Who are going to be the first acts?

We probably gonna put my man Jax out there. Then we have a female duo called Slick and Rose we are shopping for a deal for them now. Those are the two artists we are mainly working with right now.

With Tribe coming back together what do you think that is going to mean for hiphop?

I never really try to look at it like that but what I’ve been getting from supporters is that they really want it and that’s a good feeling. I’ve seen other groups get back together and nobody gave them the love that they deserved. With us I’m seeing something different for whatever reason. I just look at it as a blessing that we haven’t done anything as a unit in the past five years and people are treating it like they really need us.

I heard Jarobi is back for the reunion too. What exactly does he bring to the fold?

Jarobi is an original member. When we say he’s back that just means he’s back in the cipher. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be rhyming.

All of you guys have had your solo projects. Have you seen any differences with everybody bringing in their experiences from the past five years?

We’ve definitely grown as artists. There is a blessing and a curse to all of this. Nobody wants to hear Phife and Q-Tip all they want hear is tribe. I don’t think that should stop us from doing our solo thing though but at the same time we have to give the people what they want at the end of the day and that’s tribe. For me that’s the reason I want to do the tribe album. The other reason is that we still owe Jive one more album.

Yea I heard about that. I was thinking about your Ventilation LP and you called Jive out. Is that going to be a problem since you still have to work with them for at least one more album?

All artists have beef with their labels. All labels know its business. Not only that it’s funny how life works for the simple fact that Chris Lighty who used to be our manager at Violator is now the VP at Jive Records. We have a deeper relationship with him than most artists and their labels. Certain things go without saying with him and us, so I don’t see that as a problem.

One of the things I liked in one of your quotes is how you said it was easy for you guys to come back together because you were friends first and friends can always squash beef. Since you guys are cool again is this a new beginning for the group or just one album to get off of Jive?

I don’t think it will be one and done. We definitely want to do this album and maybe renegotiate with Jive. Jive is different right now then when we decided to break up. Maybe they won’t renegotiate with us but somebody will. Tribe will be here forever. Those five years were good for us to take off I don’t care what nobody says. I almost lost my dad in that whole World Trade jump off. I wasn’t thinking about rapping, tribe, or what everybody wanted. I knew eventually it would be something that needed to be done. Its not really a money thing with us even though I feel like my group missed out on a lot. We could have been making the money that this person or that person is making because we’re one of the most respected groups that ever did it. Not to pat my crew on the back but it is what it is. We work hard so I believe we deserve it and its blessing that people love tribe after all these years of not doing anything together. We need to take advantage of that and do what we can just to bring good music to the forefront again. Once you do it from the heart, everything else will follow. None of us has kids so it’s not like we starving or have child support.

I heard you was engaged what happened man?

Yea, I was. My ex lived in Oakland. She’s in a custody battle and I’ve known her child since he was two years old so that’s my boy right there. He still doesn’t know that we are not together anymore. We haven’t figured out a way to tell him that. We’re still very close it’s just that I can’t live in Oakland and think about my career and everything. I’m an east coast dude. Not to start no rivalry or anything. I like Oakland but I can’t see myself living there. Its small stuff with me. I’m watching Monday Night Football and its 6 o’clock out there. Its still daybreak that’s weird to me.

Haha

I couldn’t handle it. Not only that it’s like all my peoples are back east. My family is missing me like crazy and the biggest thing that pissed me off was the baby daddy drama. I don’t have a big ego but it’s too big to deal with that shit. But if she moved to Atlanta tomorrow, we back together with no problem.

No matter how incredible an album you guys do people are gonna say its not as good as Midnight Marauders or Low End Theory. That’s just the reality. Does knowing that affect your expectations of how the album will be received?

I really don’t know. I just hope it does really well. We could sell three million with this next LP and they will still be like I liked Midnight better. They have to understand Midnight came out ten years ago. We dropped that November of ’93 so it’s like can we breathe and do us now.

One joint you guys recorded, “ICU (Doin It),” has been circulating around. Does that song indicate the kind of sound the new album is gonna have?

Everybody says I need that Tribe sound and to be honest we don’t even know what that is. When we go into the studio and do something it’s a feel. It’s a vibe that just happens. A lot of producers want to submit beats for the next Tribe project and they always talk about I got the perfect Tribe record. How do you know that? Just give us your sound or your many different sounds and we’ll spit to what we want to spit to. I don’t think the producers should put pressure on themselves to want to do the Tribe sound because Tribe doesn’t even know what that is. As far as the sound of “ICU (Doin It)” maybe it will be like that. Maybe it will be like Low End Theory you never know. We just go off of a vibe and hopefully everybody will enjoy.

Have you ever peeped some of the beats submitted for the new album and be like I don’t know what the Tribe sound is but I can’t believe this cat thinks its this?

Yea I’ve heard some of the beats so far and I’m like ok that’s not it. Whatever you’re trying to accomplish that’s not it. Most people think I’m a critic and I’m bad but Tip is worse. When it comes to beats, he is like I’m not rhyming to that. People have to understand we have to rhyme to it at the end of the day so we have to be picky.

Pages: 1 2 3

Posted by Halftime on Wednesday, December 10th, 2003 and is filed under HIP HOP ICON SERIES.