A Tribe Called Quest was a pioneer hip-hop ensemble formed in St. Albans, Queens, New York, in 1985. It comprised rapper and principal producer Q-Tipis also known as Kamaal Ibn John Fareed who was born Jonathan William Davis on April 10, 1970; rapper Phife Dawg who was born Malik Izaak Taylor on November 20, 1970; DJ and joint-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad who was born on August 11, 1970; and rapper Jarobi White who was born on July 1, 1971.
During the 1990s, A Tribe Called Quest had a string of hits that included the singles โCan I Kick Itโ from their debut album Peopleโs Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. It peaked at no. 15 UK, followed by โI Left My Wallet In El Segundoโ from the same collection that peaked at no. 86 UK and two singles from the sophomore album The Low-End Theory. โCheck the Rhime,โ reached no. 59 R&B in 1991 and โScenarioโ in 1992 reached no. 42 R&B and no. 57 Billboard Hot 100. In 1993, โAward Tourโ from Midnight Marauders reached no. 27 on both the Dance and R&B chart and no. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also, charting from the same album was โElectric Relaxation (Relax Yourself Girl).โ In 1994, it reached no. 38 R&B and no 65 US. The collection also included โOh My God,โ which made it to no. 68 UK, no. 69 R&B, and no. 102 Billboard Hot 100. The Love Movement album also released in 1994 included the singles, โFind a Way / Steppinโ It Upโ reached no.41 UK. Later that year, 1994, the ensemble won The Source Awards for โGroup of the Year.โ
In 1998, the group disbanded briefly to pursue solo careers but remains connected. In 2005, A Tribe Called Quest released again the single โCan I Kick It?โ that peaked at no. 194 UK. In addition, the group won the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awardsโ โFounders Awardโ in 1998.
While the group has been nominated four times for a Grammy Award, in 2012 at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, it was finally recognized for โBest Long Form Music Videoโ for the song โBeats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.โ
In 2016, the group released its final album, We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service. The singles from the album, โThe Space Programโ reached no. 102 R&B and no. 125 US Pop Chart, and โWe the Peopleโฆโ reached no. 31 R&B and no. 77 US Pop Chart.
Malik (Phife Dawg) Izaak Taylor died suddenly on March 22, 2016. One year later A Tribe Called Quest received the 2017 Brit Awards for International Group in London, England. Soon afterwards the group permanently disbanded in 2017 in East Lulworth, Dorset, United Kingdom.
