Slum Village shows that it’s a survivor

Slum Village knows plenty about change. On each of the innovative Detroit-based rap outfit’s three national albums, it has had a different lineup. “We’ve had an interesting career,” T3 says with a chuckle via phone from Detroit. The rapper is the only original Slum Village member still in the band, which also includes rapper Elzhi. “We’re still here making a living, even though we had all the breakups and the crazy stuff.”

The group, considered heirs to A Tribe Called Quest’s thoughtful, Afro-centric rap throne in the late 1990s, had a brush with stardom in 2004 with “Selfish,” a devilishly clever relationship song produced by Kanye West and featuring vocals from West and his then-emerging R&B; protege, John Legend. But the cut never became an outright smash, and Slum Village’s 2004 album for Capitol Records, “Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit),” floundered.

“At that time, Kanye wasn’t Kanye the Superman, as he is today,” T3 says. “[The label] didn’t see the potential. I’m sure if they had the record now, they’d be like, ‘Oh. Kanye!’ It would be a different approach. It’s all about timing.”

Slum Village’s next album is planned for August, with a European tour later this year and plans to reunite with former members Jay Dee and Baatin for a Slum Village reunion album, which they hope to release in 2006 in conjunction with a movie based loosely on their lives.

T3 is glad he kept Slum Village alive. “We’re at a good place now because we’re loved in the industry,” he says. “When I see the Neptunes, they know who we are and they respect our music. That’s motivation to keep going.”

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Slum Village, House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 11 p.m. Friday. $22. (323) 848-5100.

-- Soren Baker