| "Can I Kick It?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by A Tribe Called Quest | ||||
| from the album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm | ||||
| B-side | "If the Papes Come" | |||
| Released | October 29, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | A Tribe Called Quest | |||
| A Tribe Called Quest singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Can I Kick It?" on YouTube | ||||
"Can I Kick It?" is a song by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released in October 1990 by Jive Records as the third single from their debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990).[1] The song, which has a call and response chorus, was recorded in 1989, when the group members were aged 18-19.[2] "Can I Kick It?" contains samples of "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed,[3] "What a Waste" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, "Spinning Wheel" by Dr. Lonnie Smith, "Dance of the Knights" by Sergei Prokofiev and "Sunshower" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. Phife Dawg has stated that, because of the use of the "Walk on the Wild Side" sample, the group did not receive any money from the single, with Lou Reed instead claiming the profits.[3] The music video for the song was directed by Jim Swaffield and filmed in New York City, featuring among others De La Soul.
"Can I Kick It?", considered one of the group's signature songs, also appears on the band's 1999 compilation album The Anthology, with the outro of "Bonita Applebum" added to the beginning of the song. In 2012, NME ranked the song number 90 in their list of the "100 Best Songs of the 1990s".[4]
- ^ "Today in Hip Hop History: A Tribe Called Quest Releases Debut Album". The Source. April 17, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
- ^ Trendell, Andrew (July 3, 2015). "10 Brilliant Songs Written By Stars in Their Teens". Gigwise. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Lou Reed dead: Tribe Called Quest sampled late legend's 'Walk on the Wild Side'". The Grio. October 28, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
- ^ "100 Best Songs Of The 1990s". NME. May 8, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2020.