The group Elton John called the “seminal hip-hop band of all time”

A Tribe Called Quest are widely regarded as one of hip-hop’s greatest ever groups, and, as it turns out, somebody very famous indeed agrees with that assessment.

Elton John, speaking with Q-Tip on his Rocket Hour radio show in 2019, was hugely complimentary of the group, whom he had worked with a few years earlier on their 2016 album We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service. Elton’s song ‘Bennie and The Jets’ was sampled on ‘Solid Wall of Sound.’ 

“I was so happy to play that,” Elton said of his part on ‘Solid Wall of Sound.’ “That’s where we first met.” 

Elton recounted the experience of working with Tribe on the song. “You came to London, and we did a track in the studio, and it was such a huge honor for me,” he told Tip. “I was so excited. I just absolutely love this. This is such a takedown of what’s going on. That is such a great track.” 

Elton was also full of praise for We Got It From Here in general, Tribe’s final album following the death of Phife Dawg. 

“The album is a fantastic record,” Elton said. “If you’re gonna bow out with a record, you better do something like that.”

Elton referred to Tribe as the “seminal hip-hop band of all-time,” which, clearly, meant a lot to Tip. “I really pinch myself when you say that something that I did is a favorite track,” he said. “I’m just like still kind of like, am I dreaming? I feel like I’m in a different universe.”

On the surface, Elton John being a big Tribe fan might seem a little bit surprising. But his contribution to the Tribe album wasn’t his first foray into hip-hop, having performed alongside Eminem at the Grammys in 2001. He’s no stranger to rap and the people who make it.

Elton has also rushed to Em’s defense in the past, insisting that, despite the offensive rhetoric of a lot of his songs, Eminem himself is not homophobic. His evidence? Elton revealed that Eminem bought him a very special wedding present to mark his marriage to David Furnish. Presented on a velvet cushion, Em gifted Elton “two diamond cock rings”—hardly a gift from somebody with a problem with how they might be used.