A Tribe Called Questās triumphant return at the end of 2016 was a bittersweet occasion: We Got It From Hereā¦ Thank You 4 Your Service marked the return of one of ā90s hip-hopās most beloved groups from an 18-year absence, and unlike most such comeback albums, it sounded as urgent and inspired as their original run. But it also came less than a year after the death of Phife Dawg. Their live appearances since then have encompassed a powerful rush of emotions: part trip down memory lane and part political protest, all shadowed by the absence of one of hip-hopās most beloved MCs.
A Tribe Called Quest performs Saturday, July 15 at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.Ā
āMovinā Backwardsā + āWe the Peopleā - Live at the Grammy Awards, 2017
Anderson .Paak sits in on vocals and drums, helping give this medley of āAward Tour,ā āCan I Kick It,ā āMovināĀ Backwardsā and āWe the Peopleā a jam-session feel. We also get Rhythm Nation-inspired dancersā costumes, a furious Busta Rhymes cameo, and a moving tribute to the late Phife Dawg, plus something you donāt often see at the Grammys: a black power salute.
āWe the Peopleā - Live on Saturday Night Live, 2016
Recorded just a week after the presidential election, this performance of āWe the Peopleā feels particularly angry, exhausted, and mournful, particularly when they get to the chorusā crux: āAll you black folks, you must go/ All you Mexicans, you must go/ All you poor folks, you must go.ā Itās not often you see expressions of such unbridled bewilderment and disgust on late-night TV.