A Tribe Called Quest Releases Their Final Video, “The Space Program”
It’s a sad day for hip-hop and music at large.
Very few, if any, hip-hop acts have enjoyed the longevity that the legendary and innovative group A Tribe Called Quest has. Using their revolutionary style to further expand the genre’s creative boundaries, Tribe will be memorialized for their contributions to hip-hop and music at large. Today, they’ve returned with an eight-minute-long Apple Music-premiered video for, “The Space Program”–the group’s final video; the closing on an illustrious career.
Their final album, We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service, served as an extremely ambivalent project: on one hand, it was the first Tribe album since 1998’s The Love Moment; on the other, it was their last project. But, ultimately, it served as a tribute and remembrance for their late member, Phife Dawg.
“The Space Program” video, directed by industry stalwart Warren Fu, is an apocalyptic, spaced-out offering that blurs the lines between reality and science fiction. While the three current members are all fully present, Phife’s absence is painfully visible. However, the video culminates in a touching tribute to the 5’5” assassin through a montage of pictures of him with the group back in the day.
Whether or not this is the last time we see or hear from Tribe is up to debate. Their legacy isn’t.
Watch a clip for “The Space Program” below:
