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As I suppose is the case with many hip hop heads who came of age during the late 80's and early 90's, it would be hard for me to overstate the love I have for A Tribe Called Quest. I picked up a copy of the Low End Theory when I was in middle school, and not a week has gone by since then that I haven't listened to at least one song off of the album. Some blogger, whose name escapes me at the moment, once referred to the group as "hip hop's version of The Beatles." Now, I can't say that I've spent much time listening to The Beatles - other than a brief phase shortly following the release of Danger Mouse's Grey Album - but that comparison seems rather apt. I would be hard pressed to name any other group in the genre as successful at creating music that is accessible to even the most casual listener while still remaining true to the roots of hip hop.
With that said, it's somewhat surprising to see how little influence Tribe has had on the current generation of rappers. On occasion I've seen a few writers refer to Kanye as a step forward in the evolution of the type of hip hop that they embodied - a statement that I would label debatable at best, but even conceding that, in today's mainstream version of hip hop there's little trace to be found of the jazz-inspired production or lighthearted, yet socially aware, lyrics that made the group so successful. Most rappers won't come out and publicly dismiss Tribe's influence as blatantly as Lupe Fiasco has - not once, but twice - but if they are finding any inspiration from the hip hop of the early 90's, it's more likely to be from the lyrics of, say, Kool G. Rap or N.W.A. than from Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. I was intrigued, then, to hear that up-and-coming emcee Daytona (featured on this site a couple of years ago, in one of the many posts that have been lost due to webhosting problems - what's good Brinkster) had recently teamed up with DJ Cipha Sounds to put together a mixtape, A Tribe Called Fresh, that paid tribute to the group.
To fully appreciate this mixtape, it's best not to head into your listening experience expecting to hear a significant reinterpretation of the classics from Tip and Phife, as you'll only be setting yourself up for a letdown. And in the sample-free, ringtone targeted world of hip hop in 2008, it's unrealistic to expect any artist to recapture what Tribe brought to hip hop in the early 90's anyway. Better to think of this as something along the lines of the In The Beginning...There Was Rap compilation, in which groups like Def Squad rapped over the beat from Rapper's Delight, sprinkling in a few lyrical nods to the artists that they were referencing among their own rhymes but never really attempting to create a thematic continuation of the earlier version. None of Daytona's verses will cause you to see Tribe's original work in a new light, but that doesn't really seem to be the point here.
From a cynic's point of view, A Tribe Called Fresh can be seen as Daytona's attempt to get some publicity by appealing to the sense of nostalgia among the 70's and early-80's babies. In his defense, however, he does seem to genuinely be a fan of the group, and is certainly familiar enough with the original songs that it never sounds forced. And while it's unlikely that you'll be reciting his rhymes on A Tribe Called Fresh twenty years from now - the way that, if I said "Ay yo, Bo knows this, and Bo knows that, but Bo don't know jack" virtually any fan of hip hop would be able to finish the line - he's a fairly capable emcee, delivering some well thought out lines. At the end of the day, though, the best thing about this mixtape is the fact that it's a great excuse to listen to some classic Tribe Called Quest beats. Most of the iconic beats are here - with the original Scenario and Left My Wallet in El Segundo being notable omissions (and, coincidentally, two of the greatest hip hop videos ever) - and if you're anything like me, you'll find yourself digging up the original albums shortly after listening to Daytona's versions.
I'm putting up my two favorite tracks from A Tribe Called Fresh. The first one features my all time favorite beat from Tribe, Vibes and Stuff, with Daytona calling out everyone from the "Elmer Fudd-fitted size 8 1/2 Yankees" hat wearing fake thugs to the tight pants wearing hip(hop)sters:
Daytona - Ten Fresh Commandments
The second track features a guest appearance from mixtape legend Doo Wop over the beat from Award Tour:
Daytona and DJ Doo Woop - Bronx Tour
Daytona also put together a video for one of the tracks from the mixtape, Lyrics 2 Go, featuring Joell Ortiz and Kardinal Offishal:
Daytona featuring Joell Ortiz and Kardinal Offishal - Lyrics 2 Go
To download the full mixtape, here's a sendspace link.
For more from Daytona, check out his MySpace page. Cipha Sounds has his own blog, so check that out, too.
6/2/2007 07:10:01 PM posted by Fresh