Find a Way (A Tribe Called Quest song)

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"Find a Way"
Single by A Tribe Called Quest
from the album The Love Movement
B-side"Steppin' It Up"[1]
ReleasedAugust 25, 1998
Recorded1997
GenreAlternative hip hop
Length3:24
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The Ummah
A Tribe Called Quest singles chronology
"Stressed Out"
(1996)
"Find a Way"
(1998)
"Like It Like That"
(1998)
Audio sample
Find a Way
Music video
"Find a Way" on YouTube

"Find a Way" is a song by A Tribe Called Quest, the first single from their fifth album The Love Movement. The New York Times' Ben Ratliff wrote that "Find a Way" "innocently wonders about the point at which friendship spills over into sex."[2]

Production[edit]

According to The Love Movement's liner notes, the track features production "initiated by JD of The Ummah."[3] The track contained samples from "Technova" by Towa Tei from the album Future Listening!. In 1990, Q-Tip was featured on the hit single "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite, a group that Towa Tei was involved with until 1996.

Music video[edit]

The video starts to Alicante, Spain in outer space, with a wide view of Earth that is later revealed to be a decoration in Ali Shaheed Muhammad's car. Ali spots three girls, and Q-Tip decides to flirt with all three. A scene of Alicante appears and shows the group walking on the beach while Phife Dawg is rapping. Next, the scene changes to a party, showing Q-Tip experiencing a romantic moment. From there, the video shifts to an art museum where Q-Tip is talking to his girl. The video then returns to Phife Dawg on the beach, telling a girl that he will do what she wants. The video ends with the group in a club, dancing with women and having fun. During the final chorus, the video pans once again to outer space, then shows the group sleeping in Ali's car. There is an iconic sing-along style bouncing ball each time the chorus plays.

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Scotland (OCC)[4] 75
UK Dance (OCC)[5] 5
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[6] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 41
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 71
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[9] 29
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[10] 18

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (1998) Position
UK Urban (Music Week)[11] 17

References[edit]

  1. ^ Tribe Called Quest Focuses On New Disc [dead link]. Rolling Stone (June 18, 1998). Accessed December 27, 2008.
  2. ^ Ratliff, Ben (November 27, 1998). POP REVIEW; After a Decade, Rap's Tribe Called Quest Goes Silent. The New York Times. Accessed December 22, 2008.
  3. ^ A Tribe Called Quest – The Love Movement Discogs. Accessed on April 29, 2017.
  4. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  7. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  8. ^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  9. ^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  10. ^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  11. ^ "The Urban Top 40 Of 1998" (PDF). Music Week. January 9, 1999. Retrieved August 6, 2023.