Why ATCQ are the Comeback of 2016

“A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y.”

One of the greatest groups in Hip-Hop history have returned to put out one final album, We Got It From Here… Thank You For Your Service, available everywhere today, from Epic Records.

The return of A Tribe Called Quest is legendary. Apart from being the ’90s hip-hop group’s first full-length studio album in 18 years, We Got It From Here… Thank You For Your Service is the first album to include posthumous recordings of the late Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor, one of the co-founding members of ATCQ, who died earlier this year after suffering from complications with diabetes.

In a letter from fellow ATCQ co-founder Kamaal “Q-Tip” Ibn John Fareed, he explains how this time last year, Phife Dawg, Jerobi White, Ali Shaheed Muhammad had the extreme pleasure of coming on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“It was our first TV performance in 18 years,” Q-Tip states in his letter. “The energy for us that night was one that we hadn’t experienced on stage together in some time. It was also the night of the Paris bombing… Nov. 13, a Friday, an unseasonably warm night in NYC. As we left 30 Rock, I felt the need, we all did, to get back up to the studio and start that cook up! So we got to it!!”

We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service album artwork

Unfortunately, the project was coming along when St. Albans rapper Phife Dawg died on March 22. “It was coming together nicely, and as you may know, we lost our brother, may god rest his soul, on March 22,” Q-Tip continues. “But he left us with the blueprint of what we had to do.”

Dedicated in Phife’s memory, We Got It From Here… Thank You For Your Service features 16 brand new songs and special guest appearances from several big name artists, including: André 3000, Jack White, Kendrick Lamar, Talib Kweli, Anderson Paak, Busta Rhymes, Consequence, Kanye West and Sir Elton John.

To hear more, check out A Tribe Called Quest‘s new album, We Got It From Here… Thank You For Your Service, now available on iTunes and Amazon. And don’t forget to check them out on Saturday Night Live this weekend, with host Dave Chapelle.

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This year’s list will include 14 categories:
Comeback of the Year
Best Prog-Rock Album
Best Pop Album
Best Metal Album
Best Indie Album
Best Dance Album
Best Country Album
Best Jazz Album
Best Bluegrass/Americana Album
Best Rock Album of 2016
Best Downtempo Album
Best Soundtrack
And new this year, Best R&B Album

Be sure to check out danieloffner.com as I prepare to weigh in on the Best of 2016, this December.