Influencing a generation of rappers and producers to come…

Together with the two Mcs Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, Dj and producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad is one third of A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, one of the best and most influential American Hip-Hop groups of all time. Ali Shaheed has sold more records and is responsible for more classics than many current rap stars have released tracks.

As a producer, he’s the foundation of A Tribe Called Quest’s success subsequently influencing a generation of rappers and producers to come.(Without Ali producers such as Jay Dee, Madlib and Pharell/Neptunes would have never existed).

Jazzy-funky sounds & intellectual lyrics revolutionizing Hip Hop

A Tribe Called Quest 1989 - Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Phife Dawg, Q-Tip

As the flagship of the Native Tongue Posse (along with De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah and Monie Love), Tribe was one of the first artists with jazzy-funky sounds and intellectual lyrics revolutionizing Hip Hop at the end of the 80s up to 1998, selling five platinum and gold lps.

The Tribe albums “People’s Instinctive Travels and The Paths of Rhythm” (1990),“The Low End Theory” (1991) and “Midnight Marauders” (1993), are regarded as three milestone releases in music history. Apart from the outstanding rhymes of Q-Tip and Phife it was Ali who came up with the trademark Tribe sound encompassing Jazz sampled boom bap beats with outrageously sympathetic basslines and horn loops. Ali is a music lover who knows no boundaries.

Ali is constantly in the studio banging out new classics for the likes of D ‘Angelo, Janet Jackson, Mos Def, Krs One, Maxwell, jazz legend Eric Bennet, Angie Stone or his own projects such as his well received “Shaheedullah and Stereotypes” album.

Together with Jay Dee (JDilla) and Q Tip, he founded the musical group “The Ummah” in the mid-90s producing the last two Tribe albums (incl. the classic “Find a way”), the Q Tip solo album “Amplified” and productions and remixes for Busta Rhymes, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Whitney Houston, etc.

Another music project was Lucy Pearl consisting of Ali Shaheed, Raphael Saadiq and Dawn Robinson of the trend-setting diva girl group En Vogue. In the year of the millennium the self-titled debut album dropped, combining R & B, soul and Hip-Hop elements.

With “Do not mess with my man” the trio had a huge radio friendly hit single, even years later it still remains a big tune on every dance floor.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad was already nominated four times for the Grammy, two times with “A Tribe Called Quest”, one time with D’Angelo and once with Lucy Pearl. Ali will be spinning for ChoiceCuts making his debut Irish performance at The Sugar Club on Saturday January 22nd.