IzzyNYC
03-23-2008, 11:05 AM
I just picked up the current issue of Filter with Q-Tip on the cover and the article "The Legacy of A Tribe Called Quest". In The "Community Pays Homage" section, Mike D was first up. Sorry, I don't have a scanner but if anyone else is interested in what he had to say...
Tribe had a huge impact. They were probably the first hip-hop group to start sampling the jazz library, but it goes beyond that. It wasn't just, "Here's some jazz records, let's sample them." They brought a true musical sense and appreciation of that music to their sampling. And it was still hip-hop. You can't say it was anything but. You play their music in the club and people go nuts. That's hip-hop.
Tribe bridged color lines in ways groups prior to them never had. White kids bought Straight Outta Compton, but they had a different relationship with that than with a Tribe record. When a white surburban kid was buying N.W.A. or Public Enemy, that perchase was more voyeuristic than anything. But Tribe transended that and built up a legitimate fan base that grew beyond color lines and the constraints of pop radio. I think what enabled them to have that cross-over appeal was their genuine personalities.
Tribe had a huge impact. They were probably the first hip-hop group to start sampling the jazz library, but it goes beyond that. It wasn't just, "Here's some jazz records, let's sample them." They brought a true musical sense and appreciation of that music to their sampling. And it was still hip-hop. You can't say it was anything but. You play their music in the club and people go nuts. That's hip-hop.
Tribe bridged color lines in ways groups prior to them never had. White kids bought Straight Outta Compton, but they had a different relationship with that than with a Tribe record. When a white surburban kid was buying N.W.A. or Public Enemy, that perchase was more voyeuristic than anything. But Tribe transended that and built up a legitimate fan base that grew beyond color lines and the constraints of pop radio. I think what enabled them to have that cross-over appeal was their genuine personalities.