Every piece of A Tribe Called Quest’s Grammy performance was calculated, sharp, and, most importantly, openly angry—led by an artist, Q-Tip, who was clearly uninterested in wasting time. Introducing their performance, Q-Tip spoke the group into existence as a single body speaking for “all those people around the world, all those people who are pushing people in power to represent them.” It is a bold statement, and its spirit—devoid of self-service—runs counter to the general mood of the Grammys. But Q-Tip’s newfound urgency makes him believable as someone willing to fight the fight next to
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