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Go Ahead in the Rain

Notes to A Tribe Called Quest
Jun 19, 2019lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
"Can I kick it? Yes, you can." In the follow up to his acclaimed collection of essays (many about music), Hanif Abdurraqib writes a "love letter" to the seminal New York rap group A Tribe Called Quest. Formed in Queens in the 80s, they were a key force in what is often considered the genre's golden age and part of a loose collective called Native Tongues, which included other icons like De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, and Black Sleep. They released 5 albums in the 90s, many of them classics, before an acrimonious break up at the end of the decade. Q-Tip remained active and they occasionally reunited for shows but wouldn't release any new music until 2016. Their triumphant return was undermined by the untimely death of founding member Phife Dawg. All to say, there's a lot of drama to their story and there was already a documentary about them. Abdurraqib writes as a fan and offers an engaging snapshot of the era and Tribe's peers/contemporaries like Wu-Tang, Dr. Dre, and J Dilla. As in his previous book, Abdurraqib weaves in autobiographical elements and critical observations. Even the casual hip-hop fan will appreciate it.