Hip-hop comes of age in hall of fame
Mary J Blige, inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rappers have made inroads lately though, and the likes of Public Enemy, Run DMC, NWA, Missy Elliot, Biggie, Jay Z, Tupac and others have been inducted, and this year’s nominations include the mighty A Tribe Called Quest.
On a personal level I was delighted to see arguably the two most defining artists of my early years being inducted, as Mary J Blige joined the Tribe in the prestigious induction, which will take place in October.
Other inductees this year include the mighty Norman Whitfield, Dionne Warwick, Cher and Kool and the Gang, though Sinead O’Connor, Eric B and Rakim, Mariah Carey and Janes Addiction will have to wait a little longer.
Let’s get back to A Tribe Called Quest and Mary J Blige though. It’s hard to think of two more worthy inductees, particularly for those of us who grew up in the era where they were so influential.
From a DJ perspective I can safely say both Mary J Blige and A Tribe Called Quest were two of the most defining acts of not just the 90s but beyond. As someone who started DJing in the era where both made their way, I was privileged to have been around when each album and single came out. Both had released incredible albums by the time I started in around 1993, but they remained consistent in a decade where both hip-hop and soul advanced into commercial unchartered territory. It’s not for record sales that these two were honoured though. It’s more about their art and their influence, which, in many ways, is even more pronounced 25/30 years on.
A Tribe Called Quest were not the first hip-hop group to elevate the genre. Many of those previously inducted came first, and even of their peers, Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, Gang Starr and others were similarly making innovative strides in the early 90s. Jungle Brothers remain criminally underrated, Gang Starr are rightly heralded as one of the greatest rap groups ever, while De La Soul are almost enjoying a new renaissance since their pioneering catalogue finally became more available to the digital generation recently.
A Tribe Called Quest were as good as anyone though, and the dynamic enjoyed between Q Tip and Phife has rarely been matched in hip-hop. The production was always on point too and, as years go by, even their later albums are being reassessed. By then a young Jay Dee (Dilla) was involved, and there’s many, including myself, who regard him as the greatest hip-hop producer of them all. A Tribe Called Quest influenced basically everyone who came after; just ask Kanye, Pharrell and anyone else.
Mary J Blige can say the same really. The sound may not have been quite as revolutionary on the outset, but she was the queen of a movement which dominated the 90s and every R&B development since. Hip-hop soul/swing/streetsoul, or whatever you want to call it, soon took over from new jack swing as the sound of young America in the early 90s. Hip-hop beats and production values were matched to a very much feminine swagger, in a sound that became a refreshing antidote to some of the macho rap of that era. Mary J Blige, SWV, Aaliyah, Zhane, TLC and many more young artists came out in this era, and Mary was the undisputed queen.
Puffy and his Bad Boy team basically took the hip-hop template to direct Mary’s career into the charts, and soon this hip-hop/R&B combination was spearheading a commercial success that also saw west coast hip-hop and a more jiggy New York style hitting the heights that it had never imagined before. Others came after and had more success, but Mary J Blige provided the template in the 90s, and she has still remained a great songwriter, a consistent artist and a capable live performer to this day.
A Tribe Called Quest and Mary J Blige are two worthy additions to this hall of fame!
