Phife Dawg Speculates On A Tribe Called Quest Reunion Album
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Five Foot Assassin and documentary film director Michael Rapaport talk about
whether the Tribe will fulfill the album contract with Jive.
This past summer, the legendary Queens crew A Tribe Called Quest was thrust
to the forefront of Hip Hop with the controversy over Michael Rapaport’s
award-winning film Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called
Quest. Now, Rapaport and the Tribe’s own Phife Dawg discuss another
issue plaguing the group’s legions of fans: whether Tribe will ever
reunite for another LP.
In a recent interview with Hard Knock TV, the Five Foot Assassin addressed
whether he, Q-Tip, Jarobi and Ali Shaheed Muhammad would ever join forces
again to fulfill the final album of their contract with Jive Records. Although
Phife couldn’t say whether the group would reform for a new project,
he did indicate that he and Tip have mended their relationship, which he believes
is the first step in the process to a full-fledged reunion.
“I don’t know man, I really don’t know the answer to [whether
Tribe will reunite],” said Phife Diggy. “I know we’re friends
at the end of the day, and Q-Tip and I definitely mended our friendship, so
that’s the start. You’ve got to start off with that, ‘cus
if we’re not cool and we force ourselves to do a so-called album that
we owe the record label [Jive]…it will leak into the music and our fans
are going to be disappointed. I’d rather not do it if we’re going
to disappoint our fans. But if it’s all seriousness to it and we can
get the job done, then let’s do it.”
Rapaport also discussed whether he thought the Tribe would record a new album
in the near future. Like Phife, the actor and director said it "s impossible
to tell whether the four members will ever hit the studio for one more LP.
However, he added that if they ever did decide to release a new LP, he’d
be first in line to purchase it.
“That’s the reason I made the movie. I don’t know if they’re
going to make more music [together], I know that they can,” Rappaport
explained. “I think that…their relationship has to be intact in
order to make the music [we the fans] expect. The level of anticipation would
be so high. I think it’d be exciting for music fans, I think it’d
be exciting or Hip Hop. Will they do it? I have no idea…I’m done
trying to figure it out. I loved being apart of this movie, and if they do
make an album I’ll be the first one to buy it.”