Go Ahead in the Rain

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest
TitleGo Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest
Publication TypeBook
Year of Publication2019
AuthorAbdurraqib, Hanif
Edition1st
Number of Pages216
PublisherUniversity of Texas Press
CityAustin, TX
Publication LanguageEnglish
ISBN or ASIN Number1477316485
KeywordsA Tribe Called Quest, Hip Hop, jazz, rap
Copies at the Archive3

Abdurraqib traces the Tribe's creative career, from their early days as part of the Afrocentric rap collective known as the Native Tongues, through their first three classic albums, to their eventual breakup and long hiatus. Their work is placed in the context of the broader rap landscape of the 1990s, one upended by sampling laws that forced a reinvention in production methods, the East Coast–West Coast rivalry that threatened to destroy the genre, and some record labels’ shift from focusing on groups to individual MCs. Throughout the narrative Abdurraqib connects the music and cultural history to their street-level impact. Whether he’s remembering The Source magazine cover announcing the Tribe’s 1998 breakup or writing personal letters to the group after bandmate Phife Dawg’s death, Abdurraqib seeks the deeper truths of A Tribe Called Quest; truths that—like the low end, the bass—are not simply heard in the head, but felt in the chest.