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Give me a little bit of information as to why you guys are starting this world tour.

There’s not much rhyme or reason to it. We are approached, often daily, by our booking agent with people who want to work with the group. I guess it was just like a flip of the coin. All the stars the moons and the planets, everything aligned properly. It’s not often we say ‘let’s go’. Especially with Australia, we have not had the offer to go there for a number of years. We’ve never toured there. After all these years, it seemed like a good time to jump into it.

People’s Instinctive Travel and the Paths of Rhythm has been around for a while now. What makes it such a lasting album that people go back to it after two decades?

I think the group was unique when we came out and we still remain to be a very unique group. There wasn’t really any groups like us. Although we had come from Native Tongues, with the Jungle Brothers who are from old school hip-hop and  the old generation. Then you had De La Soul who are certainly no comparison to Jungle Brothers, with their music and lyrical content. Then we had A Tribe Called Quest. When we first came out, people thought we may have been like De La Soul and then when we came out, we were nothing like De La Soul. We just had something that was different. We had an emotional synergy that was existing at the same time culturally and people connected with us. I don’t believe there has been another group quite like us. We settled into the hearts of the people. We have been definitely blessed to have that sort of welcome.

It came out in 1990 and that was a very exciting time for hip-hop, especially in the East Coast.  3 Feet High and Rising came out with De La Soul and America’s Most Wanted with the Bomb Squad was in production and DITC were going crazy at that moment. Could you tell me how it was like to release a debut album during that time period in hip-hop history?

We weren’t focused on hip-hop history. We were just living. I don’t want to necessarily just look at what was happening on the East Coast, because there was also a shift on the West Coast. Even with production and what Dr Dre was doing and NWA. They completely changed the music coming out of that territory. It wasn’t just one thing that was pinpointed to the East Coast. Although I believe that technology had a bit to do with advancement and the synergy and the things that people were able to do in the studio. Going from having these very simple pre-sampling drum machines to being able to sample your own music, we were this whole generation taking this technology and the ideas that had been established before us. There was so much going on. There was a sense of pride in being black in America and being children of parents from the civil rights movement who had so many restrictions in life to us having entirely no restrictions. However, we were having to combat the overwhelming practice where a young black teenager in the neighbourhood would be profiled just because, or having to grow up in the era where it was infested with drugs. We were not the owners of that, ships were bringing them in. There was an awakening, with Boogie Down Productions and especially Public Enemy who had ignited a fire in the younger guys like us. We grew up listening to Public Enemy, although we were on the cusp of their tail coming out. We were still kids listening to that sort of direction and in addition to the originality that was established. There were so many others, Run DMC and LL Cool J. We had come up in the era where there was so much happening at one time.

Do you think that acts like LL Cool J and Run DMC ushered this new generation in? Do you think it happened simultaneously?

I think it was a natural progression. Those guys were like the kings of the world to us. Being kids and impressionable and the youthfulness and having the spirit and the dream to make music. They were our icons. We were placed in a position of the right place and the right time, somewhat anointed. Not only as fans, but as artists and going out to parties and clubs and finding ourselves in that environment around those influential people. We were paying attention to what they were doing and taking what they had to offer. Prince Paul, with De La Soul. They were another legendary group doing their thing and helped to establish us and set us up.

You said that when you were a kid you used to listen to Ultramagnetic and Run DMC and all that and now that A Tribe Called Quest is held in as high regard as the groups you have mentioned, why do you think a Tribe Called Quest is still relevant in today’s music world just as the acts you listened to as a kid were?

Wow. That is a question I don’t think I have an answer for. It’s hard for me to be a part of something and to have an outsider’s perspective. I think we were different when we came out. The one thing about human beings is that we are all unique. It’s not like there’s a group of beings that are unique. Each and every person who is breathing on this planet is unique. We want to let our uniqueness come out loudly at times. We want to be understood. I think that as A Tribe Called Quest as far as what was happening in hip-hop at the time, there was a particular movement. I like to think of it as the James Brown movement. Sampling James Brown was like a movement, it was the thing to do. It was almost like the bible. You had to have James Brown beats to really be doing it. We had a different kind of element. We were still part of a bigger community, but we had a lot of uniqueness and we were different and we weren’t afraid of that. Sometimes when you are looked upon as different, you are shunned and you lose that standard and begin to assimilate with the herd and lose yourself. The things that we were talking about were seeds that were planted by groups like Public Enemy, but we had our own struggle. People in that time period were able to digest it and identify with it. That’s my take on it. I can say that maintaining integrity and speaking up for the people and aiming to unite them is something that we strove to do. I think that resonates with people. Before our record came out, we were in Europe for the first time with the Jungle Brothers and people in other cities that weren’t America had struggle and we were able to bring that home and into the studio and merge it with our own struggles. It resonated with the people and we are humbled and grateful that people let us into their soul.

Like you said, there were all these acts that set the bar and opened the door and let you guys come in. A Tribe Called Quest also opened the door and let record labels push the boundaries and go for those weird and different groups, like Outkast that came out in 1994. Did you realise how much impact A Tribe Called Quest was making on the industry when you were putting out those albums? In 1993 Midnight Maurauders came out and in 1994 the first Outkast album came out and that was a huge success. I wanted to know what you thought about it.

R’n’B music was changing towards what we were doing. On a small scale we were relevant to some of the things, but on a grand scale I don’t think we were too conscious of it but we certainly wanted to make changes in the industry. Specifically with the business structure and the record companies and how they treated hip-hop artists. Hip-hop artists are not usually 13 piece bands. It’s usually the DJs and the MCs. You can go into the studio and make these records fairly cheaply. For us, it was a matter of looking up to groups like the Beatles and Earth, Wind and Fire, all those iconic groups. Not just for the music, they made great music. It was for their look and presentation. The way their managers really jockeyed for the group. Like with Brian Epstein, the manager for the Beatles. He broke the mould with what was done at the time to establish their own record company. That’s the stuff we looked up to. We would have battles with our record company, because we had a vision that was bigger than the mould that they had created and established for hip-hop in the time period. For those internal battles, we created a wave that definitely affected in a good way. I think we were championing for something better to happen.

It’s been quoted in articles here and there that the group said that the frustration with Jive was one of the main reasons why the break up happened, after the album Love Movement. I guess in this new era of the record industry, the power is more in the consumers’ than the musicians’ hands. Do you think a lot would be different if you guys decided to put out new music or decided to go down that road again?

That’s a difficult question to answer because there are so many variables. To even fathom that, there would have to be a sense of purpose and a business model to suit us. Once you can answer the sense of purpose then you can direct. Right now we don’t have that sense of purpose to even pursue anything to answer that question.

Is there going to be any new A Tribe Called Quest music or do you project any new music coming out from the three of you together?

At some point, it may have been 2004 or 2003 we discussed the possibility but we haven’t really gone into it any further.

I guess you guys have been busy with your solo projects.

We’re busy with our solo projects, but we understand that we established something that was so unique. We are trying to be open-minded and we are part of that change, even with our last record we did that. Music is changing and we’re always trying to be open minded. Even to our hardcore Midnight Marauders and Low End Theory fans they really didn’t appreciate that album, but for the newer generation they thought it was incredible.

What does the near future hold for Ali Shaheed Muhammad at the moment?

I’m working on two solo records and trying to get them finished up. One’s a hip-hop record and the other’s a dance record and I’m presently producing this new group out of Ireland called The Kanyu Tree and they’re signed to Sony.

How did that come about?

They’re an alternative group out of the UK. Paul Harris had given me a call and just said 'I got a crazy idea. Have you thought about producing any rap groups or any alternative groups?' I said 'of course, I’m a musician!' I have this group that I think would be a good idea to link you up with them. They’re not your typical alternative group. I thought that they were incredible. They locked me in the studio in the middle of the country in the U.K. with nothing around to bang out a record. We’re putting the finishing touches on it now and I’m going to mix it and hopefully it will be out this year.

Great. What about your other records? The solo one and the dance one? When will they be coming out?

My solo one is unfortunately being held up by all these hard working rappers. It’s funny how time changes things. I remember back in my young days...I sound like an old man now, I remember if you had studio time you were a king. Having a studio to go to was the biggest thing in the world. Plus there was free food there and there was such an atmosphere. People would try to come to a session and be a part of something. Now because everyone is so successful, I’m only teasing a little bit, but at the same time everyone’s successful and everyone’s busy. It’s a challenge. I’ve tried telling them, I don’t need to come with you. Just drop a verse. Just send me the file please. I’ve been waiting for a few of my MC friends to give me the verses so that’s the hold up. I give them a hard time but I do understand and respect that we’re all busy and everyone’s out there trying to take care of the family. You got to be patient.

Can you say who will be on your new record?

I’d rather not say at the moment. It’s more of a hip-hop album. I think people will be happy with it. With the dance record, that will be another shocker.

For more on A Tribe Called Quest stay tuned to their website. To purchase tickets for their upcoming tour visit Ticketmaster for Melbourne and Ticketek for Sydney.