Q-Tip and Phife were childhood friends and had grown up together in St. Albans, Queens. The pair first met Muhammad in Murray Bergtraum High School. Initially, Q-Tip had been performing as a solo artist (MC Love Child), occasionally teaming up with Muhammad as a rapper/DJ duo. Although the pair frequently made demos with Phife (as Crush Connection), the sports enthusiast was still courting ambitions Read more...

In less than a year, and under the management of DJ Red Alert, the group released their first single, "Description Of A Fool", to a lukewarm reception, and without a music video in advance of their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Similar to De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising, People's Instinctive Travels was marked by a playful lyrical approach (as on the call-and-response Read more...

Following People's Instinctive Travels, the group continued to gather a loyal fan base through touring and guest appearances such as on De La Soul's "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"". "Check the Rhime" was the lead single from the group's landmark second album, The Low End Theory, released on September 24, 1991. Based around a sample from Average White Band's "Love Your Life", the song largely Read more...