"1nce Again" is a song by the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released as the first single from their fourth album Beats, Rhymes and Life.

"1nce Again"
Single by A Tribe Called Quest
from the album Beats, Rhymes and Life
B-side	"One, Two, Shit"
Released	July 1, 1996
Recorded	1995
Genre	Alternative hip hop
Length	3:49
Label	Jive Records
Songwriter(s)	Kamaal Fareed Ali Shaheed Muhammad Malik Taylor James Yancey Steve Swallow
Producer(s)	The Ummah
A Tribe Called Quest singles chronology
"Oh My God" (1994) "1nce Again" (1996) "Stressed Out" (1996)
Audio sample
1nce Again file help
Music video
"1nce Again" on YouTube

Background

The song contains samples of "I'm Your Pal" by Gary Burton and "Chocolate Nuisance" by Cannonball Adderley (note the dialogue heard throughout the track), while the chorus is sung by Tammy Lucas. The song is the first A Tribe Called Quest single to feature production by the late Jay Dee,[1] a member of The Ummah.

The chorus is a recreation of the chorus from "Check the Rhime", a previous single from the group's second album The Low End Theory. "1nce Again" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997, however the group lost to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's "Tha Crossroads".[2]

Music video

The music video, released in August 1996, begins with the group recreating the "Check the Rhime" video, with a crowd cheering. However, Phife notices that the police have come to arrest them, so the group runs into a dry cleaning store to hide. In the video, the group runs through different sections of the store while rapping. Tammy Lucas is also present in the store singing the chorus. At the end of the video, the police see the group running away up a flight of stairs. The group get onto the roof, at night, and they jump off the building as the video ends. Busta Rhymes makes an appearance in the music video.

Charts

Aphrodite remix

References