Photo: WENN
A Tribe Called Quest are set to reunite on The Tonight Show. The live performance will coincide with the re-release of their landmark 1990 debut, Peoples' Instinctive Travels And The Paths of Rhythm, also out tomorrow. It’s the first release of a planned slew of classic ATCQ albums, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
The special edition features remixes by Pharrell, J. Cole, and Cee-Lo. Speaking about their debut, band leader Q-Tip said in a statement: "I had this album in my head for years before I did it. Looking at it overall, to see the thoughts of a 16-year-old gain any kind of acknowledgement makes me feel like I have arrived. But to see it in this incarnation, I'm humbled."
Formed in 1988, A Tribe Called Quest became one of hip-hop's most successful and influential groups, with songs such as 'Can I Kick It?', 'Scenario', 'Award Tour', Check The Rhyme', 'Bonita Applebum' and 'Electric Relaxation'. Their albums Peoples' Instinctive Travels And The Paths of Rhythm, The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders are regarded as hip-hop classics.
Along with De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest were at the vanguard of the hip-hop alternative to hardcore and gangsta rap. Their songs abandoned the genre’s traditional tropes of macho posturing, focussing instead on philosophy and issues such as date rape and black consciousness.
They first split – rather acrimoniously - in 1998, but have reunited several times since.
The seminal hip-hop collective announced their retirement from music following their 2013 shows supporting Kanye West on his Yeezus US tour.
