A Tribe Called Quest is a critically acclaimed and highly-influential American hip-hop group, formed in 1988. The group is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip (Kamal Fareed), rapper Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor), and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but occasionally tours with the group. Along with De La Soul, the group was a central part of the Native Tongues Posse, and enjoyed the most commercial success out of all the groups to emerge from that collective.
They released five albums in ten years, the first three of which were very highly acclaimed, and disbanded in 1998. In 2006, the group reunited and toured the US and plan to release an album after some works in the studio. The group is generally regarded as pioneers of alternative rap music, having helped to pave the way for socially aware hip-hop artists.

Biography
Q-Tip and Phife had grown up together in Queens, and met Muhammad in high school. The group's name was coined in 1988 by the Jungle Brothers, who attended the same high school as the trio and only going gold six years after it's release.

1988 - 1990: Formation and People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
The group's second album, The Low End Theory (1991) was a massive artistic success, appearing on several "best of the year" lists. Their lyrics focused on a range of social issues, from date rape to consumerism. Musically, the group helped pioneer the jazz rap style (along with groups such as Gang Starr and De La Soul). The Low End Theory is considered by many to be one of the most important hip-hop albums to date. It was followed by another commercial success, Midnight Marauders (1993). Though not necessarily as groundbreaking or critically acclaimed as its predecessors, the album has a devoted following, and is thought by some to be the group's best work.

1991 - 1993: The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders
Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996) and The Love Movement (1998), the group's final two albums, featured production by The Ummah and were less well-received than their predecessors. Following The Love Movement, the group disbanded. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg went on to pursue solo careers, while Muhammad founded the R&B group Lucy Pearl

1996 - 1998: Beats, Rhymes and Life and The Love Movement
In 2006, the group reunited and performed several sold-out concerts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. A Tribe Called Quest was a co-headliner at the 2006 Bumbershoot festival in Seattle, but have not announced any plans to release a new album. The group is also appearing in 2K Sports' Bounce Tour promoting the NBA 2K7 game and remix of their song, "Lyrics to Go", which is included in the game. According to Phife, ATCQ plans to release an album since they owe Jive Records one more in their six album contract. The date of its release is still unknown, Phife asks that all the fans hold on because they do not wish to release an LP which might damage their reputation.

2006: Reunion

Discography

Released: April 17, 1990
Billboard 200 chart position: #91
R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #23
Singles: "Bonita Applebum", "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo", "Can I Kick It?"
RIAA Certification: Gold
Released: September 24, 1991
Billboard 200 chart position: #45
R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #13
Singles: "Check the Rhime", "Jazz (We've Got)", "Scenario"
RIAA Certification: Platinum
Released: November 9, 1993
Billboard 200 chart position: #8
R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #1
Singles: "Award Tour", "Electric Relaxation", "Oh My God"
RIAA Certification: Platinum
Released: July 30, 1996
Billboard 200 chart position: #1
R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #1
Singles: "1nce Again", "Stressed Out"
RIAA Certification: Platinum
Released: September 29, 1998
Billboard 200 chart position: #3
R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #3
Singles: "Find a Way", "Like It Like That"
RIAA Certification: Gold