From Boston to Austin: FBtA's Audio and Video History of the Native Tongue Collective

For Part 3 of our Native Tongues retrospective, we're taking a short break from the chronological history. Instead, here's a nice little selection of NT-related video footage, featuring lots of old television appearances and a bit of reminiscing and reflecting by the three Beastie Boys. We did arrange the list by year, starting in 1989 and going forward. Hope you enjoy.

[Part 1] [Part 2][Chi Ali Interlude][Part 4][Part 5]

This clip from 1989 is a great place to start. According to the poster on Youtube, it is taken from a mini TV special (Super Channel-blue night) from 1989 about De La Soul's release of 3 Feet High and Rising. The interviews with the band and Prince Paul provide an insightful look into their approach to sampling, which was such an important ingredient of early Native Tongues music. There's also some footage of the release party in New York, including fellow Bambaataa disciple KRS-One talking about why he was digging De La.

This one's a bit strange: The Jungle Brothers being somewhat rude and aloof on a low-budget Dutch TV show during a visit by them and Quest back in 1990. They look like they might have stopped at a coffee shop for some Northern Light first. It would be fun just for the history, but the live footage happens to be very cool. This is just what a show by one of the Native Tongue groups might have been in 1990 -- not too big of a venue yet, so the crowd is small and definitely into it. The JBs might not be feeling the interview, but they still show the crowd respect and get on down come concert time. No doubt that some of the Dutch audience doesn't understand the lyrics, but that doesn't stop the crowd from gettin' it. Wish I was there!

Another old one: Grainy VHS of A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad in a 1990 interview on some cheapo show. A little history is revealed though, as Q-Tip discusses the early days.

One of the few places to find hip-hop on TV at all before 1990 was Yo! MTV Raps. By 1991, the show was airing during the week with Dr. Dre (the East Coast version) and Ed Lover and on weekends with original host, old school hip-hop granddaddy Fab Five Freddie. Here's a 1991 interview with Queen Latifah, Quest and MC Lyte, who were in the midst of a tour.

Who knew that the Native Tongues were so widely embraced in northern Europe? This time, it's Finland that's lucky, with De La Soul performing "Say No Go" and getting the crowd going. Love these videos of concert footage from the early days. They all seem so passionate and into it.

This one brings back memories. I think I saw this special the first time it aired on MTV in 1991: A hip-hop episode of the popular Unplugged series that MTV billed as Yo! MTV Raps Unplugged. LL Cool J was on, and I remember MC Lyte also. This one shows Tribe doing just fine working outside the box.

De La Soul was on the same special doing "Ring Ring Ring" from De La Soul is Dead. According to the Youtube poster, the backing band on these cuts is Pop's Cool Love, who I vaguely recall being a "hot" act in the very early '90s, when genre-mashing was very popular, but I believe they fizzled out shortly after this little peak.

Well, 1991 apparently was a kick-ass year for hip-hop on television. A few years before, you just really couldn't find live hip-hop on mainstream TV. Along with The Arsenio Hall Show, The Wayans' In Living Color was one of the few showcases for young hip-hop talent on the big channels at the time. The show featured a young Shawn Wayans spinning hip-hop and new jack R&B during the cuts to and from commercial breaks, with the Rosie Perez-choreographed Fly Girls dancing along. From time to time, episodes featured a musical guest, who'd perform a cut or two live for the studio audience, usually at the end of the show. From '91, here's Leaders of the New School busting "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense!!"

Tribe is well represented in this post. Here's "Check the Rhyme," from 1992, with Tip and co. on the Yo! MTV Raps set. Tip and Phife are on point (all the time).

One of my all-time favorite musical spots on The Arsenio Hall Show. A Tribe Called Quest and Leaders of the New School team up in 1992 to bring some serious energy to the set with a raucous rendition of "Scenario." Busta Rhymes once again looks so ready to break out that he just might jump through the TV screen. Charlie Brown meanwhile looks like he snorted a line or two right before the cameras started rolling. I love the look on Aresnio's face at 2:55.

More Quest from '92 as the Tribe do a cool live spot with The Brand New Heavies and others on a Yo! MTV Raps special. Live instruments (vibes, horn section) spice up a sweet version of "Check the Rhyme." Working with Quest helped inspire The Brand New Heavies to delve further into hip-hop, culminating with the 1992 collaboration LP Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1.

I think this might be the same special (Yo! MTV Raps Live - Spring Break 1992). Black Sheep was hitting their brief pinnacle as the remix of "The Choice is Yours" became a surprise crossover hit. Some of the dance moves made me chuckle.

Moving on to 1994. A Tribe Called Quest had their routine down by now, and it shows in this tight performance of "Oh My God!" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Tip and Phife's call-and-response bit sounds smooth and natural. The group was about to start its decline but it hardly shows here.

Michael Rappaport, director of Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, emcees an event called "The Heave Sound Presents Mind Body Soul - A Concert Event To Raise Awareness For Diabetes." This took place back in January 2010 and in addition to A Tribe Called Quest reuniting for the occasion, the lineup was hot: A Tribe Called Quest + Jay Electronica + Consequence + Mos Def + Talib Kweli + Krs-One + Jeru Da Damaja + Greg Nice + Dres (Black Sheep) + Statik Selektah + Termanology + Mr. Cheeks + And Others. Phife may not look as good but still likes his beats as hard as two-day old shit, and the twosome still can bust the "uhs" and the "ahs."

The Beastie Boys discuss the Native Tongues, their roots and their legacy. Ad Rock points out that what made the Native Tongues interesting was that they really were involved in each other's projects at the time, and all three groups (Tribe, De La, JBs) had amazing, creative, now-classic albums out. It was a rare thing where the right people were in the right places at the right times for a run. We may have had other collectives in hip-hop that followed who have also become legends, like Wu Tang, but nothing was quite like Native Tongues from '89 into the early '90s, with the samples, flow and some silly poetry coming together perfectly.