By Cameren Brown, Courier Staff Writer
Hip Hop music and culture is one of the fastest changing in a midst of microgenres and fading trends. And in this seemingly endless pool of music, A Tribe Called Quest still knows how to “kick it” even in their final work, “We Got It From Here, Thank You for Your Service.”
Returning after a near 20 year rest, it’s almost as if they never left. This album doesn’t try anything too experimental– the same boom-bap beats and smooth samples still remain to make a thoughtful, provoking, and relaxing record.
If listened next to their other classics like “The Low End Theory” you’d hardly blink an eye, as consistency is one of their strong suits. But don’t confuse that with thinking they’re outdated– they bring a contemporary flavor by featuring artists like Kendrick Lamar, Anderson Paak, and Kanye West.
As usual, the song topics range from introspection to the perspectives of the current state of America in the streets of New York. Even the track opener, “Space Program”, hits hard on hot-button issues such as gentrification and the struggle over the Dakota Access Pipeline. Lyrics such as, “It always seems the poorest persons Are people forsaken, dawg // No Washingtons, Jeffersons, Jacksons on the captain’s log,” reflect on how the poor are always seemingly left out of society, or in the case of the pipeline, even pushed out of the way of developmental programs and the general advancement of comfortable living in the United States.
Other songs like “The Donald” touch upon more personal topics such as the passing of member Malik Izaak Taylor, “Phife Dawg”, who died back in March of this year.
The success of this album proves the growing notion amongst the Hip Hop community that Rap and Hip Hop is a young person’s game wrong. For new and old fans of the genre, A Tribe Called Quest’s new set of tracks should be an essential on any favorites list.
