Dilla Keeps Shining.

A Classic HHO tribute to J DIlla from 2007. Cats like Talib, Pharoahe Monche, Phife share their memories of the late great J Dilla. As most of you already know, today marks the 3 year anniversary of his passing, so we continue to celebrate his life+music. I have some more Dilla gems on the way later today, I've just been mad busy so I'm laggin. Fear not.

Back In Days, On the Boulevard of Linden.

I know Q-Tip/Tribe have been all over this blog lately, but come on, it's Tribe. Besides, I couldn't pass this up. This is crazy. Tribe performing with a live band on Dennis Miller Live circa '93 or so judging by Dennis Miller's mullet. If you notice, Phife is missing, that's because he was rushed to hospital right before the show due to his struggle with diabetes. Phife has been dealing with this sickness for 15 years, thank god he is finally getting the medical attention he deserves.

At the end of the performance, Tip is heckled by an audience member, and Dennis Miller represents. That's ill, son.

Below is a video of them performing "Can i Kick It?"


courtesy of the MOD

Phife Receives Kidney Transplant.

This is great news. Phife Dawg's long battle with diabetes took an amazing turn for the better when he finally received a kidney transplant on Friday. The new kidney comes after a 2 year waiting period in which he endured severe health problems and intense dialysis treatment. Phife was first diagnosed with diabetes in 1990 in which he admitting to not taking care of himself and eating the worst possible foods, including indulging in sugar and alcohol.

"Drink a lot of soda, so they call me Dr. Pepper" (c) Phife.

The fight continued for over 12 years when 2002, he was hospitalized after his condition continued to worsen. Now with a new kidney, Phife’s illness is said to hopefully improve dramatically, giving the legendary Tribe member renewed physical energy, which is a true blessing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Phife and his family, and look for the upcoming fund raisinng event HHO is planning with Guerilla Untion to help raise money and awareness for kidney disease.

Now The Formula is This: Me, Tip and Ali.

Oh my God, yes Oh My God. This is ill. A Tribe Called Quest performing one of my Top 3 Tribe songs live on Conan O'Brien back in the day. I didn't even know Conan was up on his hip-op like that. Sick performance. Phife and Tip go back and forth effortlessly, complimenting each others verse with their ad-libs. These cats know how to rock like no other. Props to The Meaning of Dope.

Tribe Called Quest - Scenario (Unreleased Version)

This is a true gem right here. This is what hip hop affectionados live for. This, my internet friends, is a rare version of one of the first takes on the classic Tribe song, "Scenario"

You'll notice the beat varies a little, and the lineup is also different. It seems that the whole Native Tongues posse jumped on this including De La Soul, Black Sheep, and L.O.N.S. Here's a little back story from DJ Johnny Juice (who worked with L.O.N.S. and PE):

A Tribe Called Quest was doing ‘Scenario’. It was me, Dinco, Busta, Jarobi was there – everybody was in that motherfucker – Dres from Black Sheep was there, both of ‘em, Chris Lighty, Mase and Pos from De La, all them motherfuckers rhymed on ‘Scenario’. Everybody rhymed on it but Q-Tip, and the best motherfucker on that shit was Posdnuos. He fuckin’ destroyed it, and he ain’t even like the beat! And after he finished rhyming, everybody went back and rewrote their rhymes!

DOWNLOAD: Tribe Called Quest (Ft. De La Soul, Black Sheep, and L.O.N.S.) - Scenario (Unreleased Version)

A Tribe Called Quest - "Youthful Expression" (Live)

Here's a retro performance from Tribe performing the heavily slept on track from their first album, People's Instinctive Travels...

I've always like the groove of this song, and wondered why it's never mentioned as one of the "classic tracks" from that album among the ranks of Bonita Applebum, Can I Kick It?, Luck of Lucien, and I Left My Wallet...

This video also features the long lost Tribe member Jarobi, and Phife doing his best backup dancer impersonation.

Can I Kick It?

One of my my favorite blogsites, The Meaning of Dope, re-upped a classic video of A Tribe Called Quest performing "Can I Kick It" live in 19??. One thing's for sure, this video is older than most of Lil' Wayne's fans.

But notice how hyped the crowd gets from the start. And they pretty much recite the whole last verse with Phife. Hip Hop used to be so dope. Nowadays you can barely get an audience to put a hand in the air, let alone get buckwild. During the performance, one of the mics cut out, and they don't miss a beat. If that happened to Kanye, I think he would have stormed out...