A Tribe Called Quest

Released: September 10, 1996

Songwriter: J Dilla Phife Dawg Q-Tip Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Producer: The Ummah

[Chorus 2X]
All we want in this life
Is peace, prosperity and a little paper
Objects, they seem greater
But I'm sure we overcome when we illin' on a drum

[Verse 1: Q-Tip]
We in a world that places heavy emphasis on money synthesis
Y'all can be my witnesses
That a fella fascination with money has grown
To the point that he will shit on his own
We got to have it y'all, its not a Spike Lee cinematic
A piece of paper making niggas get dramatic
But the money doesn't come automatic
Gotta motivate ourselves to go and grab it
We got to get it y'all, in an orderly fashion
Some cats go about it with too much passion
We got to mediate our greedy levels
'Cause the lust of currency can have us sleepin with the devil
Gotta recognize it, realize the power
That this little ma-huckin piece of paper will devour
Man can be greater than the thing he creates
See, I'mma do my thing and see how much I can scrape
Yo, I'd rather have respect than money, no doubt
But listen to me y'all, I want the mass amount
That the Sesame Street Dracula can't Count
So that I can give my people when that thing surmounts
To higher levels.. of being.. so when I'm MC-ing
I hope to see you there steady G-ing (say word)
But the only way we can truly reach that goal
Is finding true inner peace and prospering souls
It's like that

[Chorus]

[Verse 2: Phife]
Here comes your royal highness, one of Queens finest
Believe me, honest, you know you can't stop it
Come on son, never leave your mic 'round me
True MC for real, ask my man Shaheed
Strictly focused on what I'm in this rap game for
Not for fame and screwing every whore after whore
With all that AIDS stuff going round
Tell me how that sound
Rather hit the studio and hear some beats that pound
Now, don't get me wrong, I love honeys galore
But see hip-hop's my bread and butter
'Cause that's what I get paid for
See this is what I wanted, Allah helped me to get it
And if the beat is wicked, you know Malik will rip it
From the bottom of my heart, that's where the love starts
The love for breakdancing, my love for the art
And with this love I do hip-hop from the soul
A real MC, who never sweats how many copies are sold
Yeah, I want to go gold, platinum, uh-huh, etcetera
But why put out some wackness when no one will respect ya?
I'm staying true, nuff respect to those that paved the way
From Bambaataa down to Shah; that be my DJ
Without my peeps I don't know how the hell I'd make it, word
Sometimes I feel that my career is headed for the curb
One love for lending hand and giving all your help
Believing in me when I didn't believe in my own self
The Abstract with whom I'm always making rugged tunes
Kid Hood resting in heaven, I hope to see you soon
I keep things hot and this year they're even hotter
Big Mu and Shah, one day I'll take my shahada
Out

A Tribe Called Quest is to Hip Hop what Pink Floyd is to Rock ‘n’ Roll. With humble beginnings in Queens, New York, the group blossomed from the friendship of Jonathan Davis (Q-Tip) and Malik Taylor (Phife Dawg). Along with acts like Jungle Brothers and De La Soul—their comrades in the Native Tongues rap collective—they vitalized East Coast Hip Hop, setting the stage for the rise of mainstream and alternative hip hop alike.

Their style, a synthesis of avant-garde production and authentic lyricism, paved the way for the conscious and jazz rap movements. Alongside other upbeat artists like Digable Planets, Us3, and Guru, ATCQ opened up the world of afrocentrism to a wider audience.

MEMBERS

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