The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers announced on Thursday that it will be awarding A Tribe Called Quest their Golden Note Award. The award will be presented during the 29th Annual Rhythm and Soul Music Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles on June 23rd. The ceremony will also include a tribute to Phife Dawg, who recently passed away in March due to complications with diabetes.
A Tribe Called Quest unleashed their signature fusion of jazz and hip hop with 1990's People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, and they went on to release four more albums in a career that spawned nearly 10 years. Critics and fans alike regard their two following albums, Low End Thoery and Midnight Marauders, as seminal hip hop classics. Along with fellow Native Tongues' groups De La Soul and The Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest helped to forge a positive, jazz-inspired brand of hip hop that stood in stark contrast to the gangster rap that dominated radio airwaves at the time.
Past recipients of the award include Puff Daddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill, Pharrell, and LL Cool J. Concerning the music of A Tribe Called Quest, ASCAP released this statement, “A Tribe Called Quest influenced a generation with their fusion of hip-hop, jazz and socially-conscious lyrics. They continue to inspire decades later and are more than deserving of this special honor.”
By Ryan Donberg for RAPstation.com
