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Twenty years ago, A Tribe Called Quest dropped their groundbreaking sophomore album The Low End Theory. To mark the anniversary, the four members of Tribe -– Kamaal "Q-Tip" Ibn John Fareed, Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor, Ali Shaheed Muhammed and Jarobi White –- gave an exclusive interview to VH1 for its two part "VH1 Album-Versaries: The Low End Theory at 20." It's the first time since 1998 that all four members have granted a joint interview.
From discussing the making of the album at Battery Studios to addressing recent controversies that stemmed from the documentary "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which touched on a scuffle between MCs Phife and Q-Tip, the interview is a definitive peek into the album that helped shape hip-hop's landscape. And if there was any recent beef, it now seems their rapport is as strong off-album as on.
When reflecting on time spent at the studio, there's friendly banter: “The snares used to spank so hard in Battery, it used to hurt my teeth,” confesses Shaheed. “The bass was just so aggressive.” Interjecting with laughter, Tip agrees: “Ali definitely blew some speakers in there, a lot!"
There's additional video interviews from MTV's Sway, author Nelson George and journalist Boss Lady, who all give context to Tribe Called Quests' influence and game-changing album. "I think Tribe Called Quest was always what hip-hop was meant to be -- the ability to just be yourself unapologetically," says Sway. He adds, "At the time hip-hop was regionalized and everybody was pigeonholed, which hurt rap... They expressed themselves in a way that had no regional boundaries, no geographic boundaries."
+ Check out VH1 Album-Versaries: The Low End Theory at 20 Part 1 and VH1 Album-Versaries: The Low End Theory at 20 Part 2.