Although A Tribe Called Quest's first tour in six years is looming next month, principal member Phife Dawg admits the pioneering hip-hop group is still uncertain whether the shows will lead to any further activity.

After all, one new song, "I C U Doin' It," was recorded in 2004 for a "Violator" compilation but never saw the light of day, and Phife is still disappointed Tribe didn't seize that opportunity to spend more time in the studio.

"I really thought it was going to jump off right then and there," he tells Billboard.com. "It was the perfect time. Not that right now isn't, but if we don't make up our mind whether we're going to do it or not, nobody is going to care anymore. Let's break bread while we can."

"I'm not sure how it would be recording with each other," he continues. "It has been such a long time. The last time, we were 27 or 28. Now, we're 35 and 36. We're grown now. I don't want to say yes and we don't record, or no and we drop an album next March. It is up in the air, definitely. You have three different personalities."

For now, Phife, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad are focusing on the 2K Sports-sponsored tour, which opens Sept. 1 in Detroit. "We have to give it up to 2K Sports," Phife admits. "They had an idea to bring us out on the road, and for whatever reason we agreed. We really don't need too much p reparation other than going over the song list and listening to the songs, and making sure we remember lyrics."

As for what fans can expect from the set list, Phife would only say, "Anything you remember as a single, we're doing it. Thank god we have some catalog!"

Despite the passage of time, Phife says he is eternally "thankful" how frequently Tribe is still referenced as one of the most important acts in hip-hop history. "The rap game is so fickle," he says. "We could have been forgotten and left for dead a long time ago, especially since we haven't done anything since 1998. For people to still crave seeing us, that's a blessing. I really think we're doing ourselves, as well as the fans, an injustice by not handling our business. It's not going to be like that forever, and we need to take full advantage."

Dates for the 2K6 Tour ft A Tribe Called Quest:

Sept 8 Las Vegas NV Red Rock Beach
Las Vegas, NV 89101

Sept 9 Berkeley CA Berkeley Comm Theater
1930 Allston Way
Berkeley, CA 94704

Sept 10 Los Angeles CA Wiltern LG
3790 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Sept 13 Denver CO  Fillmore Auditorium
1510 Clarkson Street
Denver, CO 80218

Sept 15 Chicago IL  Congress Theatre
2135 North Milwaukee AvenueChicago, IL 60647

Sept 16 Milwaukee WI  The Rave Eagles Club
2401 West Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI 53233

Sept 17 Toronto ON  Kool Haus
132 Queens Quay East
Toronto, ON M5A 3Y5

Sept 20 Baltimore MD Rams Head Live
20 Market Place
Baltimore, MD 21202

Sept 22 Washington DC  Love Nightclub
1350 Okie Street NE
Washington, DC 20002

Sept 23 Atlanta GA  Tabernacle
152 Luckie Street
Atlanta, GA 30303

Sept 24 Lake Buena Vista FL  House of Blues
1490 East Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Sept 28 Atlantic City NJ  House of Blues
801 Boardwalk
Atlantic City, NJ 08401

Sept 29 Worcester MA  The Palladium
261 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01608

Oct 1 Sayreville NJ  Starland Ballroom
570 Jernee Mill Road
Sayreville, NJ 08872