A Tribe Called Quest became the latest hip-hop artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor that speaks to their enduring and resonant impact across the music world. The heartening tribute to the iconic group took place Saturday (October 19) in Cleveland, Ohio, kicked off by a speech from Dave Chappelle speaking to the ground that Tribe paved for so much greatness in the art form, and the greatness that they themselves displayed throughout their journey. Via a video montage, André 3000, Mike D, Pharrell, Questlove, and more praised the New York quartet for their contributions to the culture.
"What’s more rock and roll than the blues?" Q-Tip expressed in his acceptance speech, joined onstage by Tribe groupmate Jarobi White and late member Phife Dawg's parents. Ali Shaheed Muhammad did not attend. "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," Tip continued. "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."
Read More: A Tribe Called Quest: Where Are They Now?
A Tribe Called Quest's Induction Ceremony For The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
Following A Tribe Called Quest's acceptance speech, a musical medley performance of some of their standout tracks followed. Queen Latifah opened with "Can I Kick It?" and Black Thought and Posdnous of De La Soul followed with "Check The Rhime." Common then performed "Bonita Applebum." Busta Rhymes fused the original and remixed versions of his Tribe collab with Leaders of the New School, "Scenario."
As for other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees this year, they include Kool & The Gang, Mary J. Blige, Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, and Dave Matthews Band. Given just how much A Tribe Called Quest is a monumental chapter of hip-hop's history, this historic recognition runs deep. They are truly some of the best to ever do it.
