Sir Elton John has exposed his Hip-Hop taste, which includes a dose of A Tribe Called Quest. In a recent episode of a special edition of Elton John’s Beats 1 radio show “Elton John’s Rocket Hour” featuring Q-Tip, the pop-rock legend describes the iconic Hip-Hop group as being “the seminal hip-hop band of all time.”
The episode takes off with both class acts telling tales about their careers in music, spine-tingling moments, and their favorite jams. In the midst of the fluent chatter, John took a moment to express his thoughts about A Tribe Called Quest. “There’s something about A Tribe Called Quest that was so cool. It was so kind of laid back but it was so funky. You were unlike any other hip-hop band,” said John.
He went on to share his hip-hop experiences in the UK, highlighting the beauty of hip-hop unity. “I remember starting out seeing bands like N.W.A. and Public Enemy in London at the Hammersmith, and then De La Soul,” John recalled. “There’s something wonderful about you guys coming together.”
Later in the episode, John honorably recognized ATCQ as being “the seminal hip hop band of all time.” After noting their disbanding, Q-Tip compared the separation as a marriage saying, “it gets to the point like it’s a marriage as everybody says,” he said. “It got a little funky there but we always loved each other we all grew up with each other and plus the times were changing. When we started it was more of a group thing, and then years later it’s a very trendy thing in hip hop where it got to be a solo man’s game. It just happened, but we did okay.”
Q-Tip teamed up with Demi Lovato last year to cover Elton John’s classic duet with Kiki Dee “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” for Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin, a tribute album dedicated to Sir Elton and his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Before the release of the tribute album, Sir Elton appeared on ATCQ’s last album We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service on the track “Solid Wall of Sound” featuring Busta Rhymes and Jack White.
The appreciation for great music between Elton John and Q-Tip is certainly on record that not only bridges generation gaps but serves as a window of cross-recognition among the diverse spectrum of music genres.
Watch Q-Tip and Elton John on “Rocket Hour” here.
