Native Tongues


The Native Tongues is a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and later jazz-influenced beats. Its principal members are the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest. The collective was also closely tied to the Universal Zulu Nation.

History

The New York City-based Native Tongues crew was a collective of like-minded hip hop artists who would help bring abstract and open-minded lyricism that addressed a range of topics—from spirituality and modern living to race, sex, and just having fun—to the mainstream. Together with the use of eclectic samples that would take on an increasingly jazzy sound, they would be pioneers of so-called conscious hip hop, alternative hip hop, and jazz rap.
De La Soul's Trugoy the Dove recalled: "The Native Tongues came about where, basically, we had a show together in Boston. , Jungle and we linked from there. We had a natural love for the art and a natural love for each other on how we put stuff together. So we invited to a session, and when they hooked up with us, we happened to be doing "Buddy." It wasn't business; it wasn't for a check. It was just trading ideas and just seeing what you're doing. Bottom line, it was just having fun."
According to Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest: "I remember Afrika Baby Bam|Afrika called me that night, like, two in the morning. "Yo these kids, De La Soul, you gotta meet ’em! I swear we're just alike!" I went there, met them, and it was just fuckin' love at first sight. It was disgusting. In hip hop, it praises individualism. I think that's the main achievement of the Native Tongues. It just showed people could come together."
Fostered by Kool DJ Red Alert, the success of the Jungle Brothers would pave the way for De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest; together, these three groups would form the core of the crew and continue the spirit of Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation. By 1989 they had been joined by Queen Latifah and the United Kingdom's Monie Love, and soon by the Black Sheep & Chi-Ali. Collectively, the members of the Native Tongues had a huge effect on the style and trends of hip hop during its most important period, the golden age of the late 1980s–early 1990s. A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul's albums of this time are considered among the best and most important in the hip hop genre.
The song "Scenario" was the final track on A Tribe Called Quest's album The Low End Theory and featured the fledgling Leaders of the New School—Dinco D, Busta Rhymes, and Charlie Brown.
While featuring an extensive discography, the collaborations of the Native Tongues have been fairly limited: the collective never recorded anything under that name, and the number of notable crew cuts can be counted on one hand. The various groups grew distant with time, and, by 1993, De La Soul's Trugoy the Dove proclaimed, "That native shit is dead." The collective would, however, reunite in 1996 for the Jungle Brothers’ "How Ya Want It We Got It "; collaborators in this period, such as Common, The Roots, Truth Enola, DJ S.T.R.E.S.S., Da Bush Babees, and Mos Def, could be seen as latter-day additions to the crew. In 1998 on A Tribe Called Quest's album The Love Movement, the last track features Jane Doe, Mos Def, Punchline & Wordsworth. Q Tip states near the track's end that "this right here is a family".
There are several collectives today—with overlapping membership—that can be seen as the spiritual heirs to the Native Tongues crew: the Spitkicker crew, the Okayplayers, and the Soulquarians. Chris Lighty was a member of the Native Tongues-affiliated street crew the Violators and began his career carrying records for Zulu Nation DJs, and later as the Jungle Brothers' roadie. Until his death in 2012 he ran the successful Violator Management company, which represents Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip, among other high-profile clients. It has influenced many other artists in the music industry.

Members

Core members

† According to De La Soul interview on MuchMusic's RapCity in 1996.
†† According to Q-Tip interview the BBC Radio 1 special The Story Of Q-Tip.

Collaborations

Collaborations involving the original members, those that could be considered true Native Tongues crew cuts, are in bold. Note that this list is incomplete.
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
  • "Take That" by Da Beatminerz featuring Flipmode Squad & Vinia Mojica, from Brace 4 Impak
  • "Wages of Sin"-Mr. Khaliyl featuring Talib Kweli
2002
  • "Get By " by Talib Kweli featuring Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Kanye West
  • "Stand To The Side" by Talib Kweli featuring Vinia Mojica & Res, from Quality
2003
2004
  • "Get 'Em High" by Kanye West featuring Talib Kweli and Common from The College Dropout.
  • "She Wants to Move " by N*E*R*D feat. Common, Mos Def, De La Soul, and Q-Tip, from "She Wants To Move Remixes" 12-inch single
  • "Days of Our Lives" by De La Soul featuring Common, from The Grind Date
  • "Lord Can I Have This Mercy" - from Ali Shaheed Muhammad's Shaheedulah & Stereotypes
2005
2006
  • "Get You Some" by Busta Rhymes featuring Q-Tip and Marsha Ambrosius, from The Big Bang
  • "You Can't Hold A Torch" by Busta Rhymes featuring Q-Tip and Chauncey Black, from The Big Bang
2007
2010
  • "Birds of a Feather" by Black Sheep featuring Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest, Trugoy the Dove of De La Soul, and Mike Gee of the Jungle Brothers. From Black Sheep album "From the Black Pool of Genius" due June 29, 2010.
  • "Scheming" by Slum Village ft. J Dilla, Posdnuos of De La Soul, and Phife Dawg from Villa Manifesto
2011