Q-tip and the various features.
The content of the album would have been the other pitfall for the Tribe if they focused on themes of the 90s and how good life was back in the day. But they have written a politically charged album that, even though it was recorded prior to the completion of the election, has a timely message and outlines the socio-economical landscape of America with graceful introspection.
Songs like “A Space Program,” discuss the frustrating sentiment felt by many minority civilians who find it difficult to escape the cycle of poverty. And the killing season uses intriguing military references when observing injustices felt by the black community, especially in regards to violence. Tracks like these demonstrate that the Tribe are consciously aware of the current times and are able to take these sentiments and apply their classic sound to create music that sounds relevant and fresh.
The only bad thing is the knowledge that this is last album the Tribe will release. It’s a shame to listen to this album, realize that they still have the potential to make such amazing music, but know that this is the end for them. It was like watching David Ortiz play for the Red Sox this year; he put up numbers that were almost inconceivable for someone on their last season, so much so that it makes you wish it wasn’t the end.
It’s fitting that the Tribe end their illustrious musical career, albeit a man short, on such a masterpiece of an album that will surely go down as one of the best from this year. Ending on the highest of high notes, A Tribe Called Quest have given every lover of hip-hop one more glorious album to adore for years to come. If their place in music history wasn’t already cemented, it sure is now.
