The seminal rap group A Tribe Called Mission brought jazz into the genre, resurrecting timeless rhythms to create masterpieces. This narrative comes after Tribe off their early days as part of the Afrocentric rap collective referred to as the Local Tongues, through their initial three classic albums, with their eventual break up and long hiatus. Their work is placed in the framework from the broader rap landscape of the 1990s, one upended by sampling laws that compelled a reinvention in production strategies, the East about JUST DO IT in the torrential rain: Notes to A Tribe Known as Quest Coast-West Coast rivalry that threatened to eliminate the genre, and some record labels’ change from concentrating on groups to specific MCs. Throughout the narrative, poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib connects the music and cultural history with their street-level influence. Whether he’s remembering The Source mag cover announcing the Tribe’s 1998 separation or writing personal letters to the group after bandmate Phife Dawg’s death, Abdurraqib looks for the deeper truths of the Tribe Called Pursuit, truths that-like the reduced end, the bass-are not only heard in the head but are felt in the upper body. Digging in to the group’s history, Abdurraqib draws from his own experience to think about how its exclusive audio resonated among followers like himself. The result is as ambitious and genre-bending as the rap group itself.