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What can I say? These doodes were undeniably on point with the Tribe. Kelvin Mercer, David Jude Jolicoeur & Vincent Mason originated from Amityville in 1987. The trio were quick to jump on the New York jazz swing and produce instant classics. Hand in hand, Tribe and De La took over the hip-hop scene.
However, De La Soul & Tribe hold their differences. De La were always a lot more playful in their music, using more innovative samples and including comedy skits in all their records. Their first joint '3 Feet High & Rising' was an instant classic in the hip-hop communtiy as the beats put together by prominant producer Prince Paul, accompanied by dope lyric sets and samples, made people appreciate the peaceful & talented side that hip-hop has to offer. Being one of The Native Tongue Posse's most recognised members, De La could release an album full of skits and it would still turn platinum.
In my own opinion, the peak was in 1996 when De La tagged up with the man known as Jay Dee. The friction they dropped is still recognised as a classic album today. The song "Big Brother Beat" also included Mos Def, one of my personal favourite emcees of all time.
With this all being said, De La Soul are most definitely immortals. Incorporating the fun side of life into hip hop was just what the genre needed! With their tripped out beats and samples (Eg. 'Me Myself and I' sampling George Clinton and Funkadelic's 'Not Just Knee Deep'), the lyrics floated ontop quite easily. These doode deserve ultimate credit.
Ima leave you with a few tracks that define their style & also their contribution to this era which in trying to preserve.
peace
PS>Dont miss them live in concert in Melbourne!!!
May 1 @ the Esplanade Hotel-St Kilda, Tickets $69! Hurry coz the joint will sell out fast!
Me, Myself and I-De La Soul
Oodles Of O's-De La Soul * De La Soul's finest.
Ego Trippin' (Part 2)-De La Soul
Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa-De La Soul
Say No Go-De La Soul
Patti Dooke-De La Soul *Dope joint
I don't know if these guys fit into the style which my blog promotes. Though, their music style was unique, combining elements of hip hop & New York Jazz, yet still possessing a gritty hood sound. Guru & Dj Premier hooked up after Premier sent Guru a beat tape. Talk about a lucky mother fucker. They went on to release 4 albums which were very successful in the alternative hip hop scene.
Some may say that Guru was a lot more successful without Premier, releasing Jazzmatazz and doing collaboration songs with artists such as Mos Def.
For this post, i will put up a few songs which are affiliated with Guru in some way. Hope you enjoy the smooth gritty beats, elusive lyrics and all round laid back feeling.
peace.
Mass Appeal- Gang Starr
Moment Of Truth- Gang Starr *My favourite song of all time.
Murder- Guru & Mos Def
Dwyck- Gang Starr & Nice & Smooth
Comin' For Datazz- Gang Starr
Where it all began. These guys are the reason I invented this blog. A Tribe Called Quest are definitely a contender for the founders of alternative hip-hop. Members Q-Tip, Brother Ali & Phife Dawg were among the first to incorporate a new jazz swing in their records. The group along with De La Soul were the co-founders of the 'Native Tongue Posse', a group of artists with the similar jazzy style. They were also tied to the 'Universal Zulu Nation', founded by AfrikaBambaata.
The pioneers of this genre, coming from Queens, would soon release People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. As you can tell, i named my blog after this album as it was the first major release of the genre and is still said to have kick started the genres popularity in the underground sector at the time. Along with funky bass grooves, casual jazz samples and overall fusion of two styles, The Tribe were guaranteed a following as they style was unheard of. You had your Roger Troutman's & of course Grandmaster and the Furious 5 back in the day who messed around with funk, yet jazz samples were never incorporated into hip-hop. The style would later influence Guru who released two albums by the name of Jazzmatazz-A Fusion of hip-hop and live jazz.
The fresh laid back beats which were to come from the Tribe were instantly regarded as underground classics by they're followers. Accompanied by soulful & unrestrained vocals, the tracks were guaranteed to blow up. Already having hits in 'Can I Kick It?' & 'Bonita Applebum', success on their second album The Low End Theory was to follow. Pop Matters music editor stated the following on the album; "Anything really worth writing about is nearly indescribable; that's the conundrum of writing about music. Any 30-second snippet of The Low End Theory will go further to convince of the album's greatness than anything I can write. I could easily write an entire book on this one album and still feel like I've hardly said anything. Still, I could do worse things with my time than try to capture even an iota of the enthusiasm I feel each time Iplay this album. The Low End Theory is a remarkable experience, as aesthetically and emotionally rewarding as any work of music I can think of." -Dave Heaton
It just kept on coming with Midnight Marauders & Beats, Rhymes and Life, bringing classic tracks such as 'Award Tour' to life. Their last album The Love Moment was the signal of their split. They went on solo ventures yet were never as recognised alone as they were together, although Q-Tip had some very successful solo album releases. Il finish my post by stating that I want Tribe Called Quest to do a world tour more than anything. I would love to see the boys from Queens kick it one last time. Il leave you with a few of my favourite Tribe tracks. Pay attention to their subtle use of jazzy snippets, cuts & funky bassgrooves. peace.
Jazz (We've Got)-A Tribe Called Quest
Relax Yourself-A Tribe Called Quest
Bonita Applebum-A Tribe Called Quest
Check The Rhyme-A Tribe Called Quest
Buddy (12" Remix)-A Tribe Called Quest ft. De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifa & Moonie Love
This song had a really dope video-Bustah in his early days. I'll post that up with it. The track by Leaders of the New School was the hit single on their debut album 'A Future Without A Past', released in 1991. Dope track which samples The Mighty Quinn-Ramsey Lewis.
check it out, peace.
Case of the P.T.A
Video Link
Recorded in 1997, 'That Shit' is a funky contemporary track which was released as a promo just before Tribe's last album 'The Love Movement'.
Dope Track, exhibits the creativity expressed when Dilla is on with the Tribe.
Enjoy. Peace
That Shit-A Tribe Called Quest/Jay Dee
J-Dilla a.k.a Jay Dee, was arguably the greatest contemporary hip-hop producer that ever lived. He worked with various groups and artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, Madlib, Pete Rock, Common, Bustah Rhymes, Mos Def, 9th Wonder, The Pharcyde and even every ones favourite Mr. arrogant, Kanye West.
J Dilla died on February 10, 2006. His death shook the hip-hop world, being one of the most influential producers that ever lived. To this day he is sorely missed.
I want to post this as a tribute to J Dilla and all his hard work. In my opinion, he never received enough credit for what he did. In a way I am glad as he was able to stay real and carry the stars of the underground circuit in ways that he saw fit. As Jay Dee was never truely recognised on the commercial rap scene, his beats remain his legacy, touching his listeners even without lyrics. His hypnotic use of samples and cuts are absent in any other beats ever created. His work with Slumvilliage can also reflect his talent as a emcee, as well as a producer. Though, it is his beats that left an impression on the world of hip-hop and solidified his well deserved place as one of the greats.
As Dilla left us these hypnotic, snare driven beats to be heard and enjoyed, I will share my three favourites with you. RIP Jay Dee, We all miss you.
Peace.
Trashy-J Dilla
Dreamy-J Dilla
Circus-J Dilla
Being one of the most influential alternative hip-hop groups of the early 90's, The Pharcyde left an undeniable influence on the underground hip-hop scene. Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown & Fatlip, along with producer J Swift, put together the album 'Bizzare Ryde II The Pharcyde', released in November 1992. The Album included their two renowned singles 'Drop' & 'Passin' Me By' which were instant underground classics. The group soon hooked up with, and i quote; 'The greatest hip-hop producer of all time', J Dilla. I'll have a few posts up of him down the track. The group is to this day regarded highly in the underground hip-hop scene.
Their influences from the zulu nation movement are evident in their recordings as the 'new jazz swing' is what kept their records alive. Once the word got out, they began their world tour with; A Tribe Called Quest & De La Soul, the artists heavily dominating the underground/alternative hip-hop scene at the time. These artists all contributed a lot to the style and it's following which is still evident to date.
The Pharcyde were real. Their contribution to hip-hop was undeniably significant. Not bad for four kids from South Central.
I'll leave you with the two singles that I mentioned.
Peace
'Drop'-The Pharcyde
'Passin' Me By'-The Pharcyde
