Amazon.com essential recording: De La Soul are remembered as the premier Native Tongues posse, those rappers who got low-key, self-consciously thoughtful, and jazzy in the face of gangsta's hardcore threats. But A Tribe Called Quest may have been even stronger, especially on their excellent second album, the bass-thumping, heavily jazz-sampled The Low End Theory. According to the opening "Excursions," rapper Q-Tip's old man says the disc's jazz-rap "reminded him of bebop," and Q calls himself "prominent like Shakespeare." But if Charlie Parker had ever written poetic couplets and backed them with funky-drummer and Ron Carter-on-bass grooves this irresistible, he might have been as big as the Bard and Brother James combined. --David Cantwell
Disc 1:
Excursions
Buggin' Out
Rap Promoter - A Tribe Called Quest, Muhammad, Ali Shahe
Butter
Verses From the Abstract
Show Business - A Tribe Called Quest, Anselm, Skeff
Vibes and Stuff
The Infamous Date Rape - A Tribe Called Quest, Muhammad, Ali Shahe
Check the Rhime - A Tribe Called Quest, Ball, Roger
Everything Is Fair - A Tribe Called Quest, Anselm, Skeff
Jazz (We've Got)
Skypager - A Tribe Called Quest, Muhammad, Ali Shahe
Essential Hip-Hop Not only is this essential hip-hop, it's essential music for true music lovers. What more can I say that hasn't already been said by countless other reviewers; this music is perfect. It's not only music for your mind but also moves your feet too. For those uninitiated I would listen to TCQ's "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" first to get a feel for the loose, jazzy, laidback arrangements with smooth flows from Q-Tip and Phife D. They were amongst the first true laidback philosophers of hip-hop that spawned the sub-genre now known as "alternative rap."
weak if you're someone who regularly listens to alot of hip-hop, you'll recognize that this album is not all that great. in my opinion, it's tribe's 3rd best record. sure, there are a few quality tracks worth a listen, but the majority just don't do it for me. if you're looking to get started with some atcq, check out 'people's instinctive travels and the paths of rhythm, 'beats, rhymes and life' or 'midnight marauders', they won't let you down.
Pefect blend of hip hop and jazz The 2nd album from A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory is definitely their best album as well one of the greatest albums to come from the East Coast. One of the reasons for that is this album combindes both hip hop and jazz perfectly, especially since jazz bassist Ron Carter is featured on here. Another reason why its a classic album is because of the lyrical ability of Q Tip and Phife Dawg. Phife especially showcases his skils as an mc. The subject matter is also more serious than their debut. On The Low End Theory, ATCQ touches on sexual politices ("Infamous Date Rape"), violence in hip hop ("Vibes and Stuff"), and the music industry ('Rap Promoter" and "Show Business"). It also features the classic posse cut "Scenario", which is repsonsible for launching the careers of Leaders of the New School. as well as introducing the world to Busta Rhymes. This album is definitely worth the pickup if you're either a die hard hip hop or if you're a fan of ATCQ.
An interesting theory I'll be honest and say that this is the first album I've heard from ATCQ. I heard their first album[[People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm]]afterwards and loved that album at first listen too. I mean how can you forget a classic joint like Check The Rhime? Butter is a great solo joint by Phife Dawg who tells a story of a foul type of chick. "What" is Q-Tip's solo joint as he asks a lot of good questions especially "what is Chris Lighty if he wasnt such a baby?". Q-Tip also has another solo joint that he shuts down called Verses From The Abstract. Show Business is explaining all the crooks in the business. Skypager is dedicated to that famous form of communication. You can sense that jazz influence in tracks like Vibes And Stuff and Jazz(We Got). If you want me to say something negative about this album dont even waste your time because there's nothing negative about it. Excursions was a great song to kick off the album with and Scenario feat Leaders Of The New School was a great track to end it with. How can you forget a track like that? Everybody's verse was sick and Busta's verse was a classic just like this album. In short, The Low End Theory is the best hip hop album of 1991 and is worth every minute of your time. The production as well as the rhymes are on point so what are you waiting for? Cop it now! Standouts: EXCURSIONS, RAP PROMOTER, BUTTER, VERSES FROM THE ABSTRACT, SHOW BUSINESS, THE INFAMOUS DATE RAPE, CHECK THE RHIME, EVERYTHING IS FAR AND SCENARIO.
"Dope jazzbeats and goofball rhymes from the well-meaning middle class " Well, that pretty much sums of The Low End Theory, quoted from the one and only Robert Christgau (not that I really support this guy), but I think I should explain it more...
Even during ganster rap, The Tribe was refreshing. Instead of listening to Ice Cube talking about putting his foot in your @$$, you got Q-Tip rapping about jazz. Like the rest of the Native Tongue Posse, these guys weren't afraid to get in gangster rap's face. That's the best history lesson I can give.
Okay, when it comes to rap, I mostly look for three things (you should to), the message, beats (one of the most important things) and the actual ability to rap. The Tribe pull a ______ triple punch with that. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg are the masters at the mic, they deliver and flow like Butter. The lyrics are also top-notch, rapping about jazz, the show business, fake girls, music itself, and more! Just listen to them rapping, trust us on this one. If they were warming up (according to so many people), dwell on that one for a second.
However, the Mic skills are the glass half full. The beats are DOPE. Funky drums and groovy bass go pair and pair most of the time, with a handful of unconventional samples. It's so ________ organic, if you can't get down to the grooves, you must have a lack of rhythm. It's a gift man. The gift of rhythm is a beautiful thing. Savor it.
While it's a cliche hyberbole (that's a cliche too!), It needs to be said this: I hate what today passes for rap (same thing you hear from everybody, but that's a good sign. However, people are rebelling. More people are realizing today's mainstream, radio rap is garbage. 9/10
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
