Tribe NYC are breathing fresh life into ’90s hip hop culture
- Text by Alex King
- Photography by Nicolas Heller/Tribe NYC
“The blueprint that was given to our generation was the ’80s and the ‘90s,” explains musician Kid Love. “They knocked it out for us, how to do it. You wanna have a good time? You wanna get people together? You wanna make good music? This is how you do it!”
For Kid Love and his retro-culture-inspired crew, hip hop’s golden era is the touchstone for a shared vision that comes together in Tribe NYC. Each member of the six-person Brooklyn-based art and music collective – Kid Love, Manolo Mike, Chill, Prynce, Teddy and Paulie – interprets the culture in their own discipline; as a musician, artist, dancer, poet or stylist.
Hip hop nostalgia is certainly on the rise, as kids raised on a diet of A Tribe Called Quest, boomboxes and big sneakers come of age. But for Tribe, this is more than just a trend. “Trends don’t have progression, they just die out,” Kid Love explains. “That’s why you know the ‘90s and stuff, it wasn’t a trend. It was when hip hop was fresh, it was brand new. People were given the hip hop vision, so thirty years later people it still has that same vision. Because it was just real, it was authentic and that stuff lasts forever.”
Check out the story over on Rolling Stone.
You might like
What we’re excited for at SXSW 2026
Austin 40 — For the festival’s 40th anniversary edition, we are heading to Texas to join one of the biggest global meetups of the year. We’ve selected a few things to highlight on your schedules.
Written by: Huck
Capturing the spirit of the ’90s surf scene with Volcom
Nineteen 90 Nowhere — The brand’s latest Featured Artist Series collection sees them tap three surfers and artists in Gony Zubizarretta, Seth Conboy and Issam Auptel, whose neo-grunge work blends the rawness of the decade with the present.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Wu-Tang Clan forever, and ever
The Final Chamber — RZA, the spiritual leader of one of the most important hip hop groups of all time explains why they won’t rest until their legacy is secured.
Written by: Yoh Phillips
On The Mountain, Jamie Hewlett’s Gorillaz explore life after death
Going East — As everyone’s favourite animated band release their latest album, the visual artist behind it all catches up with Josh Jones to chat about the grief and spirituality underlining the record, as well as his learnings from how other cultures approach death and the afterlife.
Written by: Josh Jones
Lisette Model’s ’50s jazz pictures were nearly lost to McCarthyism
The Jazz Pictures — A landmark new book edited by Audrey Sands uncovers nearly 1,500 photographs from the genre’s golden age previously thought to be lost. Featuring the likes of Billie Holliday, Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong, they tell both a story of music and resistance in the face of oppression.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Greer Lankton’s dolls are more human than you think
Could It Be Love — A staple figure in New York’s ’80s East Village scene, her art shocked and confronted. Now, three decades after her death, a new monograph anthologises her work, which explores the darker sides of human life, but also finds beauty within the strange.
Written by: Miss Rosen
