While many were disappointed in Q-Tip's lack of material on G.O.O.D. Music's Cruel Summer compilation, they can now expect some new material from Q next year. Not only is the rapper-producer delivering a new album The Last Zulu in 2014, he's hinting that a tribe reunion will take place on the project.
Q, who just performed at SXSW with his fellow Tribe Called Quest members, said of the record, "It's a concept album, kinda... The beats are gonna be hard. It's gonna be traditional, like, Zulu beats... old school Africa Islam tapes, with the drum breaks and shit like that. It's just got a good drive to it. I'm really excited about it." He then mentioned that he would like to get Tribe back together on a track, saying, "hopefully Phife Dog and Ali Shaheed Muhammed will make an appearance on it, and Jarobi (White)."
White himself was pretty impressed with what he had heard of the album thus far, noting that, "I heard some of the tracks, and they are f-i-i-i-i-ne!"
Apart from the new project, Q is "doing a lot of production, working with Mariah Carey, I have a couple songs with her and D'Angelo and John Legend. So those are coming." Leaning into Muhammed, Q-Tip also said that, "I'm gonna DJ with my partner here, hopefully, if I can coerce him, 'cause he's doing joints over there in Brooklyn and I'm doing the city, so hopefully we can collide and do some stuff."
On Tribe's recent performance, White said, "We make fun out of any situation. We love performing, and you can call us say you need us in Johannesburg tomorrow, and we'll do it. White added that, "For me it's kinda hard to perform sometimes, 'cause I get wrapped up in, like, watching these guys...I'm a fan of our music, too, just hearing our music and the songs on the big speakers. It's just a rush."
View the full interview with A Tribe Called Quest Below.