One of 2010’s true bombshell announcements was undoubtedly A Tribe Called Quest’s August visit. This is the group’s first expedition to Australia in a storied career, and fans are bristling with anticipation. Ahead of the landmark occasion, inthemix got on the phone with one of the pillars of ATCQ, DJ and beatmaker Ali Shaheed Muhammad, to find out why it has taken so long to take the long haul down under.

“Back then, the offers that came in, they never covered the preferences we had to make the journey,” the man explained to ITM’s interviewer Hugh Robertson. “And we battled with promoters – not only in Australia, but all over the world. We even wrote a song, Rap Promoters, because of our frustration with promoters and the business of promoting hip hop music, especially live performances. Just recently we’ve done a couple of shows, and it seems like there’s revived interest in the group. And then came the phone call from Australia, and we’re like, ‘Hell yeah!’”

It’s fair to say Muhammad won’t be the only one calling “hell yeah!”, either, with the veterans promising career-spanning sets in Sydney and Melbourne. “We’re blessed that after 21 years in the music business, and not having a new album for 12 years, we’ve still got people with an interest in the group,” he enthused. “And we’re humbled, and grateful, and we can’t wait to get over there and do it.”

Will you be front and centre for Tribe? Add yourself to the Sydney and Melbourne roll-calls on inthemix.