A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in St. Albans, Queens in 1985 by Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White, pioneers of alternative hip hop and jazz rap. The Low End Theory (1991) is the landmark — start there, then let Midnight Marauders (1993) pull you deeper. Shop A Tribe Called Quest original pressings, reissues, and box sets at Wax Trax Records.
A Tribe Called Quest formed in St. Albans, Queens in 1985, initially under the name Quest, when high school friends Q-Tip (Jonathan Davis, later Kamaal Ibn John Fareed) and Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor) began rapping together. They were joined by DJ and producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad and rapper Jarobi White. The group was renamed by the Jungle Brothers and became a central act in the Native Tongues collective alongside De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers, and Queen Latifah. They signed with Jive Records in 1989. Phife Dawg died of diabetes-related complications on March 22, 2016, before completion of the group's final album.
A Tribe Called Quest are widely credited with helping define alternative hip-hop and popularizing the practice of incorporating jazz samples and live jazz feel into hip-hop production. Their work combined Q-Tip's abstract, melodic flow with Phife Dawg's punchy, energetic verses, layered over jazz-inflected production. The group's aesthetic emphasized social consciousness, humor, and introspection in contrast to the harder gangsta rap dominant in the early 1990s.
Original Jive pressings of The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders are among the most sought-after of their releases. Multiple anniversary reissues and box sets have been released, including expanded vinyl editions of the first three albums.
Listeners new to A Tribe Called Quest typically start with The Low End Theory (1991), widely regarded as the group's defining work. Midnight Marauders (1993) is a common second entry point.
