Carve out about four minutes of your time to check out this video.

With a mother from Alabama, a father from the West Indies and growing up in Cleveland, the legendary member of A Tribe Called Quest decided to finally get to some answers. Q-Tip takes a simple cotton swab to uncover his African roots and from there, the pieces fall into place. Speaking of though, if you’re lucky enough to have grandparents (or parents) who are in to scrapbooking and tracing family trees, take a look for yourself. What you find may surprise.

It seems like a hassle, but actually learning about your ancestors is a powerful experience. Maybe not tracing all the way back to Africa, but those family members who actually lived during the 1800’s. Again, like I said, the answer(s) may surprise you.

**steps off soapbox**