A Tribe Called Quest

A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest perform in 2009. (Left to right: Jarobi White, Q-Tip, Phife Dawg)
Background information
Origin	St. Albans, Queens, New York, United States
Genres	Hip hop, alternative hip hop, jazz rap
Years active	1985–1998 2006–2013 2015–present
Labels	Jive, Epic
Associated acts	De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Leaders of the New School, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, J Dilla, Busta Rhymes, Consequence, Raphael Saadiq, D'Angelo, Mint Condition, Black Sheep, Beastie Boys, The Pharcyde, Large Professor
Website	http://atribecalledquest.com/
Members	Q-Tip Ali Shaheed Muhammad Jarobi White
Past members	Phife Dawg (deceased)

A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip-hop group formed in 1985 and originally composed of MC and producer Q-Tip, the late MC Phife Dawg and DJ and producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, MC Jarobi White, left the group in 1991 after the release of their debut album. He continued to contribute to the band sporadically before rejoining for their 2006 reunion. Along with De La Soul, the group was a central part of the Native Tongues, and enjoyed the most commercial success out of all the groups to emerge from that collective. Many of their songs, such as "Bonita Applebum", "Can I Kick It?", "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo", "Scenario", "Check the Rhime", "Jazz (We've Got)", "Award Tour" and "Electric Relaxation" are considered classics. The group released six albums between 1990 and 2016. The band broke up in 1998 after releasing their fifth album. In 2006, the group reunited and toured the United States, and in 2016, they released their sixth album.

The group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip-hop music, having helped to pave the way for many innovative artists. John Bush of AllMusic called them "the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s," while the editors of About.com ranked them number four on their list of the "25 Best Rap Groups of All Time". In 2005, A Tribe Called Quest received a Special Achievement Award at the Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta. In 2007, the group was formally honored at the 4th VH1 Hip-Hop Honors.