WRT 205: Hip Hop America: A Critical Inquiry
             "A Tribe's Travels Through the Path's of Rhythm"
             "Watch me bust they sh*t" , and that's just what A Tribe called Quest did, emerging onto the Hip Hop scene with a new flavor and attitude never before seen in a genre primarily dominated by gangster rap. Comprised of Q-Tip, Sharobi, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Phife, The tribe debuted in 1989, releasing the album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm one year later. Throughout the 90s, the group evolved into, without a doubt, one of the most articulate Hip Hop groups. They address a variety of issues from date rape to the trials and tribulations of the rap industry before their break up in 1998, after the release of their album The Love Movement. As trendsetters they created a style of Jazz-Hop that inspired a number of artists that followed such as Arrested Development and Mos Def. One of the later albums, Beats, Rhymes and Life employs a different cover style, a different group logo, and the addition of group member Consequence, making it obvious that the mus!
             ic might also move to a different beat. Musically, the main difference between this album and the others are the beats and background music. "Although worth buying and necessary for the progression of the group's success," (Bush) the album does not highlight the same ideas, or musically reflect what the first album and the original group stood for. If the group had stuck to the ideals depicted in their first album they would still be traveling on their paths of rhythm today.
             "Push It Along" is the first track off the debut album. It sets the stage for the Tribe, and the soon to be famous rappers Q-tip and Pheife, to introduce themselves to the world in a burst of mellow jazzmatic rhymes and rhythms. The song addresses the world's attitude towards the African American male, the effects ...