On November 13 , 2015 , A Tribe Called Quest reunited and performed on '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon '' , on the same night of the Paris attacks . Inspired by the energy of their performance , the group members put aside their differences and began recording a new album , '' We Got It from Here ... Thank You 4 Your Service '' , shortly thereafter . " We the People .... " was one of the first songs recorded for the album , as it featured a verse from group member Phife Dawg , who died on March 22 , 2016 before the album 's completion . Jayson Greene of '' Pitchfork '' called the song " a ferocious and driving song about intolerance and fear , " adding that it " simply put , is a sliver-sized miracle , a crack of light illuminating the door in a dark wall . This is the function Tribe songs have always served — they point to a path through wilderness . " Gil Kaufman of '' Billboard '' praised the song , noting that it " instantly became the national anthem of the anti-Trump nation . " At the end of 2016 , '' Slant Magazine '' named it the best single of the year , while '' The Village Voice '' ranked it fifth in their annual Pazz & Jop critics poll . '' Billboard '' ranked it the 10th best song of the year , while '' Pitchfork '' ranked it 11th , '' Consequence of Sound '' ranked it 25th , and NPR ranked it 34th
Paris attacks
November 2015 Paris attacks
We the People.... (song)