The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
1991
Album Summary
The Low End Theory is the second studio album by American hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album were held mostly at Battery Studios in New York City, from 1990 to 1991. The album was primarily produced by group member Q-Tip, with a minimalist sound that combines bass, drum breaks, and jazz samples, in a departure from the group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990). Lyrically, the album features social commentary, word play, humor, and interplay between group members Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. Supported by the lead single "Check the Rhime", The Low End Theory debuted at number 45 on the Billboard 200 chart. Upon its release, the album's commercial potential was doubted by music critics and Jive record executives. However, the release of two additional singles, "Jazz (We've Got)" and "Scenario", brought further attention and popularity to the group. On February 19, 1992, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States, and on February 1, 1995, it was certified platinum by the RIAA, with shipments of one million copies. In the years since its release, The Low End Theory has garnered recognition from music critics and writers as a milestone in alternative hip-hop. The album is regarded as Phife Dawg's breakout and is credited for helping launch rapper Busta Rhymes's successful solo career. The album's influence on artists in hip-hop, R&B and other genres has been attributed to the group's lyricism and Q-Tip's production, which bridged the gap between jazz and hip-hop. The album is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, appearing on many best album lists by music critics and writers. In 2020, it was ranked at number 43 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2022, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
WikipediaGeeze, this is a great album. Another cornerstone crew of hiphop, Tribe is just... just great. They defined the genre for a whole generation of artists and their influence continues to be felt in the work of artists like Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper, and more. The way that the verses are built over hooky boom-bap beats is compelling, neither element distracting from the other but each remaining engaging individually. So good. Just so damn good.
Jazz and hip-hop were meant to be together. Just good fun, old school hip-hop. The fact that this album ends with Scenerio just shows how full of solid tracts this album is. 4/5
Day 3 of 1001 albums you must hear before you die and I got my first hip hop album!! The 1991 sophomore album from the groundbreaking group A Tribe Called Quest. The Low End Theory was a follow up to their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, which was the first album to receive the then prestigious award of 5 mics in The Source magazine. The Low End Theory was released slap dab in the middle of The New Jack Swing era, gangster rap and the times of huge pop successes of acts like MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. Instead of making music about guns, girls, money and dancing, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg let their commentary about social issues spill onto jazz samples and record samples spun by DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The classic New York sound of jazz infused hip hop seems so natural now, looking back, however it was Tribe that founded the iconic sound that was considered alternative hip hop at the time. The biggest stand out of this album is Scenario. This monster of a song is credited for boosting the solo career of Busta Rhymes and is a fantastic energetic song. The lead single Check the Rhime is a nostalgic ride through the early 90’s. Q-Tip has one of the most unique voices in music and his back and forward exchanges with a much different sounding Phife gels so satisfyingly well together. (RIP Phife Dawg) This group paved the way for so many acts and inspired the culture so much it’s almost as if it had always been that way. Please share your thoughts and memories of this album. This is only my take on it and being that I was in elementary school when this released, it would be great to hear others perspective! 😎
I liked a few songs. the stripped down drum, bass, vocals thing really does work, BUT it only works for a few songs for me. After 3 or 4 I find myself getting bored. I know that's blasphemy to some, but I just find that I don't really click with hip-hop.
One of the greatest hip hop album ever. I really love the jazzy vibes.
Classic hip-hop shit. Standout Tracks: Buggin' Out, Butter, Verses from the Abstract, What?, Scenario
An album I didn't even need to listen to for the rating. Absolute classic Native Tongues, and maybe my favorite. The entirety of the second half of this album has a sequencing and flow unlike many of its kind. All are highlights.
Favorites: All Widely considered one of the greatest hip hop albums. Hugely influential in bridging the gap between jazz and hip hop
Absolute classic that set a standard for the genre. Excellent samples create a jazzy atmosphere that match up with the great lyrical team up of Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. One of the best albums in 90s hip-hop and an absolute must listen.
Devastatingly cool and smooth. This album can be enjoyed in the background, with beats that go on for days, or with an intensive focus, with lyrics that bend and twist in delightful ways. This 1001 albums list is making me realize that I'm a much bigger fan of hip hop and rap than I initially thought.
I love this. Smart, cool, jazzy, intellectual. No drugs, minimal cursing - and I love both of those things. But it's just a very refreshing vibe. Can see why its a classic.
A landmark album in hip-hop, and one of the father's of jazz rap. The beats are great, the lyrics are clever and impactful, and it's just generally fun all around. And then they came out with Midnight Marauders too... Favourite Tracks: Buggin Out, Vibes and Stuff, Scenario
Essential 90's hip hop starts and ends with A Tribe Called Quest. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (RIP) expertly spit bars over fantastic jazz beats. The opening moments of the album with the bass of Excursions is neigh-unforgettable, setting up expectations for the rest of the album's runtime. The Tribe has the stage: now is the time to listen. The vibes on this album are perfection. It's so incredibly mellow, like hanging out with your friends, chillin'.
Genre: Jazz Rap 5/5 This is very, very, very good. An album that sounds old-school, but with arrangements and concepts that are fresh to the ears as anything on this list, The Low End Theory is one of the best rap albums I've ever heard. The absolute vocal dominance showcased by everyone on this, especially the two kingpins, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (RIP), is truly some of rap's best. The songs that everyone has heard, Scenario and Check the Rhime, are some of rap's most recognizable singles, and still continue to influence the newest generation of rappers. Busta Rhymes' line "ra-ra, like a dungeon dragon"? Nicki Minaj made it a hook in 2010. But it's the rest of the songs on here, the sheer quality of every beat and bar on this album, that's truly something to behold. Starting with the first track, Excursions, where Q-Tip eloquently ties together the growth of hip-hop to the growth of all popular black art, this album brings a full jazz-funk style of production that might sound like it's old hat, but for the time was a true standalone musical experiment. This is hip-hop's first full-length Jazz Rap experience, and it's a sound that really hasn't been topped since, excluding Kendrick's To Pimp a Butterfly (which takes the jazz and truly shoves it down your throat, which I appreciate). From there on out we have tracks like Skypager, a tremendous ode to the then-daily pager usage rampant among those looking to showcase a modicum of wealth and importance, especially in black communities. We have songs like Rap Promoter and Show Business, songs that vividly describe the predatory natures at play in what was, at least in '91, the Wild West, with white CEOs and men in suits looking to do anything they can to cash in on what was essentially a cultural movement gone mainstream. Then we have songs like What?, another Q-Tip masterclass in wordplay and social commentary, and a track that rewards repeat listens. This is so, so good. I would hope those who aren't generally into rap music give this a try and truly enjoy it for what it is. This is such a great example of what rap albums can do well. Thematically, musically, vocally, this album touches on so many important cultural and political struggles of the time, while also sounding like a true love-letter to all black art which preceded it, and while STILL SOUNDING THIS FRESH. Wonderful album.
Reaching backward with that double bass, Low End Theory is both a perfect 90's rap album and a bridge to an older peer music. Never frantic, Tribe is able to keep their pace up: The number of strong tracks on the second half is notable in itself.
If Arrested Development were a Hip-Hop artifact to be seen as a relic of how the genre used to sound, A Tribe Called Quest is a Hip-Hop database that you still hear referenced to this day. I've heard so many artist bite not only the flows but the literal lyrics from Tribe songs, I don't know how many times. All paying respect to their originators of course. This album is peak 90s Hip-Hop and I couldn't have been more pleased with a return listening. Only thing I will dock for is that the vibe is pretty samey throughout.
On ne peut qu'être reconnaissant envers A Tribe Called Quest d'avoir composé la bande-son du jeu Monstres et Compagnie sur Game Boy Color (cf morceau What?). Dans celui-ci, Bob Razowski avait la possibilité d'effectuer deux sauts consécutifs en appuyant sur la touche A, tandis que Jacques Sullivan ne pouvait en effectuer qu'un seul.
This is so boring. Can anyone really tell these songs apart from any other hip-hop/rap songs? The album description in apple music mentioned something about a jazz aesthetic. What does that even mean? Jazz is about interesting variations on a melody, which is the opposite of a canned beat. Also, it is impossible to follow the lyrics unless you pay attention all the time. What happened to songs having a chorus to sing along to?
Fitting that I got this album on MLK day. Definitely one I'd listen to again.
A tribe called quest is awesome. Early '90s backpack rap always makes me nod my head.
Probably one of my top rap albums of all time, there are so many great songs on this. The vibe on this album is essentially the best overall.
Despite being the least favourite of the Native Tongues, still a classic in rotation.
This was epic!! I LOVED it!! Great great hip hop album!! Will most definitely listen to this again and again!!
Rhythm and jazz and hip-hop with such distinct world-view and atmosphere--really, really, really good.
All day Phife and Tip. 5 foot Cypher and the Abstract. Love love love the Young Zulu Nation.
One of my favorite rap albums ever, and my favorite by ATCQ. About as close to a perfect rap album as you can get. I love ATCQ.
This is great. Considered a 4 star as I didn't think there were any standout tracks but that's only because they are all great
Best tracks: Check The Rhime, Buggin’ Out, Verses From The Abstract, What?
This is a group I’ve always wanted to get into so I was excited to dive into this one today. This album is so awesome from beginning to end! Love the combination of jazz and hip-hop with intelligent lyrics. Wish I’d discovered this sooner.
This album just blew me away. The production is phenomenal and is the perfect complement to the incredible, complex rapping. I think this is probably the best thing I've heard while doing this so far.
Smooth flow. Game changing beats. Very relaxed and an incredible play off each others' strengths. All 3 voices flow so smoothly. As they say: "We got the vibe"
One of the best rap albums of all time, and one of the best albums regardless of genre. Just so good.
I listened to it five times in two days. What a revelation! Undeniably booty-shaking.
I've heard this before but one of the easiest 5s on the list. Such a good and important rap album
The jazz influence on this album really amazed me the first time I heard it. Some excellent lyrics as well, and I really love the delivery. Unrelated to the music, but I also love the album cover.
Rap and hip-hop isn't my inherent wheelhouse. I didn't grow up listening to it, I don't listen to a lot of modern hits, and most of what I listen to is make or break for me. This album just CLICKS with me, though. The smooth, jazzy backbeats, the atmospheric and melodic instrumentation, Phife and Q-Tip's fun and flowing lyrics...it's just the perfect rap album in my mind. It's influenced so many different artists today: Kanye, Pharrell, Dr. Dre, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Kendrick, Dave Chapelle...there's hardly any entertainer or artist that isn't inspired or owes something to this album. Everything from its structure, emotion, and production is top notch. Favorite Song: What? Least Favorite: Ahh...this is so hard...Show Business? Everything is so good, though. Least Favorite: Sagar (The Ocean) ... only because of it's slow start and it's a pretty long song. It's still a great piece, just not one I'd revisit as much.
Class, know this one well. Already had an older Tribe album. This is sick though, a classic. Not even started listening and know it's gonna be a 5. Yeh, 5, easy.
I like how this album is poetry about their lives, trying to understand themselves and describing how they saw their lives. It's slow, smooth, and honest. 5/5
OK here's another group i've heard so much about but I don't know if I've ever listened to - was far too much into guitar rock at the time but *wow* I missed out on this. Or maybe I wasn't ready - but this is the kind of hip-hop I love. Should I even categorize it merely as hip-hop? Because forget the rap for a minute - the first thing I'll ever notice on any album is the music and the music *KILLS* here. It's impossible to not move to the opening track "Excursions" - there's a hard jazz element with heavy drum loops (no 808s - and although these are samples they sample the real deal which IMO is always better. Always.) and the album never lets up at all. The music mostly isn't loud and in your face, but at the same time it propels and is never dull. I want to hear and see them performing this entire album with a full band - I can hear it translating brilliantly. Moving to the actual vocals I *love* the attack of multiple rappers (and as big a Public Enemy fan I am, and Chuck D is the best, Flav is a sideshow...) - it works so well on every song - including the guest spots (e.g. "Show Business"). I think my favourite aspect of the rapping is how rhythmic they are - accentuating, complimenting, and becoming *part* of the music - so much more than a ton of modern hip-hop that I just haven't been able to connect with. It's hard for me to find a favourite, but some other standouts are "Verses From The Abstract" "Check the Rhime" and "Jazz." Tribe feel like a BAND on every track here, rather than rapping over a beat - it's an integrated experience. This defines cool in every way and I'm psyched to add this to my collection - if there's any negative, it seems to tail off on the last few tracks - nothing bad, just loses a little steam. But the highs are so good that for only the second time in ~150 albums I've gone in completely blind and come out looking at 5 stars... 9/10 5 stars.
8th November 2021 Listened on the living room speaker while working, chilled one. Love it, as ever, 80s/90s rap is the best.
An absolute classic. I listened to this album years ago, but I don't know if I ever heard it front to back. I don't know what I was thinking, because every track is fire.
Brilliance. 90s rap at it's purest! You can find the abstract listenin to hip hop. 5 stars listen to this one a lot!
Perfect rap album. Phife’s voice is incredible. Rhymes come at you fast. Have to work hard to catch all their lines. Super analog sound. When I think hip hop/rap, this is the sound I think of in my head.
This album renewed my faith in rap music and made me start exploring true artists instead of pop rap.
Always fun to get an album on here that you're familiar with. I love this album and their sound/style. Favourite songs: Excursions, Verses from the Abstract, Show Business, Check the Rhime
Do you know the importance of a Skypa-jah? Love, love, love. Saw TCQ tour this album at the Flood Zone with Busta Rhymes. They went out with Scenario and the whole place was going wild! The Low End Theory is contaminated with all the good post-high school memories, there's no way that I could provide an unbiased review today. ----- Equally as good is the TCQ doc. Highly recommend. https://www.amazon.com/Beats-Rhymes-Life-Travels-Called/dp/B005LM7KP0
Smooth beats and great flows. Stellar showing from Special Ed and Q-Tip on this timeless release.
I just might have found my favorite hip hop album. And no it's not only because it's 48 minutes long with short, succinct songs ... I love the vibe they create with their jazzy samples. And the rapping is intelligent and creative and I don't think I heard the word nigga or bitch ot even once. Great creative al bum that I loved from beginning to end 5 🌟
In terms of rap music, as a whole, I genuinely don't think it gets much better than this. A step up from their debut, the beats are just as fresh as the day this came out. The rhymes are great, lyrics great. Thirty years later, and it's still amazing. "Check the Rhime" is still one of the best rap songs ever released. Favorite tracks: "Check the Rhime", "Buggin' Out", "Jazz (We've Got)"
Coming from one of the most influential hip hop groups of all time, this album is at the very least a top ten hip hop album of all time. Along with De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest invented the acid jazz sound.
Great raps and awesome flow from ATCQ with beats and grooves that are jazzy, deep and sparse, but thick as molasses and warm as butter. Even taking into account ‘The Infamous Date Rape’ which sounds like a rare misstep coming at it with 2022 ears, ‘The Low End Theory’ is still one of Hip Hops greatest hits.
lo AMÉ literalmente uno de los mejores álbumes que me ha salido acá en un tiempo. me tuvo todo el tiempo que duró cantando y vibrando aunque no conocía ni un tema, 10/10
Listened twice through on a flight to Sydney - perfectly suited to the occasion.
Even though this does not have the wow factor that most of my 5 star albums have, the album as a whole has such a nice flow to it. It has a very clear jazz influence, sounds funky with very cool bass lines, and the delivery of the lyrics is flawless.
I may not be too well-versed in hip-hop but I know that this album rules.
This album is so ridiculously good. The writing is witty, the production is innovative, just fantastic
Un classique découvert tard pour moi. C'est intelligent, Jazzy et ça groove. J'ai écouté en boucle et j'y reviens souvent. Mon meilleur du groupe.
Dang, these guys can rip! I’ve actually heard a number of these songs before but have never heard of the band before. Great album.
Absolute MASTERPIECE. Oh boy. This is one of the most breakneck, flawlessly funky rap albums ever. I'm convinced "Scenario" is the most fun I'll ever have listening to a rap song. "Everything Is Fair" is also a highlight, and features one of the MANY heart-stoppingly infectious samples/instrumentals on this album. Perfect!
Classic beats, with a twinge of jazz and funk. Classic rhymes and bars from tip and phife. Check the Rhine is top 10 rap songs of all time and there are amazing features from an upcoming Busta Rhymes, and honestly this album is a easy 5. If your not into stripped down rap though this might not be your thing.
I'm hard pressed to think of a more perfect hip-hop album. The flows and wordplays are sublime. The subject matter of the tracks covers a range of substantial topics with a perfect balance of seriousness and humor. The backing tracks are a genius fusion of jazz, break loops and samples and an art form unto themselves, which have influenced countless artists and genres since. An absolute gem!
I listened to it five times in two days. What a revelation! Undeniably booty-shaking. (Prior rating)
One of my all time favorite hip hop albums. This is one of the albums I always tell people to listen to when they’re starting out with the genre. 5/5 Tribe is one of my personal favorite hip hop groups of all time Favorites: Buggin Out, Check The Rhime, and Scenario
Ok some hip hop. I have heard this album front to back many times and it's a classic. Giving it another spin. What a banger album. I gotta find this one on vinyl too. Just makes you want to nod your head. 5/5
Un classique que j'ai découvert tellement trop tard, grâce à la série Hip Hop Evolution sur Netflix. J'écoute régulièrement cet album qui est brillant et tellement bien fait. Mon meilleur du groupe.
J’adore cet album. Je pourrais écouter Q-tip pendant des heures, son flow est tellement naturel. Cette formation utilise aussi beaucoup de sample de jazz, en plus d’engager Ron Carter pour jouer la contrebasse sur une pièce. Ça, ça me rend heureux. Finalement, les sujets abordés sur l’album sont intelligents et exempts de violence gratuite ou de propos sexistes.
5.0 + There are hip hop records I like better but none that brings the flow, bars, beats and bangers with such consistency. This is a record that's equally effective in the front-and-center as it is in the background. There's not a single bum rhyme or questionable moment on this record. I love the nods to jazz legends that make this heady, sophisticated fun.
La producción, los beats y los flows son irrepetibles. Un álbum sin un solo skip.
Absolute genius, from a band who knew for sure who and what they were.
When this album came up on the generator, I knew what rating I had to give it. A quintessential classic in the hip-hop genre and a all time classic album of the 90s. Being introduced to this record all those years ago whilst confused about my musical tips (hehe) was the push I needed to not only get into hip-hop but into jazz as well, as Tribe's cutting up, sampling and incorporating of various jazz legends (Ron Carter is on the bass!) does more than the work necessary and required for the album. From the 91 decade to the 2000 decade and beyond, The Low End Theory remains a significant part of the Tribe lore and one of the greatest albums of all time.
What a great album. I haven't heard a bad album from A Tribe Called Quest. Every song is good and my favorite song "Scenario" they've saved for last. Give it a listen!
Loved this; has and rap go so well together. Amazing sophomore album for Tribe
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Buggin’ out, butter, Verses from the abstract, Check the rhime, Everything is fair, What?, Scenario
What can I say that hasn't been said about this album? One of my favs from this era, probably my favorite A Tribe Called Quest release, and I love pretty much everything The Native Tongues collective did during this period. It made me want to listen to more from the time and I'm still angry none of De La Soul's early work is on Spotify.
A classic. Very good addition here. Happy to have been nudged to listen to it again.
A Tribe Called Quest has a very smooth style of rapping. I often don't listen to the lyrics and focus more on the flow, which makes their music good for background music imo. The songs cut off super quick at the end, making it hard to discern the end of one song and the start of another. Favorite song: Butter Worst song: Scenario or What
MOTHER FUCKING TRIBE I've heard this a thousand times over and will listen a thousand times again. The most influential hip hop album of all time and for good reason. 5/5
What is there to say about LET that hasn't already been said. Foundational hip hop. Smooth, soulful, insightful- eminently groovable from top to bottom. Worst thing you could say about it is that maybe some bits and pieces lyrically have not aged well- but I don't think that's worth nitpicking over in the face of the rest of it. Phife and Tip were kings of the craft.
one of my favorite old-school hip-hop albums and I think it’s safe to say A Tribe Called Quest is my favorite old-school rap group (Lauryn Hill is my favorite old-school solo rapper) just an amazing album so much to appreciate here too good to rate
Didn't really get TCQ before. this is a great album. pity wasn't more mainstream and drive the direction of hip-hop in the 90's
30/09/2020 Sat in room when the water went out and phys got cancelled. Really enjoyed this album and was excited for my first hiphop piece. However, some of the album has not aged well at all, although it was part of a genre defining movement at the time. Songs like 'infamous date rape' in particular are not an easy listen. Tempted to give a 3, but because I am so aware of the position ATCQ have in hiphop, and the general influence of this album, I feel inclined to give a 4. Sugar Hill Gang/Grandmaster Flash influences run through the blood of this album.
Both the flow and the music are great, lyrics are also quite good. I love the jazz samples used in it.
I love the Scenario but I hadn't heard much of this album. It was really good.
I love this album. One of my all time favorite hip hop albums. No one can flow like Q Tip.
I love the references to pagers and watching Arsenio Hall on channel 9
I really enjoy jazz rap, and my earlier adventures into a tribe called quest hadn’t stuck, but I have a feeling that this one will
Hey, a rap album I actually liked! I thought this album was actually really solid, and I think a big part of that is as a musician I would enjoy playing along to this. Some really fun beats and baselines that are, like, actually real and not just electronic
Was pretty cool, but it isn’t my type of music, however was a very nice experience:)
This sounds so much like the 90s, I can see how this is the roots of rap and how at the time had a very street sound and lyrics. Has some interesting bars.
Not typically my cup of tea but enjoyed it more than I thought I would
One of the most chill and relaxed hip hop albums I've heard so far. Very fun and vibey. Ultimately a little dated sounding, but not in a bad way; just missing some of the high-density rhymes and flows of later rappers that really attracts me. Biting and funny lyrics though!
Another one that I listened to and wrote something about, but I don't remember what. I know I liked the album enough to give it a 4, mostly for the sound.
I worried they’d all sound the same after the 3rd song. But to be fair there’s a few good songs after the first half.
Great classic hip-hop. A little jazzy. Great lyrics, good beats. Solid all around!
Bra album. Bra beats och lyrics. Kanske några låtar för många på albumet. Bästa låtar: Check the Rhime Butter Show Business
Guilty for not giving TCQ more of a chance earlier in life but blessed for being able to experience this classic with fresh ears. Starts strong, Ends strong. Middle is a little weaker.