Ali Shaheed Muhammad

As a member of A Tribe Called Quest, Ali Shaheed Muhammad played a pivotal role in the evolution of rap music throughout the 1990s, factoring in the development of the jazz-rooted, sample-based production approach that epitomized Native Tongues, the beloved collective of unorthodox groups that also included the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul. During and following the activity of Tribe -- whose six studio albums (from 1990 to 2016) went either gold or platinum and bagged a handful of Grammy nominations -- the DJ, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter has been vital on...