The members of the legendary group A Tribe Called Quest have always drawn from their African roots. Not only were they prime movers in Afrocentric movements – notably Zulu Nation and Native Tongues – but their lyrics and beats also referenced those that were (forcibly) ushered out of the ports of West, Central, and Southwest Africa – birthing such monumental movements as the blues, funk, jazz, rock, reggae and, of course, hip-hop along the way . And now we’ve come full circle.

With a simple and expertly-rolled cheek swab (a q-tip?) to collect DNA, watch Q-Tip (above) trace his maternal ancestry – back to the specific country, and, yes, TRIBE, that his peoples are really from – discovering that his interest in music and instrumentation is surely no accident.

If you haven’t yet seen our first episode in “The Root of…” series, check here to watch ?uesto and Black Thought discover theirs. And you too can discover the country and even tribe where it all began: to get your own DNA test, check out our partners over at African Ancestry.

Video by Native Resonance.