A Tribe Called Quest

Released: July 1, 1997

Songwriter: Ali Shaheed Muhammad Phife Dawg Q-Tip

Producer: The Ummah

Check my style out
Life situations are the ones I speak about
It seems cats nowadays be gettin' introduced to courage
Don't get discouraged 'cause my words are fluid like flourish
We got the bounty, we from the Queens county
Overlookin' things like a Rushmore Mounty
And got no other choice except to get a little love
We rise above, the beat be fittin' like a glove
The pain in my heart is getting dosed by joy
We have no other ploy but to bring the B-boy
There's nothing on this Earth that can instill fear
The locomotive, puttin' my thing in gear
I only have the fear of God and that's taqwa
You need Binaca; your trap is blazing like Blanka
I got the lethal, you couldn't put a match to it
Let me know, yo, where we could do it like Stuart
Mind over matter, action is needed
When the big one not to be superseded
Responsibility is somethin' I can't deny
The illegalties is the nonsense reply
Most cats who scramble do so because they want to
But known to kick rhymes in the past on impromptu
My willy's hot like two links in the skillet
A room filled with speakers, one stage, watch me kill it
Knowledge should be sought from the cradle to the grave
Rhyming opposition get it twist like Super Dave
You be looking bug just like Uncle Jesse
Don't make the scene messy
'Cause it'll jump, that's word to Aunt Bessie
Profound sentences of pure lyric gems
Some of my friends be liking people with stems
Folks be on the chase for this cheddar
Thinkin' it makes your life better
But it can make you ass out
And when I'm at a show chicks never pass out
We got the joints to make the whole Mash Out out
A Tribe Called Quest make the party go down
Plus we bring positive vibes to fill up all your crowns
Lyrics comes to cats like a hot and cold flash
Some can come with ease, therefore, it's in a smash
Held the fort down like the Justice League hall of Super Friends
But in the world turmoil spins
Brothers walk the street with the ill pace face
City life breeds contempt for each race
All praises due to Allah and I should say it
It's The Abstract motivator making things clear
Puttin' things in perspective to rock and roll
'Cause you know this kid has got wild soul
Americana makes drama like starved-out piranha
Cold like ice, jet hot like a sauna
It's the haves verse the have-not
And guess who's arrived in the hood
Exposing all wrongs, it's all good
Ayo, word up, hip-hop is live like a wire
Let's get a little bit before the whole joint expire
I got to stress it again, this here is for my kin
And all my babies, children of the world, no maybe's
So, yo, we gotta move through and push through
Because we gotta make it happen, keep it true blue

It's like that
So much confusion goin' on
So much confusion goin' on
Inside all mine
Inside all mine
So much confusion goin' on
Uh, uh, uh, uh
But everything will be fine
So much confusion goin' on
So much confusion goin' on
Gotta make it alright
Gotta make it alright
Gotta elevate your mind
Elevate your mind
Elevate your mind
Elevate your mind
Elevate your mind
Elevate your mind
Elevate your mind

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.

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