We got it from Here… Thank you 4 Your Service was the perfect last album to send off A Tribe Called Quest and legendary MC Phife Dawg, who died months before the album was released.
But in a revelation from Quest collaborator and cousin of Q-Tip, Consequence, he shared that Tribe had an idea to add Kanye West as an honorary member for their sixth and final album.
In a short preview clip of Consqequence’s appearance on the popular show and podcast Drink Champs, he says, “Here’s something to go viral. What many people don’t know is Kanye was, at one point, was supposed to join Tribe for the last album.”
N.O.R.E., one of the hosts, asks, “When Phife was alive?” Consequence says “No.” Then N.O.R.E. replies, saying, “Phife had passed away.” Consequence continues, “Kanye was going to join Tribe.”
Consequence is a New York rapper who used to be signed to West’s label G.O.O.D. Music. The world was first introduced to him on Tribe’s fourth album, Beats, Rhymes & Life, where he kind of became the group’s unofficial official fifth member—similar to CappaDonna on Wu-Tang Clan’s second album, Wu-Tang Forever.
While the album isn’t terrible, it is clearly one of the worst albums the legendary Hip-Hop group has ever released. Not saying that it’s Consequence’s fault, the production was a 180 from their last album, but there was noticeably something off with having someone who was not an OG member of the group rap over the entire album. While I wasn’t alive when the album was released, listening to the album and speaking to OGs who were there when it came out, they also felt something was off.
Kanye West has previously spoken about the influence that Tribe has had on his music. It’s really easy to catch when you listen to his earlier work. But, I’m glad he didn’t become an honorary member before their last album. Not saying the music wouldn’t have been great, because it probably would have. But because Phife died just eight months before We got it from Here was released, I wanted the focus to be on the members who started this whole movement.
That’s Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White.
We got it from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service was released in November 2016 and had many incredible features including Mr. West, Andree 3000, Anderson .Paak, Elton John, Busta Rhymes and yes, even Consequence. The album also weaved in posthumous verses from Dawg on many of the tracks.