Phife Dawg interview...A Tribe Called Quest back together?

[Twentytwofifty]

ThaFormula.com - Yo, it's been a little while since people heard from you. What's going on?

Phife - I'm like in limbo right now as far as finishing up my joint as well as starting this next uh, Tribe Called Quest joint.

ThaFormula.com - Now I was told about this Phife and I still can't believe this is happening. This is for real?

Phife - Yeah it's something that were talkin’ about right now and it's pretty much in the baby step stages. We haven't started working on it yet but we talkin’ about different things that should go down and what shouldn't go down and producers and things of that nature so we haven't linked up and started production on it yet though.

ThaFormula.com - Last time we spoke it seemed like all of you were havin’ problems within each other. How did you guys fix those problems and get back to this level?

Phife - Well problems with like the label and stuff like that, but any internal problems could always be squashed on the strength that we were always friends anyways. So whether in the business or outside the business, it's not much for us to say, “yo we need to talk,” so it wasn't nothin’ we planned or nothin’ like that. It's just we feel it needs to be done and there is just different things with the label and all that, but we basically wanna do what we have to do and then go see the label.

ThaFormula.com - So what is the biggest obstacle getting in the way of trying to do this new Tribe album?

Phife - Oh well, 2 quarters of the group live in New Jersey and the other 2 live in Georgia. That's the only problem and that's not even really a problem. It's just a plane ticket away.

ThaFormula.com - So when you say getting’ back together. Who will be coming back?

Phife - Me, Q-Tip, Jarobi, and Ali Shaheed.

ThaFormula.com - So the whole crew will be back together again?

Phife - Yeah.

ThaFormula.com - What are you lookin’ for production wise for this album Phife?

Phife - Oh, it don't matter to me. I've never been the type of rapper that had to get with the hottest producer at the moment. Like for instance, the Neptunes are definitely the hottest producers at the moment, hands down no questions asked, but I don't necessarily think that we have to run to the Neptunes and say we need a Neptunes beat, blah, blah, blah.

ThaFormula.com - Will you guys be doing the production like the old Tribe days when it was done within the group?

Phife - We might. Anything is possible, but if somebody offers a track and it's dope, were using it. Of course we gonna do most of the production though that's only right. We will always do most of the production, but I don't think it matters that much. Heat is heat and as long as the production is within the Tribe element, we good. It's not like we gonna thyme over a No Doubt track and just throw a curve ball at cats.

ThaFormula.com - But is Q-Tip on some hip-hop shit now? I mean what tip is he on. Is he back to doing hip-hop shit?

Phife - Yeah, yeah, yeah. He always did hip-hop. He's just a brave heart like Nas and them would say. He's just brave man. He likes to try different things and I don't think there is anything wrong with that, but I just felt that hip-hop was his bread and butter. He knew what time it was. He wouldn't completely leave the nest like that.

ThaFormula.com - So is the return of Tribe something that you were really hoping would go down?

Phife - Well the first couple of years when we broke up, I really wasn't thinkin’ about it because I seen a lot of groups that so called broke up and came back out and the effort just wasn't there. Either they did it to get a check at the end of the day, or the label or distributors didn't support it like they should. So it just came and went and that's NOT happening to Tribe Called Quest. I'm making the bold statement right now. That's not happening at all to us.

ThaFormula.com - I told a couple of peoples of mine that Tribe might be getting back together. Their response was not very good because they figure once you break up and try to get back together you lose it or sell out. What makes you think that you guys can pick up where you left off?

Phife - Well, for the simple fact that, before we were artists of any type or any kind, we were like best friends. So it's like we have chemistry that's pretty much unmatched. I think the only other to people that have a chemistry like we do would be Spliff and Busta. I'm talkin’ about me and Q-Tip on stage. On stage, in production or whatever, we have a chemistry that's pretty much unmatched and nobody can fuck with us on that and it's real simple for us. We haven't rapped together since 1998. All we have to do is see each other, start laughin’, crackin jokes and all type of shit, frolickin’ through the records and shit. Next thing you know a song is done and it will be like “damn where did that come from?” Whether it's ok or just crazy blazin’ I could care less, because that's scratchin’ the surface and once we start scratchin’ the surface the rest is history and Niggaz is in trouble!

[Twentytwofifty]

I'm suspect about this.  This came up last summer I believe and nothing happend but like the said they are just in the first stages of getting back together.

If they're going to do this, they better do it right.  Fuck this Neptunes shit, just locked these 4 in the studio for a year and see what you get.  They can handle the whole album by themselves.  I perfer no Jay Dee also.  

I don't wanna see this album anytime before spring 2004.

[Twentytwofifty]

Part two of the Phife interview just came up:

ThaFormula.com - Do you realize how hard it's gonna be though to convince a lot of the old Quest fans that you are back in full force?

Phife - I don't think it's gonna hard at all for the simple fact that people want this shit. The thing that's hard is being creative for a good 2 or 3 months straight. That's the hard part, but we know how we got to put it down because I listened to the last 2 Tribe albums and they were good albums, but you know in this game timing is everything. Whatever we do it has to be right and timed correctly, but right about now timing doesn't even matter to a certain extent cause they been waiting for us so long that once they hear that we're back in the lab, that's when the buzz is really gonna jump off.

ThaFormula.com - So you do realize that "The Love Movement" LP was a very disappointing album to a lot of people?

Phife - I realize the last two albums were.

ThaFormula.com - So there will be no return to "The Love Movement" thing you were doing then?

Phife - Well like I said "The Love Movement" wasn't a bad album. It was all about timing. That's not what people wanted at the time. We are always a step ahead of the game anyway. We always did what we felt like doing because if you really think about this outside of a "A Tribe Called Quest" with the exception of a couple of other groups, everybody is duplicating each other. That's not to downplay any artists or anything, but it's really the labels fault. The label doesn't trust the fact that they can run into something new and refreshing and it will sell. They too damn scared. So instead of looking for the next best thing, they rather do something simple and say, "well so and so sold 4 million albums, let's get somebody that's similar to him so we can at least sell 2 million out the box." That shit is wack! Look how many times they've been looking for the next Tribe Called Quest. That shit will never happen.

ThaFormula.com - That's why I was askin' you about the production because I miss the original production that Tribe brought to the table in the 90's...

Phife - Yeah, but see look at the trail of hip-hop man. Hip-hop is the most fickle of all the music. I'm talkin' bout how in Country, they can sing about the same thing for 40 years and then some and them niggaz is sellin' 10 million records and all type shit. R&B is the same shit. Blues, Jazz, whatever they are sellin' records. In Hip-hop you sell records a good 2 years straight and next thing you know you try to come out with the same shit and you playin' yourself basically. Niggaz bit Das Efx style so hard, they couldn't come out with they own shit no more. I mean there was a time when Q-Tip and I can't front, he had the nastiest snares in hip-hop at one point. But niggaz started bitin', bitin', bitin'. A bunch of shit started sounding like Tribe, but like I said whatever beats we pick, as long as it has that Tribe element to it, they ain't no stoppin' it. Not only that, but you still gotta move forward regardless. It's like Nas said, he would love to make another Illmatic, but dude that was his rookie season in the game. He's now 5 or 6 albums deep. I mean and some of them albums I felt like a lot of people was probably in his ears with some of them albums he made in the middle, but lyrically he always stayed on point. But the last two albums he handled his business. You can always go back to the roots man. The fact of the matter is you still have to have some type of variety man because one of the reasons hip-hop is one of the most fickle of all music is because it's basically a youth movement man. The production we used to do that your talkin' about, niggaz was like, and I mean as far as the artists themselves, we were like 21 or 22. Niggaz is 33 years old now man.

ThaFormula.com - But look at Gangstarr. They've been doing it for over 10 years now and still have their own sound that people still love and will still go out and support...

Phife - Yeah, but they even added a different element on their last album that they dropped in like '99. The "Moment of Truth" album came out in like '99 and they dropped a whole new element to their shit with the K-Ci and JoJo track "Royalty." They never did no shit like that, but the beat was still Gangstarr, but it still had that appeal for everybody else and just having K-Ci and JoJo on the hook, that pushed that album gold. They always had consistency just like EPMD, but it could be the smallest thing that will take this and when them niggaz came out with, "wherever I go, whatever I do," them niggaz blew through the fuckin' roof, but it was still them. So we gonna keep the same vibe, but we always gonna bring something brand new to the table especially now that we've been gone for 5 years. Whatever we bring to the table is gonna crush niggaz.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think it was crazy how all 4 of you seemed to have had label problems at the same time for your solo projects and do you feel that's what made it the right time?

Phife - I didn't really look at it like that. I just know that every time I go out, I get a severe head beating from everybody talkin' about "yo, you all need to do something else." At first I used to ignore it because like I said earlier a lot of these groups that broke up, they dropped albums and nobody really supported them. So I was looking at it like "whatever, you all ain't gonna support this shit." But 5 years of that makes you figure, "ok niggaz really want this shit," and I've always had love and respect for everybody that came up to me. Some people just go overboard with the shit and that's not something I wanna hear everyday because it wasn't something I really thought was gonna happen.

[Twentytwofifty]

ThaFormula.com - Do you realize where you guys would be at the moment if you would have never broke up, especially with the way Hip-hop is now?

Phife - I really don't because when you're the main person involved you don't see a lot of shit. You hear about it word of mouth pretty much, but I like being just the average Joe cat chillin' laid back just doin' whatever droppin' my verse and then just layin' in the cut a little somethin' somethin'. It ain't about being number one for me. It's about just maintaining the culture dog, and that's what I look at. I mean I don't mind settin' trends, but I didn't really look forward to the praise of it. I don't think it's us trying to be number one or whatever, but it's just that everybody is just so much the same man that somebody is gonna stick out and it just happened to be us. I want everybody to shine man cause niggaz really be frontin' on our music man. Especially the niggaz that's sellin' all the records. They really actin' like they the nicest. I ain't gonna mention no names, but the only cat sellin' a bunch of records that I truly think is the nicest is Eminem, straight up. You know why? Cause concepts mean a lot. He always comin' on some dope ass concept. Flow? Hs got that shit on lock. He can rhyme to a beat 200 bpm's, 89bpm's, or 100 whatever. He'll slow don his flow, he'll speed up his flow. His breath control is ridiculous. Then his stage presence is crazy on top of that. There is not to many MC that you can say has all of those elements. Either they have a dope album and a wack-ass stage show, or a dope stage show and a half-ass album. Also, the nigga will battle whomever, so I'm feelin' him. I'm still a Busta Rhymes fan. Not just because it's family, but his stage presence is ridiculous. I'll always pay to see a Busta show even if he hook me up with a free ticket. He got a dope stage show and he has fun when he's doing his thing. He wins because he always picks the right singles, but if you get into the texture or the bulk of his album, you see that he is sayin' something lyrically, but the singles seem to make him animated, but that's how you do it. You wanna get their attention on some other shit.

ThaFormula.com - But do you really feel that he ever met up to people's expectations as a solo artist especially after what he did with Leaders of the New School and the legendary "Scenario" verse?

Phife - Hell yeah and then some. Nobody thought Busta was gonna blow like that. Okay, the original "Scenario" and "Scenario" remix was a classic and then they did the Next Leaders of the New School album. It didn't do to well. Elektra didn't really put their foot behind it. Not to mention there was some tension within the group or whatever. Then when he (Busta) started doing the cameos, he was blowing up every cameo he was on. Every cameo he was on, he was blowin' up and the one that really took off was the "Flava In Ya Ear" remix with Biggie and Craig Mack and all them. That was it, that's when you knew "okay this dude is some special shit right here." Then he dropped the "Whoo-Hah" and this and that. His first 2 albums are classic man. So I think he lived up to it because what it was, what people didn't realize what they had when they had it man. Trust me. He surpassed people's expectations and then some. I was surprised and I seen the nigga locked in the studio everyday. I was surprised at the reaction once it finally dropped cause I saw the potential. I was right there seeing him make them songs on the first two albums. If I wasn't there he'd come to my grandmothers house and play them shits for me, and when it dropped I think he really hit it big time when he dropped the first single from his second album, "Put your Hands." That was it man. I was going to clubs and they were spinning that shit back like 9 times in a row. No DJ's do that for niggaz like that! 9 times in a row! That had to be "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See" and Puffy and them joint, "What You Wanna Be, Baller Shot Caller." They must of spun those two records back to back like crazy. Those are the only two records I remember getting spun like that besides Biggie's "One More Chance" remix. There's certain songs that are gonna last a lifetime and those songs will last a lifetime. Then there's Nas. I respect Nas for the simple fact that he was on top of the world, he dropped a little bit and came back and stood on his own two feet. That's a complete artist for your ass. Where as you can see the top, pretty much the bottom, midway through and then come back on top. You have another MC coming out battling you. Niggaz was like "Nas is over, Nas is over," and he came back and stood his ground and killed that shit.

ThaFormula.com - Were you one of those thinkin' that Nas was over?

Phife - No. I thought the "Takeover" record was bangin', but I didn't think Nas or Mobb Deep would be gone, and I'm not being biased cause I'm from Queens or nothin' like that, but I followed both groups careers pretty much. I don't know them personally other then seeing them throughout queens and saying "yo what up, big ups with your music" and shit like that, because before I'm an artist, I'm a fan 100% if not more. So I followed Mobb Deep and Nas' career as well as Jay-Z's. So I was like "nah them niggaz ain't over, them niggaz ain't over." "They gonna come back with some shit." The Mobb shit got overlooked, people didn't think it was that great or whatever. It happens every now and then. I knew Nas had it and personally I think he should have been left alone to tell you the truth, but he came out of his shell or whatever you wanna call it, and fired back pretty well. It was one of the greatest battles of all time on both parties. I can't front on neither one of them, but I think what separates how I feel about Jay-Z and Nas is like if I wanna hear some party shit, some sarcastic shit, some crazy flow shit, I'll pick up a Jay-Z joint. If I wanna hear some crazy lyrics with some substance, I'll pick up a Nas joint, it's that simple. They are two different individuals who happened to bump heads on the battle circuit, which was cool, because opposites attract and that's what made the battle intriguing. That's what it was and may the best man win. I think Nas pulled it out at the end to be frank, but that doesn't say that Jay-Z is wack. He just happened to be part of one of the best battles ever. That was a fantastic battle, but now the Eminem and Benzino thing, uh I don't know about that. Benzino is buggin' right now throwin' mad campaigns at dudes.

ThaFormula.com - I think this might lead to the end of The Source Magazine if they keep doing what they are doing?

Phife - Yeah, because I don't think they should go at Eminem like that because it's a magazine and you gotta be there for everybody.

ThaFormula.com - Plus they haven't been there for anybody real doing real things in years by giving the best albums the worst ratings?

Phife - Yeah, I always felt that way.

ThaFormula.com - Will Jay-Dee be involved with the new Tribe album?

Phife - Well, you know we will see what he has.

ThaFormula.com - Was his involvement in the last 2 Tribe albums something you wanted yourself?

Phife - Yeah, that niggaz nice man. That nigga is dope for real. He had some heat. We met him when we was on the Lollapolloza tour in '94 or something like that and the tour went to Detroit. A lot of George Clinton's band mates were from Detroit and one of his bandmates knew Slum Village and them. So he brought Jay-Dee on our tour bus and Jay-Dee was just playing us some beats that he had as well as songs with the group Slum Village. That's how we met and we was feelin' them so we uh, they had a production team called the Ummah at the time, you know Q-Tip and Ali. It was Q-Tip and Ali, Raphael Sadiiqq, Dangelo and Jay-Dee. That was supposed to be Ummah the whole production squad. Whatever, whatever happened and it didn't materialize like it should have but Jay-Dee definitely materialized and he has some heat man. But like I said man, timing is everything and we can't let the fans or whoever get in our heads as far what beats we got to pick and stuff like that. I mean they very much count, but at the same time man we go off vibes dog. If we feelin' something that means we really feelin' that shit and if we ain't we really ain't. We just gotta hope people really get with it.

ThaFormula.com - Why can't Tribe, Jungle Brothers, Beatnuts, BDP, Ultra, De La, Boot Camp, Pete Rock, Marley, Extra P, and all the other originators of this Hip-hop shit form some type of committee where you would help each other succeed and bring the real back to the forefront. I mean why can't there be any unity between the legends in this game?

Phife - But see that's the problem now. There's no unity with anything, so that will never happen unfortunately. I don't think with all those groups you just mentioned, that it will ever happen, I mean look at the groups that's out now. They beefin' with each other. Everybody has got a clique that's beefin' with each other.

[Twentytwofifty]

ThaFormula.com - Why not try and bring back the Native Tongues? I mean you guys were a major force in this rap game when you were all together in this thing.

Phife - Well because you remember when Quincy Jones did "We Are the World" and he had all those people in it. You know why that worked out, because he had a big sign in front of the studio door that said, "LEAVE YOUR EGO'S AT THE DOOR." You know Diana Ross got an ego, Chaka Khan probably got an ego and all these muthafuckin people got egos. So he put that sign at the door that said leave your ego's at the door. That can't happen in Hip-hop. Everybody's ego is big and then some dog. I mean it worked for the whole September 11th thing, but how long did that shit last?

ThaFormula.com - Shit, about a week...

Phife - You know what I'm sayin? Keep it real. It was cool. Jermaine Dupri and Puffy, Christina Aguilera, Destiny's Child and them, Nelly, Nas and Alicia and Eve. It was good to see but how long did that shit last. Niggaz is still talkin' about who they killed on record and all that bullshit, but you was part of the September 11th shit. Cut it out man! Niggaz still ain't learned yet. So I mean that shit will never happen, even if it did a lot of people's musical taste is so different nowadays.

ThaFormula.com - I remember in '93, everybody basically knew what was dope and what was wack. In 2003, you will be lucky to agree with anyone on what album is dope and what album is wack. Why do you think that is?

Phife - Because the labels and radio stations beat us in the head with what's supposed to be hot. What they think is hot. Labels and radio, that's it! They fuck everything up. The whole politics side of it, everything. The creative side of it…I mean they don't even take into consideration the creative side of shit. They don't care. This is what's hot, the kids are gonna love this and that's that. It's a youth movement and that's that. Were trying to sell records to the kids, were trying to sell records to these bitches shakin' they ass and that's it. And you know what? I have no problem with the youth because I live for the youth everyday yo. We all came through some youth shit and I also live for the women shakin' they ass for the simple fact that it's a part of life. Like I said it's A PART OF LIFE. It's not your whole life, it's a part of life, but the radios and the labels try to make it seem like it's your whole life cause they really don't care. They haven't cared since the beginning of time. What makes you think they gonna care now? It's at an all time worst right now.

ThaFormula.com - One of the things that bugs me also Phife is when an artist tells me that they don't listen to Hip-hop anymore but they still are doing Hip-hop. That doesn't make any sense to me.

Phife - Man, they just be sayin' that shit man. Niggaz is listening but what it is, is that they will continue to say that if they hearin' shit they don't like. Once they stumble across something they like, they gonna listen to it. You can say that about any music though.

ThaFormula.com - My thing that I noticed is a lot of artists have stopped diggin' for dope Hip-hop and are just going on what they see on TV and hear on the radio just like everybody else?

Phife - People stopped digging because, well I don't if it's because of this but I look at it like this. Niggaz always label shit. Niggaz are steady labelin' shit. Niggaz is puttin' the platinum plus muthafukaz versus the so-called backpackers. First of all what the fuck is a backpacker? That's what I want to know. When you say backpacker, does it mean a Hip-hop nigga who don't get no burn on the radio? Is that what they trying to say? Because good music is good music and that's what the problem is. Niggaz always labelin' shit. I don't care if it's the radio stations, the labels or the fans themselves, but niggaz is always labelin' shit. Just cause he didn't get no spins, his shit was wack and then you have a couple of niggaz that use the underground as a crutch? "My shit is underground kid!!" Because he ain't got no faith in his own shit to go out there and sell that shit on his own. So now it's like, "My shit is underground kid, I don't need radio." Man knock it off!! Once you go platinum, you gonna like it and your gonna like it very much and that's one thing about tribe. We been on both sides of the fence.

[Twentytwofifty]

ThaFormula.Com - How do you think Tribe managed to play both sides?

Phife - I think Lollapolloza put us over that hump. A lot of people were sayin' little small shit, whisperin' small shit like "oh them niggaz sold out, they performing for white people" and so and so. I'm like nigga, 80% of Hip-hop sales is to white people man so who's sellin' out on who? I remember when I first went on Lollapolooza and was like "damn look at all these people, but I wanna perform in front of my own people too," After the third show I could care less. Them niggaz loved us. They showed us more love then some of my own niggaz on the corner showed us and I'm not just sayin' it on no groupie shit. Them niggaz knew word for word and stuff like that but they also knew about a niggaz health. You got fans comin' up to you sayin, "yo Tip, I like that first verse on so and so record" "Yo, Ali I like them rubs on that one record, and you Phife I like that verse on that one record and so on." Or they would be like, "yo Phife how is your health doing?" That meant something to me man!! That fuckin' meant something to me. I'm lookin' at them like, "how do you know?" "Oh, I read this article and that article and I heard you used to call yourself the Funky Diabetic." That shit meant a lot to me. Like when niggaz used to come up to me and be like, "Yo Malik" and I didn't really like that at first cause you don't know me, but I thought about and was like "damn I said that on records so I can't clam them for listening to the music." So niggaz is callin' me Malik, some niggaz is callin Phife footer, Phife Didddogg, and all types of shit. It's just niggaz enjoying the music man and I love that shit man, I wouldn't trade that for nothing in the world other then a NFL contract (laughs). But I would not trade that for nothing in the world and that was all white people. All I need now is for more black people to come inside and understand what's going on with this movement right here and we will kill every music that's out there right now. But see, Black people have problems supporting they own. I don't know why. It seems like the only black people that support they own, they might be family of a muthafucka or something. I'm like, "yo get involved with it." "Understand what this movement is about and we can all be good and night." Not everybody is a rapper slash drug dealer wanna be or vice versa. There is a lot of MC's out here kickin' it on a positive note.

ThaFormula.com - What do you see as the trend right now?

Phife - Right now the trend in Hip-hop is to be loverman. Niggaz got wives and kids so I understand that. I mean I don't have a problem with the way they are doing it. The problem that I have is that niggaz don't have variety. Niggaz take one thing and ride it and rife it and ride it until the wheels fall off. Too much of one thing is never any good. That's with everything, but I understand the whole trend of niggaz being in love. Some niggaz are doing it on purpose to sell records. Some are doing it cause they are very adamant about the shit. Whatever I do or whatever Tribe does, were pretty much adamant about the situation. We don't really fit around on no "let's do this and set off a new trend." We never done that. We have done how we felt at the moment. Monday we could be rhymin' about some niggaz that robbed a liquor store, Tuesday we rhymin about somethin' spirutal, Wednesday we battlin' some niggaz on a record. That's the vibe we feelin'. Thursday we rhymin' about a death in the family or something. It's all about variety man. Bringin' niggaz into your own world man, but you can't continue to say you bringin' niggaz into your world, but you talkin' about the same shit. Your world is obviously fucked up and bland. If all you can talk about is the same shit every album, YOUR WORLD IS WACK DOG!

ThaFormula.com - From what you have heard in 2002, what would be your perfect Tribe album?

Phife - Well I think the perfect Tribe album would be number one, we gotta be ourselves. We can't be anybody but Tribe as far as the ingredients that go into a good album, period. I want us to have some bangin' jeep shit. I wanna have 4 or 5 jams that could just knock in a niggaz jeep and you just steady rewindin' and rewindin' the shit. Then I just wanna add some of that vintage Tribe shit back. Not necessarily the shit we did back in the day, but you know along those veins where you know the jazz loop were pretty prevalent. Just that laid back roll up an L type shit. Some cool out shit. Shit that you can smoke to as well as vacuum your house to, lounge with your wifey to, or just chat it up with your boys to. It just has to be universal. Everybody has to dig it. Little kids to grown ups, to everybody. Your cat and your dog, I don't give a damn. If they bobbin' they head you know your shit is right. But something to the point to get you all movin' and get you all to the point and feelin' good about Hip-hop music again cause that's what it's about. You gotta feel good about the shit in order to wanna walk around singin' it. So that's the perfect Tribe album for me. Nothin' simple, but Tribe. It has to be Tribe. Everybody is talkin' about this "Neo-Soul" shit. Nah! Niggaz ain't "Neo-Soul." NIGGAZ IS DOIN TRIBE!! You know what I'm sayin'? I ain't gonna mention no names but niggaz is doin' Tribe man. Flat out!

ThaFormula.com - I gotta agree with you there Phife. Now guest MC wise what should people expect?

Phife - I don't know. It might be one or two on there but I'm not sure. Not too many at all though. I don't think it should be like that at all.

ThaFormula.com - Is Q-Tip really down with this new Tribe album?

Phife - Oh yeah. Definitely.

ThaFormula.com - So how set is this new Tribe album?

Phife - Out of 100 percent, I would say 98 percent you know what I'm sayin'?

ThaFormula.com - So when do you see you guys getting back in the studio?

Phife - Well I'm going home like in the third weekend in February and I'll be there for a while so it will probably jump off around then.

ThaFormula.com - Now for the most important question. Are we gonna get a Tribe Called Quest tour?

Phife - I don't think it would be smart if we did an album and we didn't support it with a tour and I think that everybody would agree to that. It's just about getting with the right opening act or whoever and getting the routing correct and venues and so forth and so on.

ThaFormula.com - So have you decided to just put your solo project to the side then?

Phife - Well I stay working regardless just to keep busy, but I think the best thing would be to put it out after the Tribe album because that's what everybody wants it anyway. So whatever you do after that stems from how bangin' the group effort was..

[Lord Funk]

Nice interview - thanks for posting it man. Damn, I hope this album happens. Like I said before, if it's even half as good as Midnight Marauders it'll make the year.