Rapper Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest was working on a new solo album when he died of complications from diabetes in March.
Now, his group is releasing what they said is their final album.
In a letter posted on his Facebook page Thursday night, Tribe member Q-Tip said their reunion last year on the “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” sparked creativity.
“It was our first TV performance in 18 years,” the rapper wrote. “The energy for us that night was one that we hadn’t experienced on stage together in some time!”
That night was also the night of the terrorist attack in Paris — and as Q-Tip explained — an impetus for the group to record again.
“As we left 30 Rock I felt the need, we all did, to get back to the studio and start that cookup!! So we got to it,” he wrote.
“It was coming together nicely and as you may know we lost our brother, may God rest his soul on March 22,” Q-Tip wrote. “But he left us with the blueprint of what we had to do.”
One of the pivotal hip hop acts of the 1990s, Phife Dawg, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad have long been revered by fans.
The group famously split in 1998 and both Phife and Q-Tip launched solo careers. The 2011 documentary “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest,” directed by actor Michael Rapaport, traced the group’s influence along with its eventual disbanding.
In his announcement, Q-Tip said “this isn’t filled with old Phife bars” but the album will feature fellow rap artists Busta Rhymes and Consequence.
A Tribe Called Quest’s new music will debut November 11.