Back in 1990, A Tribe Called Quest changed my life when they told me about this chick named “Bonita Applebum.”
Of course they weren’t just speaking to me, but at the time I actually believed that there was a girl running around Virginia State University named Bonita Applebum. Even sadder, I was so wet-behind-the-ears that I didn’t even realize the entire song was an ode to posteriors - I just thought Bonita must have been a super bad-ass chica. In any regards, after calling The Box 50/11 times to replay the video, I was a certified Quest fan - or at least according to my phone bill. In my mind, these boho rappers (including Phife) were the epitome of what I wanted to become - cool.
Years later, I’d grow up and move to Manhattan and become a journalist. Coincidently, one of my first gigs was interviewing Tribe frontman Q-Tip for his flick, She Hate Me. We met at a hotel and he talked my ear off incessantly, sometimes drifting off into sordid tales that didn’t match my questions. Dressed like he’d just gotten out of bed - hair matted and breathe au-natural - it was if he decided to remove his “cool.”
At the time, I was a bit offended that he didn’t bother to wash his ass for the interview, but while checking out this classic Tribe clip for “Bonita Applebum,” it occurred to me, Q-Tip was always tart - and maybe that’s what made him cool?.
Tags: Q-Tip, Rewind
WHAT NOW?