A Tribe Called Quest

Released: November 9, 1993

Featuring: Busta Rhymes

Songwriter: Ali Shaheed Muhammad Phife Dawg Q-Tip

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest

[Verse 1: Q-Tip]
Listen up, everybody, the bottom line
I'm a black intellect, but unrefined
With precision like a bullet, target bound
Just living like a hooker, the harlot sounds
Now when I say the harlot, you know I mean the hot
Heat of the equator, the broth that's in the pot
Jalick, Jalick ya wind up ya hip
Drafting of the poets, I'm the #7 pick
Licks, licks, licks, boy, 'pon your backside
Licks, licks, licks, boy, 'pon your backside
Listen to the fader, Shaheed lets it glide
Tip the earthly body, heaven's on my side
Even in Santo Domingo when I got a Gringo
We got mics, when do we go?
Know a little nigga who can rhyme when you ask me
Short, dark, and plus his voice is raspy

[Verse 2: Phife Dawg]
1 for the treble, 2 for the bass
You know the style, Tip, it's time to flip this
I like my beats hard like two day old shit
Steady eating booty MCs like cheese grits
My man Al B. Sure, he's in effect mode
Used to have a crush on Dawn from En Vogue
It's not like honey dip would wanna get with me
But just in case, I own more condoms than T.L.C
Now the formula is this: Me, Tip, and Ali
For those who can't count, it goes 1-2-3
The anti-batty boy, big up is who I be
Brothers find this hard to do but never me
Some brothers try to diss but Malik, you see 'em bitching
Me no care about them dibby MC, my shit is hitting
Trini gladiator, anti-hesitater
Shaheed push the fader from here to Grenada
Mr Energetic, who me sound pathetic?
When's the last time you heard a funky diabetic?
(I don't know, man, I don't know, man, I don't know, man)
(I don't know, I don't know)

[Hook x8: Busta Rhymes]
Oh my God! Yes, oh my God!

[Verse 3: Q-Tip]
Complementary are we, the three for poetry
I got a humdinger coming hook, line and sinker
The Timbo hoofs with the prints on the ground
Timbos on the toes, I like the way it's going down
Down like a lady of the evening
When it goes in Toots, just believe it's in
'Cause Queens is the county, Jamaica is the place
Take off your cleats 'cause you can't run the race

[Hook x8: Busta Rhymes]
Oh my God! Yes, oh my God!

[Outro]
The title MC means Master of Ceremony
Some people who MC don't know what this term means

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

more tracks from the album

Oh My God (Single)

From the albums

Midnight Marauders (1993)
Oh My God (Single) (1994)

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