What Really Goes On

Recorded during the Beats, Rhymes and Life sessions at Battery Studios in New York City with The Ummah collective guiding the production. Bob Power handled the album mix, and the track sits in the group’s 1996 studio-era shift toward a darker, more insular sound. Placed late on A Tribe Called Quest’s fourth album, the song helped define the record’s reflective second half. Contemporary coverage singled it out as a strong example of the album’s jazzy sampling and heavy low-end approach. The track remains a respected deep cut from the group’s mid-1990s catalog. Its sample-driven groove, built around classic funk and soul source material, keeps it in circulation among listeners and producers who follow the group’s production style.