Can i kick it songmeanings

In fact, they were so confident in their abilities to "kick it" that in the "Can I Kick It? They add to that silliness with Q-Tip and friends acting out the lines of the song with hand motions—he does a plus sign, a flying dove, and so on—and all four Tribe members dancing in a silhouetted line across the screen.

The video—which is done over a remixed version with even more interesting sample bites than the original—says a lot about what "Can I Kick It?

Interspersing classic scenes of Tribe Called Quest rapping in a parking lot with goofy scenes of the group kicking the word "it," the video takes the idea of "kicking it" with a cool group of New York rappers and frankly makes fun of it. The group seems to be saying, yes, you can kick it, but only if you get over yourself first.

People's Instinctive Travels , now recognized as a hip-hop classic, was originally a little too quirky and off-kilter for a lot of hip-hop heads. Its jazzy sounds, rock samples, and light lyrics—which were unique at the time because they weren't about guns and street life or about revolution and hating cops —didn't initially seem cool enough for the moment.

But the Tribe knew how to claim it, making themselves self-consciously un-cool. Not taking themselves too seriously, paired with genuine confidence, eventually made them leaders and innovators. As sound engineer Bob Power puts it, "The record was the one kid in your class, who nobody ever really picked on, and he was okay, but no one really hung with him.

And then, all of a sudden, you realize he's the cool one and everybody starts to dress like him. What was just sort of off-kilter at first became a revered object of imitation and emulation not long after.

This first album is probably the bravest of their output, because it happened when the Tribe was still the unnoticed kid in the class. The crew's relative anonymity freed them up to forge their own identity. VIBE describes it as "a blend that appealed to street-corner radicals, high-brow culture miscegenators, and jeep-beat enthusiasts" source. In a lot of ways, it was just a group of kids having fun, but Tribe Called Quest was also working out some serious ideas.

In their brand of Afrocentrism, Shawn Taylor writes, "blackness was something to be wholly proud of, but the beauty and the limits of operating from a purely black cultural standpoint were also taken into consideration" source.

In other words, they were centered on Black experience without being exclusive about it. In "Can I Kick It? It takes a little bit of digging into what Shawn Taylor describes as " black metanarrative. In other words, the politics of the song aren't just in what they say, but in how they say it and in who they are while saying it. How does Black identity politics express itself in a song that never makes any mention of Blackness or whiteness?

Well, it happens through the music itself in "Can I Kick It? Ah, and therein lies the rub. Reed created a classic, but it was at the expense of several stereotypes about Black New York. This is where signifyin' comes into play.

Here's how one theorist explains it:. When he asks, "Can I Kick It? Rate These Lyrics. We do not have any tags for Can I Kick It? Why not add your own? Log in to add a tag. More Logic Lyrics. SongMeanings is a place for discussion and discovery.

User does not exist. Incorrect Password. Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. Log in. Lyrics Artists add. Can I Kick It? Can I kick it? To all the people who can Quest like A Tribe does Before this, did you really know what live was?

Comprehend to the track, for it's why, cuz Getting measures on the tip of the vibers Rock and roll to the beat of the funk fuzz Wipe your feet really good on the rhythm rug If you feel the urge to freak, do the jitterbug Come and spread your arms if you really need a hug Afrocentric living is a big shrug A life filled with fun that's what I love A lower plateau is what we're above If you diss us, we won't even think of Will Nipper the doggy give a big shove? This rhythm really fits like a snug glove Like a box of positives is a plus, love As the Tribe flies high like a dove Can I kick it?

Dinkins, would you please be my mayor? You'll be doing us a really big favor Boy, this track really has a lot of flavor When it comes to rhythms, Quest is your savior Follow us for the funky behavior Make a note on the rhythm we gave ya Feel free, drop your pants, check your hair Do you like the garments that we wear?

I instruct you to be the obeyer A rhythm recipe that you'll savor Doesn't matter if you're minor or major Yes, the Tribe of the game, rhythm player As you inhale like a breath of fresh air Can I kick it? Edit Lyrics. Add Your Thoughts 16 Comments. General Comment "can I kick it?