New York rap legends A Tribe Called Quest have alluded during recent onstage performances that their appearance at September’s Bestival will be their last as a group.
During the Panorama Festival in New York, Q-Tip announced that the group are gearing up for their very final run of shows over the next month or so, as they continue to tour their most recent album We Got It From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service, which was released back in late 2016. The break-up was announced before the Tribe launched into a tribute to late Member Phife Dawg, who sadly died in March 2016, before the album’s release.
The Guardian also quotes Q-Tip as telling his audience at LA’s FYF Festival that “This is our final performance here in LA as Tribe, obviously because Phife Dawg, our anchor, has been called to another mission.” You can see the footage of the tribute below.
The entire show was a tribute to and celebration of Phife's life. A Tribe Called Quest @FYFFEST #FYFFest2017 pic.twitter.com/HLPxzFi2Xs
— Colette Weintraub (@rockisagirlsbff) July 23, 2017
There remains a handful of tour dates left for the Tribe, but many are suggesting that their headlining slot at Bestival- which runs from September 7-10- would be the natural concluding point for the legendary hip-hop act, particularly considering the conviction of Q-Tip’s words.
After Phife Dawg’s death, several projects were revealed, including a solo album, which Dawg’s widow Desha Head Taylor confirmed had been fully recorded, and was ready for release, prior to his death, and would’ve been due to for release at some point in 2017.
In addition to this, Outkast member and producer Big Boi revealed in June that A Tribe Called Quest and Outkast were due to collaborate before Phife Dawg’s passing.
“Q-Tip flew to Atlanta with Ali Shaheed Muhammad, we all met at Dre’s (Andre 3000) house.
“We got to the point of picking out beats for the album. Then, some kind of way, everybody started doing stuff, and then Phife… you know. It definitely was happening, though.”