Award Tour
"Award Tour" is a song by A Tribe Called Quest, released as the first single from their third album Midnight Marauders. It features rapper Trugoy on the chorus, from the fellow Native Tongues group De La Soul. It contains a sample of "We Gettin' Down" by Weldon Irvine, from his 1975 album Spirit Man. The B-side of the single is the original version of the Midnight Marauders track "The Chase, Pt. 2", which notably features the first known verse by future Tribe collaborator Consequence. The song remains Tribe's highest charting single to date, experiencing large success in America and overseas.
| "Award Tour" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by A Tribe Called Quest featuring Trugoy | ||||
| from the album Midnight Marauders | ||||
| B-side | "The Chase, Part II" | |||
| Released | November 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1993 | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
| Length | 3:46 | |||
| Label | Jive Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, Weldon Irvine, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Malik Izaak Taylor | |||
| Producer(s) | A Tribe Called Quest | |||
| A Tribe Called Quest singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The second half of the song's chorus calls out names of cities and states in this order: New York City, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. John, Chi-town, Spokane, London, Tokyo, Houston, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Dallas, South Carolina, Maryland, New Orleans and Detroit. In addition, one line in the second verse mentions two Major League Baseball teams, the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees.
Background
Speaking with Vibe, Q-Tip revealed his process for the song's production:
I love the drums on 'Award Tour.' And then there's the sample I used from Jade's 'Don't Walk Away.' It's all about that bassline. I just wanted to flip it, so I went through some more records and I got that Rhodes to counter the melody in the bassline. I wanted some drums that would smack that shit out the park.[1]
Music video
The music video of "Award Tour", which featured an appearance by De La Soul, was released in November 1993. Filmed in the perspective of a painting, it featured Q-Tip and Phife Dawg rapping in New York City whilst De La Soul member Trugoy sings the chorus.
Legacy
- The song was featured in the video games Thrasher: Skate and Destroy, MLB 08: The Show, Madden NFL 12, and Forza Horizon 4.
- A portion of the song was performed by Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.[2]
- A portion of the song appears in the 2000 film Boiler Room.
- Wale uses a portion of the song in "World Tour", on his 2009 debut album Attention Deficit.
- Azealia Banks uses a portion of the lyrics in "1991".
- Iggy Azalea uses a portion of the lyrics in "Fancy".
- Kanye West references the title in "The Glory".
- People Under The Stairs reference the song in "San Francisco Knights".
- The song appears in the Netflix series Iron Fist.
- Referenced by Tyler, the Creator on his debut mixtape Bastard, specifically on the track "Odd Toddlers".
Charts
| Charts (1993–94) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 47 |
| US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)[4] | 1 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[5] | 27 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[6] | 7 |
References
- Midnight Marauders--A Tribe Called Quest (1993) Vibe. Accessed on October 15, 2017.
- Kung, Michelle (2010-09-30). "Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon's 'History of Rap' Duet: The Full Set List - Speakeasy - WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- "A Tribe Called Quest Chart Search". Billboard.
- "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2019.