By Thomas Cottingham
Features Assignment Editor
One of the most iconic rap groups of the 1990s, A Tribe Called Quest, recently called it a career and released their final album, “We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service.”
Tribe, who are famous for their signature jazz-rap melodies and satisfying rhyming, have been broken up since 1998. For differences of art and promos or to pursue solo careers, the group just seemed to be a thing that will only stay in the 90s. However, this changed on August, where Epic Records CEO L.A. Reid announced a new Tribe album that he believes “it’s really something special.”
“We Got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service” was recorded in secrecy. After a performance on the Tonight Show after the Paris attacks, the group decided to reunite to record their final album. The title was chosen by the late Tribe member Phife Dawg who recently passed away before the album’s release.
“Thank You 4 Your service” is an explosion of old and new, and an epic farewell from one of the greatest hip=hop groups. The jazzy, hardcore production and skillful rhyming create breathtaking chemistry with the collaberators. This includes ATCQ, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Phife, along with Busta Rhymes, Consequence, Kanye West, Elton John, Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak and many more.
The album sounds like what you signed up for – feel good music with a heavy concertation on rhyming, laid back beats and sending a message. Vintage A Tribe Called Quest. The thing that makes this project so fascinating is that it feels like A Tribe Called Quest never left. The music editing makes Phife sound like he’s in the studio with Q-Tip. Current artists make this record feel fresh. The message that echoes throughout the album are relevant. “Thank You 4 Your service” is more than a nostalgia trip.
The second track “We the People…” does not only contain the grimiest instrumental on the album but also the strongest political message. Phife Dawg and Q-Tip share verses on this heavy beat to address current issues such as threating of deportation, police brutality, discrimination and women equality. Phife raps “Dreaming of a world that’s equal for women with no division/ Boy, I tell you that’s vision/ Like Tony Romo when he hitting Witten.”
Producer Shaheed Muhammad stays true to his roots on the album’s stellar production. This includes smooth melodies, disk scratching, heavy beat and some repetition. However, the sound throughout this album makes it feel so new and not just another posthumous rap album. This can be heard on Conrad Tokyo which features Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar. The groove to this song contains refreshing piano and heavy beats. Phife takes shots at Trump spitting “As if this country ain’t already ruined,” while Kendrick goes on a fast-paced tangent rhyming “Every nation Obama nation, let the coroner in/ Crooked faces, red and blue laces for the color of men,” referring to both political parties, or everyone, is responsible.
The hooks on the album are one of its strongest features. One of the best is the song “Solid Wall of Sound.” The hook samples Elton John’s hit “Benny and the Jets.” The song has an outstanding delivery from Q-Tip, Phife and Busta Rhymes that is just pleasing to the ears. Jack White, lead singer and guitarist of The White Stripes, also has writing credits.
The album also has a track dedicated to Q-Tip’s late, great partner in crime. “Lost Somebody” is a track dedicated to Phife, and Q-Tip wrote a verse for his former rhyming side kick. Sorrowfully, but sincerely, Q-Tip raps “The one thing I appreciate, you and I, we never pretended/ Rhymes we would write it out, hard times fight it out/ Gave grace face to face, made it right /And now you riding out, out, out, out, damn.”
Although the topics can be heavy, “We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service” is a masterful project to come out this year. It is an impressive but fun album to vibe too, and it is recommended to everyone. It is more than a rap album, it is an experience.
cottintf14@bonaventure.edu
