Consequence

Consequence first reached hip-hop listeners in 1996 through a guest spot on A Tribe Called Quest’s Beats, Rhymes and Life, a chance that arose in part because Q-Tip is his cousin. After the group split in 1998 he shifted from one label to another, even finishing a complete album for Elektra that never reached stores. He stayed visible by dropping a series of mixtapes, most notably 2004’s Take ’Em to the Cleaners, hosted by Kanye West; the two had met two years earlier through their mutual friend, producer 88 Keys, and Consequence had already appeared on West’s debut, The College Dropout. The mixtape also included Talib Kweli, Common, Little Brother, John Legend, and several others. In 2005 he joined West’s G.O.O.D. Music roster and began recording the project slated for the following year. While that album was still in progress he compiled A Tribe Called Quence: 1995-2004, a set that mapped his own history with remixes and previously unheard tracks. Though the arrival of his solo debut, Don’t Quit Your Day Job, was postponed until 2007, he kept performing by opening for labelmate Legend on the 2006 Once Again tour.