A Tribe Called Quest concludes its just over three-decades long lifespan with a prophetic hip-hop masterpiece that comments on the state of racial tension in this nation — even before the group knew of the results of Tuesday’s election and the ensuing uneasiness many people of color now feel.
Filled with quirky and occasionally psychedelic samples, We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service brings together a battalion of artists to help communicate those insights and revelations, featuring long-time collaborators Busta Rhymes and Consequence heavily. And simplistic beats during verses help the listener focus on the messages those rappers espouse throughout the album.
The theme of racial inequality is found throughout the album, starting out with the first track “The Space Program.” The chorus identifies the issues black people face when trying to succeed in the society that they are stuck in, comparing the struggle to trying to reach the cosmos without the support of a space program.
“There ain’t a space program for n—-s,” Q-Tip and Jarobi rap, while in the background a sample belts out “move on to the stars.”
“Killing Season,” opens up with a similar tone, when Talib Kweli’s first lines are “Winter in America, never knew white Christmas.” This line seems to talk about white Christmas as a racial term for the innocence and magic that white families, specifically children, can live with during the holiday season, shielded from the ugly realities of the world.
“I swear it’s the killing season/ ‘Cause killin’ is still in season,” Consequence raps in the song’s second verse, commenting on the death of young black Americans today and linking it to the past history of racially-charged violence.
Released on Veteran’s Day, this album is about the war that black people fight every day against unseen forces that shape their lives like racism — both overt and subconscious — as well as gentrification, income and education inequality and so many others. It also thanks those who came before them for their service in fighting for their rights, and proudly places the burden of moving forward squarely on the shoulders of the modern generation of activists.
References to racial injustice and expressions of what it is like to live as a black American are so densely packed into this album that countless allusions will go unmentioned in this review, but each deserves careful consideration from the audience. There are many subtleties sure to go unnoticed on a first listen.
We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service‘s shining moments include “Solid Wall of Sound,” featuring Elton John’s powerful vocals, “Dis Generation,” a crash-course in how to pass the mic throughout a verse, and “Ego,” which explores all the ways that ego comes into play throughout people’s lives.
The music industry is over-saturated with songs created with the same level of care and staying power as a Chipotle order, but A Tribe Called Quest champions depth in this latest album, with a profound expression of the life of Black Americans reminding us that rap is truly spoken poetry and an artistic look into struggles that many people know nothing about.
While you’re listening to this jewel of jazzy hip-hop, remember this album was the late Phife Dawg’s final gift to the Earth before he passed away; his death is a measure of how much time has passed since hip-hop’s golden generation.
These rappers have seen the country evolve. They’ve cataloged their thoughts with their music, so their perspective on our racially stratified society could not come at a better time. The country is currently searching for a national identity, and the only way it can do that is by understanding other’s perspectives that differ from our own.
Phife Dawg didn’t know our country would be in its current tumultuous state when he was recording the album in 2015. He didn’t know stereotypes, once dormant at the back of everyone’s minds, would be ruling the population’s collective psyche. But if he had known, I like to think that he would see this album for what it is: The exposure to unfamiliar cultures we all need, bound together by the musical acumen of hip-hop veterans.
3.5/4 Shells
