The legendary hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest has certainly faced a lot of challenges between the mid-90's and today, including the tragedy of losing one of rap's greatest MC's, Phife-Dawg, to diabetes last year. Phife, fellow rapper Q-tip, DJ Ali-Shaheed Mohammed, and sometimes-collaborator Jarobi burst onto the scene in 1989 and quickly carved a niche for themselves that was all theirs, mixing big basslines, jazz samples, and virtuoso rhymes that strayed from the gangsta content that was popular at the time. The list of rappers they have been a huge influence on is a mile long. Trouble came in the mid-90's however, in the form of a feud between Phife and Tip that eventually broke the group up. Nearly 20 years later, though, the group surprised everyone, as Q-Tip and Phife began meeting up and recording what would become the 2016 album We Got It From Here...Thank You For Your Service.

What could've been a reunion became a dedication, however, when Phife passed away in early 2016, prior to the album's release. Devastated by the loss of his best friend, Q-Tip channelled his emotions into finishing the album with his co-members, friends, and collaborators. The result was a master work that both delivered what made Tribe great and, at the same time, broke new ground. Most notably, the group brought a a political side that was absent on earlier records, best exemplified by "We the People", the anti-Trump, Black Lives Matter super-track that has become a rallying cry in the Trump era for equality and inclusivity. The performance of the song at the Grammys featured an impassioned speech from long-time collaborator Busta Rhymes, who called Trump out on his racist policies, giving Trump a new nickname - "President Agent Orange". Following his impassioned, improvised speech, Tribe and friends (including featured guest and Grammy-nominee Anderson Paak) burst through a wall, with Q-Tip holding the hand of a Muslim woman with a hijab. The performance ended with Q-Tip crying out "Resist! Resist! Resist!".

Though the group maintains that this comeback album will be their last, what a huge comback it has been - a voice of the times and a fitting tribute to Phife, capturing his last recorded verses. Thank YOU for your service, Tribe.