In the eyes of music lover, yesterday (October 19), the 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony made good on several past snubs. In the realm of pop, that was Cher finally being welcomed into the pristine club. But for hip-hop that was undoubtedly A Tribe Called Quest’s induction.
Despite being eligible since 2015, the legendary rap group is only just now making into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. However, that didn’t stop two of its members (Q-Tip and Jarobi White) from cheerfully celebrating the milestone.
White dedicated a part of his speech (viewable here) to honor Phife Dawg who tragically died in 2016. “I don’t I don’t have any stories,” he said. “All I have is gratitude. What I’m saying thank you. Thank you. Tribe fans everywhere, we wouldn’t be nothing without you. Ali Shaheed, I love you, boy. Wish you was here. Let me give it up right quick. Give it up for Phife’s mom and dad right here.”
Late member Phife Dawg’s parents looked on in pride as the crowd and musicians paid their respects. In his place, the sister of Ali Shaheed Muhammad (who was not in attendance) stood in for the honor.
Q-Tip took a moment to subtly acknowledge why A Tribe Called Quest’s induction was so deserved. “To the latter, it has been the terrain for many of us to do Whoppers and Hip-Hoppers, and yes, to all of you pseudo-historians who might be confused about the corner opera in the corner hip hop is saying and rap the blues,” he said. “And what’s more rock and roll than the blues? But just like our predecessors, we had to find spaces on the outskirts of cities and towns, from a southern sun house off Robert Johnson Crossroads to a transformed room in a hood tenement on Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. The need to express burns in us with an art-fueled determination. A spark. The spark that embers within many of us in this room, and the spark that burned within the four of us boys in 1985 in New York City.”
While A Tribe Called Quest’s honoree performance (viewable here) featured an all-star lineup of Queen Latifah (“Can I Kick It?”), De La Soul’s Pos and The Roots’ Black Thought (“Check the Rime”), Common (“Bonita Applebum”), and Busta Rhymes (“Scenario”) which was all backed by The Roots.
The 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame streamed live on Disney+, but a special featuring the evening’s performances will air on ABC on Jan. 1. Then it will be available for viewing on Hulu. Find more information here.