As if being born in the year 1990 wasn’t already awesome enough, I and the rest of my generation were privileged enough to be birthed alongside the coming together of a new era that will go down in history as one of the most important movements to ever take place.
Whether it was in the form of an 8 track; a giant boom box you carried around on your shoulder like Radio Raheem in Spike Lee’s 1989 film “Do the Right Thing”; a Walkman that skipped if you moved too fast; a CD player; an iPod; T.V.; or in live concert… you still heard it. And it didn’t matter who you were, where you were, what color you were, or whether you even liked it or not. This is the beautiful thing about Hip-Hop. It’s meant to be heard. Meant to be in your face. Meant to provoke you. Meant to MOVE you.
Early 90’s hip-hop was like the golden child of the Jazz era that spawned some 60 to 70 years later. It was a sensationally rebellious; yet uncannily ingenious offspring of what is (now) one of the most prominent genres of our time.
But today I want to discuss one of the mediums responsible for the bridge that so magically linked what could essentially be referred to as “the best of both worlds”.
I would only hope that if you were born sometime before say… the year 2000 that you would have some sort of knowledge as to who A Tribe Called Quest is. If you don’t, that’s okay… I will just say that you need to get on Spotify... real fast.
But more than the group as a whole, my focus lately has really been on discovering whom Kamaal “Q-tip” Fareed really was outside of his introspective rhymes and smooth-as-a-baby’s-booty demeanor that so greatly manifested in his flow. And I don’t think there’s a better tool to use in order to approach this topic than the ever-respected album, and an all-time personal favorite: The Low End Theory.
Surrounded by music from a very early age, one of the very first records Q-Tip ever bought was the Jackson 5’s “Dancing Machine”. His father was said to be a “Jazz Head” who possessed a lengthy collection of all the greats who had ever been known.
With his portfolio of early jazz influences mixed with his childhood experiences of some of the first ever rap/hip-hop to be known (such as an early MC Lyte and The SugarHill Gang), Q-Tip was on track to be one of the most influential literary geniuses of our time, and he didn’t even know it.
The flawless bass introduction on Excursions, the first track of the album, cemented the platform on which hip-hop stood. The arrangement of this track could not have been organized in any other way that would have better depicted the depth of the groups’ souls. Q-tip was already setting us up in the first few lyrics, subliminally mentioning the important connection between jazz and hip hop. He mentions how his dad used to say hip-hop “reminded him of bebop” and how “things go in cycles”. Right then we get a grasp for Tip’s ulterior motive: to blend and to mesh.
Check the Rhime in particular solidified every notion that they were indeed birthing a new generation of sound right before the public’s very eye. That catchy, unforgettable horn sample at the beginning; a sample from Minnie Riperton a few seconds later... it was no wonder this was the first single released off of the album as well as one of the most-liked. There wasn’t an artist around who was taking bits and pieces of our history and throwing them into this new style of life. No one at the time would have ever imagined to do something so intricate yet edgy all in the same track. This is what made them great. And this is what made them pioneers.
We’ve got the Jazz is probably my personal favorite off of the album. From the beat, to the bass, to the chord progressions... I found out what perfection sounded like when I heard this track. A distinctive Q-tip’s voice opens the first verse, then Phife Dawg, all on top of the solo trumpet strategically placed on a layer of its own.
Even the album’s artwork was synonymous in its existence. The picture of a woman stooped over in what seems to be a protective yet seductive position carrying the title on her back can signify her baring the weight of a new world, a new venture, a new culture. And then at the centerfold of her body are the words “A Tribe Called Quest”, suggesting the position in the hip-hop world that the group represents: the core; the center; the focal point of a generational shift that was about to take place.
There are countless artists and groups who also stand at the forefront of paving the way for hip-hop artists today; from the likes of De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers, the Fugees... the list could go on forever. But when we are discussing the making of a truly innovative, strategically organized new sub-genre... A Tribe Called Quest most definitely takes the cake. And there are a few today who indeed carry the baton to catapult their legacy into future generations to come. Among them are the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, ...and as of late, a good friend of mine, Chaz French.
Now granted I know exactly what Nas was trying to convey when he dropped “Hip-hop is Dead” in 2006; it was out of fear that the culture was losing its power and voice in the mainstream. For many, hip-hop was the only mechanism we had to really transcend our thoughts, hopes, dreams and visions to the masses. He was afraid that we weren’t using our voices in the right way, for the right things. However, that was 8 years ago. And I do agree to some extent. But lately there have been so many artists on the come-up that have single-handedly changed my entire stance on the topic. When you have people like Dizzy Wright, Mod Sun, Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) and Kendrick Lamar making revolutionary masterpieces, one really has no choice but to hop back on the lyrical train.
So I think it’s more than safe to argue that no, Hip-hop isn’t dead.
Hip-hop is me… and I’m VERY much alive.
- Devin Papillion
This article was inspired by Morganne Nikole, who is a writer herself. A recent conversation we had about the similar views that we share led her to voice such a profound statement that hit me like a ton of bricks. We were on the topic of hip-hop and how so much of the basis of who we are is rooted in it. She went on to say: “Hip-hop makes me human”, of which is the inspiration behind the title for this post.
Morganne is a graduate student at the University of North Texas where she is pursuing her Master’s in journalism. She runs a blog of her own where she chronicles the ins and outs of minimally recognized music and art of our culture. She has also made contributions to the blog of Solange Knowles’ ’Saint Heron’. Check her out!
Whether it was in the form of an 8 track; a giant boom box you carried around on your shoulder like Radio Raheem in Spike Lee’s 1989 film “Do the Right Thing”; a Walkman that skipped if you moved too fast; a CD player; an iPod; T.V.; or in live concert… you still heard it. And it didn’t matter who you were, where you were, what color you were, or whether you even liked it or not. This is the beautiful thing about Hip-Hop. It’s meant to be heard. Meant to be in your face. Meant to provoke you. Meant to MOVE you.
Early 90’s hip-hop was like the golden child of the Jazz era that spawned some 60 to 70 years later. It was a sensationally rebellious; yet uncannily ingenious offspring of what is (now) one of the most prominent genres of our time.
But today I want to discuss one of the mediums responsible for the bridge that so magically linked what could essentially be referred to as “the best of both worlds”.
I would only hope that if you were born sometime before say… the year 2000 that you would have some sort of knowledge as to who A Tribe Called Quest is. If you don’t, that’s okay… I will just say that you need to get on Spotify... real fast.
But more than the group as a whole, my focus lately has really been on discovering whom Kamaal “Q-tip” Fareed really was outside of his introspective rhymes and smooth-as-a-baby’s-booty demeanor that so greatly manifested in his flow. And I don’t think there’s a better tool to use in order to approach this topic than the ever-respected album, and an all-time personal favorite: The Low End Theory.
Surrounded by music from a very early age, one of the very first records Q-Tip ever bought was the Jackson 5’s “Dancing Machine”. His father was said to be a “Jazz Head” who possessed a lengthy collection of all the greats who had ever been known.
With his portfolio of early jazz influences mixed with his childhood experiences of some of the first ever rap/hip-hop to be known (such as an early MC Lyte and The SugarHill Gang), Q-Tip was on track to be one of the most influential literary geniuses of our time, and he didn’t even know it.
The flawless bass introduction on Excursions, the first track of the album, cemented the platform on which hip-hop stood. The arrangement of this track could not have been organized in any other way that would have better depicted the depth of the groups’ souls. Q-tip was already setting us up in the first few lyrics, subliminally mentioning the important connection between jazz and hip hop. He mentions how his dad used to say hip-hop “reminded him of bebop” and how “things go in cycles”. Right then we get a grasp for Tip’s ulterior motive: to blend and to mesh.
Check the Rhime in particular solidified every notion that they were indeed birthing a new generation of sound right before the public’s very eye. That catchy, unforgettable horn sample at the beginning; a sample from Minnie Riperton a few seconds later... it was no wonder this was the first single released off of the album as well as one of the most-liked. There wasn’t an artist around who was taking bits and pieces of our history and throwing them into this new style of life. No one at the time would have ever imagined to do something so intricate yet edgy all in the same track. This is what made them great. And this is what made them pioneers.
We’ve got the Jazz is probably my personal favorite off of the album. From the beat, to the bass, to the chord progressions... I found out what perfection sounded like when I heard this track. A distinctive Q-tip’s voice opens the first verse, then Phife Dawg, all on top of the solo trumpet strategically placed on a layer of its own.
Even the album’s artwork was synonymous in its existence. The picture of a woman stooped over in what seems to be a protective yet seductive position carrying the title on her back can signify her baring the weight of a new world, a new venture, a new culture. And then at the centerfold of her body are the words “A Tribe Called Quest”, suggesting the position in the hip-hop world that the group represents: the core; the center; the focal point of a generational shift that was about to take place.
There are countless artists and groups who also stand at the forefront of paving the way for hip-hop artists today; from the likes of De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers, the Fugees... the list could go on forever. But when we are discussing the making of a truly innovative, strategically organized new sub-genre... A Tribe Called Quest most definitely takes the cake. And there are a few today who indeed carry the baton to catapult their legacy into future generations to come. Among them are the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, ...and as of late, a good friend of mine, Chaz French.
Now granted I know exactly what Nas was trying to convey when he dropped “Hip-hop is Dead” in 2006; it was out of fear that the culture was losing its power and voice in the mainstream. For many, hip-hop was the only mechanism we had to really transcend our thoughts, hopes, dreams and visions to the masses. He was afraid that we weren’t using our voices in the right way, for the right things. However, that was 8 years ago. And I do agree to some extent. But lately there have been so many artists on the come-up that have single-handedly changed my entire stance on the topic. When you have people like Dizzy Wright, Mod Sun, Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) and Kendrick Lamar making revolutionary masterpieces, one really has no choice but to hop back on the lyrical train.
So I think it’s more than safe to argue that no, Hip-hop isn’t dead.
Hip-hop is me… and I’m VERY much alive.
- Devin Papillion
This article was inspired by Morganne Nikole, who is a writer herself. A recent conversation we had about the similar views that we share led her to voice such a profound statement that hit me like a ton of bricks. We were on the topic of hip-hop and how so much of the basis of who we are is rooted in it. She went on to say: “Hip-hop makes me human”, of which is the inspiration behind the title for this post.
Morganne is a graduate student at the University of North Texas where she is pursuing her Master’s in journalism. She runs a blog of her own where she chronicles the ins and outs of minimally recognized music and art of our culture. She has also made contributions to the blog of Solange Knowles’ ’Saint Heron’. Check her out!