Footprints

Recorded for A Tribe Called Quest’s debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm during the late-1989 to early-1990 sessions at Calliope Studios and Battery Studios in New York City. The album credits list the track as written and produced by A Tribe Called Quest, with Q-Tip handling production and mixing and Ali Shaheed Muhammad credited for scratching and programming. The track appeared on a debut album that was released on April 17, 1990 through Jive Records and was met with widespread critical acclaim. It became part of the record that helped define the group’s laid-back, jazz-inflected approach to hip-hop. “Footprints” remained important enough to be included on the album’s 25th anniversary edition as a CeeLo Green remix, and its original version is still remembered for its sample work with Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” and Donald Byrd’s “Think Twice.” The song’s enduring reputation rests on its role in one of the group’s most celebrated early recordings.