If hip-hop fans were salivating with the news that A Tribe Called Quest were playing in Australia for the first time ever, they were positively rabid by the time it was announced that there would be an after party featuring Maseo from De La Soul, and ATCQ main man himself Q-Tip.

Still reeling from the stirring performance by A Tribe Called Quest (ATCQ) at Festival Hall, my crew and I headed out through the city into the cold, wet Melbourne night. Roxanne Parlour was the destination, where Maseo (De La Soul) and ATCQ main man Q-Tip were set to grace us on the wheels of steel. We arrived at the club to be greeted by a full house. We got the sense that the fun was definitely not over. The atmosphere was cheery and festive as one would expect, considering most of the crowd just witnessed Tribe blowing the roof off Festy Hall.

Maseo was already at the decks when we walked into the main room. His mixing was smooth, and the selection slightly more underground than the set we just witnessed by the man at Festival Hall. Thankfully he also kept the microphone antics to a minimum. No more obvious questions to the audience such as “Do you like Hip-Hop?!”, to which my friend replied rather sarcastically “Well ahhh…. yes. We are here, aren’t we?”. The crowd was having a reserved boogie, but seemed to be saving their energy for the next man up at the turntables.

Q-Tip’s reception when he stepped up to the turntables was one reserved for hip-hop royalty, and deservedly so. No one would question the man’s skills on the mic, but to be honest I’m not sure most people had any idea of what to expect from Q-Tip as a DJ. His set was like a walk through his own musical history. Dropping party favourites such as Michael Jackson’s ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’. Indulging in his personal favourites like Bell Biv Devoes’s ‘Poison’, which had certain elements of the crowd trying out their best early 90s dance moves. Through to old school hip-hip classics, such as Black Moon’s ‘Who Got The Props’?

It was plain to see that Q-Tip was having a great time, and putting a lot of care in to his set. Every so often Q-Tip lent his distinctive voice to the mic, to get the crowd going. At one point announcing that if we ran into Ali Shahid Mohammed, or Phife Dawg to make them feel welcome. I don’t think they would have had a problem there! Alas, I did not catch a glimpse of the duo. Whilst Maseo was good – Q-Tip was definitely the revelation of the evening. He kept the party vibe going throughout his set. The ATCQ Afterparty was the perfect end, to an epic night of hip-hop.