So what exactly did Ali Shaheed Muhammad do on the A Tribe Called Quest albums?

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So supposedly he was the group's DJ, but I read that almost all of ATCQ's productions were handled by outside parties. Did Muhammad serve a legitimate function in the group?

― punis (punis), Monday, 29 May 2006 02:15 (nineteen years ago)

They needed him for strategic sheep purposes.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Monday, 29 May 2006 02:18 (nineteen years ago)

Q-Tip & Shaheed did most of the production, at least on the first 3 albums (before Jay Dee entered the picture). Whoever told you that is taking a small truth and stretching it very far.

― Dr. Rodney's Original Savannah Band (R. J. Greene), Monday, 29 May 2006 04:01 (nineteen years ago)

I'm gonna "blaspheme" here and say i think Tribe were great, productionwise, until they brought Jay Dee in and got that "Boom-CLACK-Boom-ClACK " going. The Ummah killed 'em, I say.

Then again I was never a Jay Dee acolyte.

― Jay Vee's Return (Manon_69), Monday, 29 May 2006 06:07 (nineteen years ago)

Totally. I never got Jay Dee (except for Donuts, which isn't boring.)

― Dr. Rodney's Original Savannah Band (R. J. Greene), Monday, 29 May 2006 06:49 (nineteen years ago)

Ummah killed tribe

And Q-tip became a metrosexual

― huidij, Tuesday, 30 May 2006 14:25 (nineteen years ago)

Didn't he have them doin' calisthenics?

― silence dogood (catcher), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 14:45 (nineteen years ago)

he pushed the fader, from here to grenada

― zappi (joni), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 15:03 (nineteen years ago)

I'm gonna "blaspheme" here and say i think Tribe were great, productionwise, until they brought Jay Dee in

hardly blasphemy, thats what everybody says!

Q-Tip did most of the production from what I understand, but a lot of those dudes were ghost-producing each other's shit (I remember hearing some rumor about how Large Pro co-produced "TROY")

― deej.. (deej..), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 15:04 (nineteen years ago)

More importantly, what is Ali without Shaheed Muhammed?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

'i never got jay dee (except for donuts)' = insane

― and what (ooo), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 15:09 (nineteen years ago)

champion sound is good!

― gear (gear), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 15:12 (nineteen years ago)

jay dee post tribe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> jay dee with tribe

― jäxøñ (jaxon), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 17:05 (nineteen years ago)

"Let's ride" off that Q. Tip solo shit was my joint.

I'll never understand why "beats, rhymes and life" still continues to get slept on/shitted on, especially when it's by the same people who love "stakes is high".

This thread should really be about Jarobi tho.

Anyway, you have to remember that a lot of older rap groups and the music game in general were more dj orientated back in the 80s and 90s. Even if Ali didn't do shit and it was all Q. Tip and then later on Jay Dee there were tons of other groups had djs who didn't actually do any/much production but were still important parts of the groups, particularly for the live shows : Jam Master Jay, Maseo, Eric B, Terminator X, DJ Yella, DJ Polo, DJ Mike Smooth, Moe Luv etc etc

― ha11a iz a11ah bakkkwardz, Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:03 (nineteen years ago)

Also : Grandmaster Flash, the two dj dudes in Main Source..

― ha11a iz a11ah bakkkwardz, Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:08 (nineteen years ago)

JMJ and Yella did hella producing.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:11 (nineteen years ago)

OK, maybe not hella.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

who didn't actually do any/much production

― ha11a iz a11ah bakkkwardz, Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:18 (nineteen years ago)

This has always been one of my favorite Jay Dee beats :

Busta + O.D.B-woo hah remix

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pksH2vq_-TA&search=busta%20rhymes-woo%20hah

― ha11a iz a11ah bakkkwardz, Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:20 (nineteen years ago)

i love beats rhymes & life!!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:22 (nineteen years ago)

(i may be alone in this though.)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:26 (nineteen years ago)

SIR SCRATCH AND KID KUT

― deej.. (deej..), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:39 (nineteen years ago)

er, K-Kut

― deej.. (deej..), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:40 (nineteen years ago)

I think I remember Ethan saying its his favorite tribe album at one pt.

― deej.. (deej..), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 18:40 (nineteen years ago)

"Let's ride" off that Q. Tip solo shit was my joint.

Good samples makes good sample based beats.

Joe Pass's Ginat Steps (1976)

― PappaWheelie B.C., Wednesday, 31 May 2006 01:18 (nineteen years ago)

This has always been one of my favorite Jay Dee beats :
Busta + O.D.B-woo hah remix
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pksH2vq_-TA&search=busta%20rhymes-woo%20hah
-- ha11a iz a11ah bakkkwardz (1234567891...), May 30th, 2006 12:20 PM.

did jay dee do the original? because the remix isn't that far off from the original. maybe a bit slower. have you heard the original Galt McDermott track?

― jäxøñ (jaxon), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 04:59 (nineteen years ago)

I always thought it was Jaydee who did the original but it turns out to be the Rashad Smith fella who also did "dangerous", "doin' it" by LL, "one more chance" remix, "can't you see" by Total, "making moves with puff" by Craig Mack etc. Pretty good mid 90s producer.

Yeah, i know that Galt Mcdermot "space" track.

― ha11a iz a11ah bakkkwardz, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 11:12 (nineteen years ago)

sixteen years pass...

“If you got the money then quest is for the bookin”

― calstars, Sunday, 19 March 2023 22:35 (three years ago)

“Microphone check one two what is this”

― calstars, Sunday, 19 March 2023 22:40 (three years ago)

his Jazz Is Dead series of mixtapes rules

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, 19 March 2023 22:56 (three years ago)

Link?

― calstars, Sunday, 19 March 2023 22:57 (three years ago)

https://jazzisdead.bandcamp.com/music

― least said, sergio mendes (sic), Monday, 20 March 2023 00:07 (three years ago)

Wow, thank you
Had no idea these existed

― calstars, Monday, 20 March 2023 01:37 (three years ago)

Jazz is dead is a huge scene here in LA and Ali is the king

― kurt schwitterz, Monday, 20 March 2023 01:54 (three years ago)

More importantly, what is Ali without Shaheed Muhammed?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Tuesday, May 30, 2006 10:07 AM (sixteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

for some reason, i always assumed kapelka was a cheap brand of vodka, like kamchatka. but i guess it's tip mispronouncing gefilte (fish).

― budo jeru, Monday, 20 March 2023 05:02 (three years ago)

What's the deal with the Jazz Is Dead stuff, is it sample-based or all new live collabs with those musicians, or in between? And no relation to the 'Jazz Is Dead' touring Grateful Dead thing, I assume?

― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 20 March 2023 14:41 (three years ago)

Seems to be mostly new live recordings with those musicians. For instance, here's Marcos Valle recording his a few years ago:
In the Studio with Marcos Valle, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, & Adrian Younge

― enochroot, Monday, 20 March 2023 14:49 (three years ago)

Tight. Too bad about the name.

― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 20 March 2023 14:50 (three years ago)

Pretty cool that Ali Shaheed has become a real deal instrumentalist!

― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 20 March 2023 14:56 (three years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OgPkAWGIDE

― INDEPENDENTS DAY BY STEVEN SPILBERG (President Keyes), Monday, 20 March 2023 15:01 (three years ago)

the jazz is dead stuff is decent. i marathon`d several of them and yeah. none of them really knocked my socks off. if you like the headliner, you'll probably like that installment just fine.

― ''can be prusuaded to show gayness'' (Austin), Monday, 20 March 2023 15:38 (three years ago)

They blend together very well. Some are better than others because the guest brings more to the table. I'm listening to the new/next one now, with Lonnie Liston Smith, and it's pretty wild. My favorites — the ones I'd say are almost must-hear, at least once — are Azymuth, Gary Bartz, Brian Jackson, Henry Franklin, Phil Ranelin/Wendell Harrison, and Smith.

― but also fuck you (unperson), Monday, 20 March 2023 15:58 (three years ago)

yeah, the Gary Bartz is great. i need to check out Ranelin/Harrison

― budo jeru, Monday, 20 March 2023 17:46 (three years ago)

Listened to a few of these this morning, maybe I wasn't in the right mood but they were leaving me cold even though it's a great idea in theory. Like they're replicating those '70s bargain bin finds that are cool but actually not all that great apart from the breaks or samples.

― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 20 March 2023 17:59 (three years ago)

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