Crate Diggin’: A Tribe Called Quest
I woke up Saturday and started listening to a new audiobook: Go Ahead in the Rain by Hanif Abdurraqib. The book is Hanif’s dedication to the seminal rap group A Tribe Called Quest, who was apparently a big part of his musical upbringing.
I’m still in the middle of chapter 1, so a proper book review is forthcoming. But Hanif writes with passion—he’s a poet, after all—within the larger, historical context of how this thing called Rhythm came over to America on slave ships, and eventually took hold of the culture. Could that be part of the inspiration for ATCQ’s first album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm? Admittedly, I was not a big follower of ATCQ back when this album came out in 1990, but the context of Hanif’s book has provided a ripe opportunity to do a deeper dive…
There was a time when hip-hop music was nothing but bravado and testosterone. People “spittin’ hard rhymes” apparently to show how much tougher they were than the next guy with a mic. I was never the most hardcore listener of rap, and that was part of why. Simply put, the whole bravado thing was never really my cup of tea.
Then around 1990, a new rap collective emerged, called Native Tongues. It included Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, and Monie Love. These were the new “flower children” of rap, whose music was more lighthearted, even funny, kinda jazzy, and promoted a message of peace and unity. Native Tongues inspired artists such as Busta Rhymes, Common, The Roots, Mos Def, The Pharcyde, etc. These artists became part of a larger movement that went on to include “alternative rap”acts like P.M. Dawn, Digable Planets, and Digital Underground. Native Tongues proved you didn’t have to be a tough guy to create or enjoy rap music. And the movement they inspired became the thing that awkward folks like me needed to feel connected to hip-hop.
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is hailed as one of the most loved and influential records in hip-hop. After listening the the opening of Hanif’s book on Saturday morning, I set about compiling a playlist of favorite rap songs from that era—or just had that light, fun vibe to them. If you’re a Spotify listener, check it out and enjoy!
More rabbit holes to chase…
Hanif Abdurraqib is is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic. He is the author of 2016 poetry collection The Crown Ain't Worth Much (published as Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib); 2017 essay collection They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us; the 2019 non-fiction book Go Ahead in the Rain, on the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest; and the 2019 poetry collection A Fortune For Your Disaster. Website: www.abdurraqib.com. Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanif_Abdurraqib.