CAA’s Jenna Adler On How A Tribe Called Quest Shifted Culture

It may come as a surprise that A Tribe Called Quest only got into the Rock Hall in 2024 – almost 10 years after becoming eligible for induction thanks to their debut album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm coming out in 1990.

The record, and especially its follow-up, The Low End Theory, were nothing short of revolutionary in terms of what hip-hop could sound like. Q-Tip, the late Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White had created a truly unique sound: a blend of soul, jazz, and rock samples, serving as the canvas on which the group spilled out some of the most profound lyrics ever spoken in rap music.

The band’s agent at CAA, Jenna Adler, described their legacy as “poetry, that transcended music and spoke to everybody. They shifted culture, fusing all the genres, rock, jazz, all through their records, at a time when the cool kids didn’t know what jazz was, or thought it was something that only their parents listened to.”

Despite being real pioneers, the Tribe always remained humble, never chasing the limelight, which may be one reason it took so long to get recognized by the Rock Hall. But within the culture, the group and its leader Q-Tip have been enjoying iconic status beyond reproach for a long time. Just look at all the greats who’ve quoted the Tribe over the years, be it fellow Rock Hall inductee Jay-Z on “22 Two’s,” where he warms up with Tribe’s famous “Can I Kick It;” or Kanye West’s play on “Award Tour” on “The Glory.”

Adler has been working with the group for more than a decade, around the time they came back with their sixth and final album, We Got It From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service. “If you remember, a lot of these hip hop groups weren’t touring artists back in the day,” she recalled, “A Tribe Called Quest were probably one of the few that were able to actually string together full tours, and really were out there creating a community, which is why we are where we are.

“For us, it was always about the quality of dates, not the quantity. So, when We Got It From Here came out, it was about picking the right events, seminal festivals and we also did some great pop-ups. Tribe was still mourning Phife, it was a very emotional time, so it was all very tailored to how they wanted to work.”

While fans shouldn’t hang on too tightly to fantasies of seeing the remaining original Tribe lineup tour again, there’s exciting news to share: a new Q-Tip record that’ll be out on Republic Records next year. Adler revealed, “We are actually talking about putting together some dates, it’ll all depend on the timing. But he is in the studio as we speak.”