So let's just get the obvious out of the way, A Tribe Called Quest are one of the most influential Hip Hop acts to ever grace the stage. Growing up, I was absolutely fascinated by the combination of Jazz and Hip Hop, so stumbling upon A Tribe Called Quest in my later years was one of the most wonderful discoveries imaginable. In their first few years together, they were seriously unstoppable, releasing classic album after classic album. "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" was a playful yet skillful introduction from the group, but by the time "The Low End Theory" (my personal favorite) rolled around A Tribe Called Quest were at the top of their game. Their sometimes quirky, entertaining verses oozed personality. "Midnight Marauders" was a little edgier sounding, but just as skillful and featured all the same elements. It also seriously cemented them in Hip Hop history as a landmark act. But by the end of the 90's they seemed like they were slowly running out of ideas. As far as their next album "Beats, Rhymes, and Life" goes, it was just OK. It was certainly still a solid hip hop release, but man did it lack some of the personality of their earlier work. "The Love Movement" was an improvement and had a whole lot better production, but still, A Tribe Called Quest had released so much solid work so far I felt like they needed a break. However, I honestly didn't think 18 years of a break though was needed! Hell I didn't even think I would hear another Tribe Called Quest album in my lifetime. But nonetheless, before Phife Dawg's tragic passing earlier this year, the wheels were already turning for a new release. So here we are, all of these years later with the first Tribe Called Quest album in 18 years, "We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service".
(The first time I heard this, I was floored)
The album starts off with “The Space Program”, and between the opening samples and mantra of “Lets get it together”, we’re seriously dealing with some ridiculous material right off the bat. Hearing that jazzy little keyboard float through the background immediately throws me back to the first time I ever heard A Tribe Called Quest. As each member rolls in with their verse here, you have to admit they seriously all sound immediately rejuvenated, those 18 years of a break up really did wonder for them creatively. It literally sounds like they all took an 18 year hibernation, woke up, and are seriously ready to get things done. The flows here are absolutely ridiculous, with not a single member sounding like they’ve slacked off even the slightest bit. Not to mention, every verse is coming at you rapid fire, as if Tribe are seriously trying to make up for lost time, and it seriously works magnificently. The chorus on “The Space Program” is spacey as hell (no pun intended), and the sampling of Vincent Price laughing from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video adds this real sense of insanity. It’s completely out of the box, but honestly it’s exactly where it needs to be. Also, there’s a real sense of unity here, which is something I haven’t heard recently, and it’s darn refreshing. But at the end of the day, what “The Space Program” really shows us is how the world is falling apart, and we seriously do need to “Get It Together”, that Willy Wonka sample at the end is all too telling. “We The People…” is up next, which right off the bat has a much heavier beat but an equally heavy groove. That synth line is seriously so thick that nothing can pierce through it, that is of course except for Q-Tip’s opening lyric of “We Don’t Believe You, Cause We The People”. Everything about so many of these tracks revolve around just how focused A Tribe Called Quest Sound. A lot has really changed in the world since the last time A Tribe Called Quest were really on the scene, and throughout these tracks you’ll realize that Tribe feel like a lot of those changes are seriously not for the better. On “We The People…”, there are these vibrant, almost too real depictions of discrimination. All of these years later, and Tribe still deliver exactly what we need to hear. There are no tricks, no gimmicks, just 18 years of delivery that Tribe have been waiting for to give to us. And boy does it pay off. Up next is “Whateva Will Be”. While every verse here is the colorful, personality drenched hip hop I’ve been craving, A Tribe Called Quest have seriously found a sense of urgency in their delivery, a real fire. I should have expected it, but I didn’t, and it’s a real treat. Like I said earlier, the last time we heard Quest they sounded a little like they were running losing just a bit of focus. But each member throughout these tracks on “We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service” sound nothing short of completely focused. The sample here floating through the background has such an odd beauty to it, and the beat here is smooth, yet bouncy when it needs to be. “Whateva Will Be” as a whole is fantastic, and definitely ear grabbing, as Tribe continue to not waste a single second when it comes to their comeback. “Solid Wall of Sound” is dominated by an Elton John sample from “Bennie & The Jets”, which is more than I expected, but it works wonderfully. “Solid Wall of Sound” is easily the most hypnotic track on here, but it still remains easy on the ears and easy to dive into. Now, Busta Rhymes, while he’s far from a favorite MC of mine, has always had an undeniable chemistry with A Tribe Called Quest. Whenever Busta and Tribe are on the same track together, I seriously always have to just sit and listen, and I'm often super impressed. “Solid Wall of Sound” is no different, Busta’s verse here sounds truly necessary to the formula here. Then we have the switch late in the track from an Elton John sample to live Elton John vocals which is seriously done expertly. This album is just wonderful.
The beat that starts of “Dis Generation” is something really special, hell it almost comes off as a J Dilla beat. The production on this track is absolutely pristine, but I mean that in the best way. Hearing each member of Tribe here really just makes me sit back and take a deep breath with each passing verse. There’s just so much legendary talent right here in front of us, it’s awe-inspiring. After all of these years, these are still some of the most personality filled, colorful hip hop verses I’ve heard this year, and the chemistry between them is perfect which really goes without saying. There are also these ridiculous lines here and there that seriously make you take a step back, that one about “Day of The Dead, Bury the zombies instead” really stands out. But the biggest shocker here is just how relevant everything is. A Tribe Called Quest sound just as significant as they did in the early 90’s, in every sense this is THE way to make a comeback album. It’s not cheesy. It’s not Tribe Called Quest trying desperately to relive their youth. It simply just works in every aspect. Some of the back and forth vocals between Tribe and the returning Busta Rhymes are truly chilling. I seriously couldn’t have asked for more from tracks like this. Up next on “Kids”, we start off with a verse from Outkast’s Andre 3000, who honestly we’ve heard A LOT from this year, and trust me I’m glad. The beat on “Kids” doesn’t instantaneously grab me like other tracks on here have so far. Andre sounds fantastic and frantic as always though, just about every feature on here does though. The chorus on “Kids” is where all the magic happens however. Seriously this chorus is ridiculous, and is easily one of the most heated, intense moments here with the constantly screamed “Kids, Don’t you know how all this shit is fantasy?”. If I were more into this beat, this track would have been near perfect, but it’s still just as urgent and above average as other tracks here. Up next we have the sensational “Melatonin”. Let me just say, whenever I usually hear any sort of rap tune that has anything to do with an acoustic guitar, I’m usually heading for the hills ASAP. However, the funky guitar licks circling on “Melatonin” are genuinely soulful, and make for a very tasteful throwback sound. This is by far one of the funkiest tracks here, matched up against the colorfully animated verses, I feel like I’m watching a drawing come to life as I’m listening. A Tribe Called Quest continue to sound completely rejuvenated and full of life, and just as urgent as they started off sounding on this album. The first disc of the album ends off with, I don’t want to say boring, but slightly less interesting tracks here. “Enough!!!” has a slick, jazzy beat that I enjoy and all, but it’s a little hard to follow. While other beats here clearly have their own distinct personality, this one sounds constantly changing. Lyrically, it’s solid, and the samples are really sharp. But as far as the beat goes, I just can’t sink my teeth into it. It certainly isn’t bad though.
“Mobius” starts off disc 2, with a smooth beat and even smoother guitars floating through the background. New fans of Tribe and old fans too are going to really be able to sink their teeth into so much here, not only do Tribe continue to sound relevant as ever, there is a serious old school rap tone to all of this. It’s all done in a very classy, respectful way though. The beat here is so thick and hazy you can cut it with a knife. Busta Rhymes is back, and seriously I love how this album is single handily reinvigorating his career, he continues to sound great. And for the most part this is just a solo Busta track, but that’s fine, it’s really enjoyable. As far as Q-Tips’ verses go throughout "We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service", he doesn’t waste a single breath the entire album, he knows damn well this is Tribe’s last outing. “Black Spasmodic” right from the intro has a super fun groove on it. This track as a whole literally sounds like any classic Tribe Called Quest song . Name any classic Tribe song, “Black Spasmodic” probably sounds like it at some point. The back and forth verses between Q-Tip and the late Phife Dawg seriously bring me back, it’s the same magic that we saw on classics like “The Low End Theory” unfolding once again right before our eyes. “Black Spasmodic” even has a little reggae vibe here and there, but it absolutely fits in. While so many tracks on “We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service” deal with a lot of the same topics, they all seem to have a slightly different flavor to them, which makes the album just such an enjoyable experience overall. Not to mention, so many of these tracks here are under 3 minutes, so none of them overstay their welcome. “The Killing Season” gives us the most quirky, left of the dial beat we’ve heard so far. It goes without saying, but Tribe have done so much in their career that they aren’t playing to anyone, and they’re going to use whatever damn beat they please. The intro verse here is a guest verse from the one and only Talib Kweli, who I honestly haven’t listened to a project of in freakin years (However, “Quality” is a stone cold classic in the alternative rap genre, I still have the CD in my car). His verse here however is freakin’ NASTY. He honestly sounds just as agitated and on edge as he did so many years ago, I freakin love it. And what do you know, that’s Friend Of The World Kanye West on the hook, honestly I would have like to maybe hear a little more from him than just a hook, but who am I to complain, Consequence’s verse is pretty solid as well. Overall it may be a little overwhelming just how politically charged a lot of this album is, but if you can stomach it, you’re going to be amazed by how little filler material there is here. When it comes to “Lost Somebody”, I really didn’t know what to expect from that opening beat. But when everything opens up, it quickly becomes one of the sleekest, coolest sounding tracks here. There are just so many sweet sounding guitar licks placed here and there, and Q-Tips verse just flows over everything so majestically. Sometimes their skill is just so overwhelming, you literally have to stop these tracks and take a deep breath. The sung hook here by Katia Cadet brings in the real sorrow in this track however. Not to mention, knowing that Phife Dawg passed away after recording his verses makes this track that much more powerful. However, it is to be noted that however dreary this track is, it’s also very hopeful as they assure us Phife is “Alright now” and is “in sunshine now”.
Boy, this is a freakin’ long album, but it’s a good one to say the least. We got a few more tracks to chat about, so lets continue. “Movin Backwards” is up next, with one hell of a funky, almost J Dilla (again) sounding beat. The instrumentals throughout so much of this album seriously don’t miss a beat, and the backing harmonies here add so much. Now let’s talk about Anderson .Paak’s guest verse here. Honestly? I think the dude get’s better every time I hear him. Throughout the years, with every project I hear him on, he sounds more and more solid. On “Movin Backwards”, in a lot of ways he’s the star. I’d even go as far as to say that this is A Tribe Called Quest’s way of passing a sort of torch to him. Not to mention, it’s nice to hear that ofr the most part that theme of unity has stuck around even though the dark subject matter that graces these tracks hasn’t let up. While “Movin Backwards” has a funky beat and shows Tribe passing the torch to Anderson .Paak, “Conrad Tokyo” has a slick synth driven beat and shows Tribe passing the torch to the one and only Kendrick Lamar. Like I said, the beat here is synth driven and on the futuristic side. But it doesn’t come off as cheesy, it comes off as really sleek and genuinely cool. The verses continue to be fiery, with the late Phife Dawg claiming “this country is already ruined” before going into another politically charged verse. When Kendrick comes in, it’s a whole different ball game. I mean simply put, Kendrick is freakin’ amazing. Every verse he hops on, he’s always so defiant, so dominant, so in your face, it’s ridiculous. Everything about “Conrad Tokyo” while it may be futuristic and heavy on the electronics, is also very hip. “Ego” ditches the electronic feel though and goes for a much more classic jazz feel. That intro bass line is one of the jazziest things your going to find on the album, and the way it’s just constantly creeping and getting louder is just done so well. While at first I was a little underwhelmed by the instrumental and by Q-Tip’s verse, everything about “Ego” blossoms wonderfully and the rest is all gravy man. Not to mention, those guitar lines from Jack White here are really solid. Plus, I heard that Jack White got involved with this album after asking A Tribe Called Quest if he could perform “Excursions” live, which is freakin’ awesome. I really don’t have that much more to say about “Ego”, it’s really well done. And finally, we have the album’s finale, “The Donald”. The beat here sounds on the bulkier, heavier side, but it’s still coming off just as smooth. Call it whatever you want, all I can say is, it’s an old school hip hop jam at heart. Busta Rhymes is back, and his verse here is sadly underwhelming to be perfectly honest, which kinda sucks since his verse is in fact referencing Phife Dawg. Phife’s verse is fantastic though, and a proper sendoff for a man who will truly be missed. For an outro, this is everything I could have asked for.
Rating: 8.9/10
Give A Listen To: “The Space Program”, “We The People….”, "Melatonin", "Lost Somebody"
Overall Thoughts: If you're in the hip hop game and you just casually take 18 years off, and you come back and decide to make music again, you better home that album is half as good as this album. A Tribe Called Quest on "We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service" show off every bit of personality they became famous for so may years ago, and end up making it sound just as relevant as you would hope. The beats are slick, the features are well placed, and personality oozes from every track. This is a must listen for anyone whose ever bene obsessed with A Tribe Called Quest, and is a true proper sendoff for one of hip hop's most legendary acts.
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