The Low End Theory

Eu até gostei mas to em dúvida com as letras, daria um 3.5

Great hip hop album. Scenario is an all time song.

Definitely respect the vibe. Early underground hip hop is a blind spot for me. That I would like to change someday.

Ok, way too repetitive. Bought back memories of De La Soul

The cloudy weather made this album walk genuinely cool and refreshing, so much so that I extended my walk to finish the entire album before heading back inside. I had a trio of odd factors to consider going into this album; my positive reception to their first album, the critical acclaim given to The Low End Theory as one of the great hip-hop albums, and knowledge of Georgie Porgie, the song cut from the album by the label on account of being too homophobic even for a 1991 hip-hop audience. Needless to say, this is a lot of pressure to place on a single album. I was immediately struck by the heavier, deeper jazz sound of this album, taking the general "peace and love" vibe of People's Instinctive Travels but giving it more depth and maturity. For the most part, The Low End Theory earns its reputation, and I can hear the album which has garnered so much acclaim and influence over the last few decades of the genre. However, there are quite a few moments which leave me feeling a little soured on the album. It's a little funny to have gotten this album directly after Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, because they each feel like they're demonstrating misogynistic behaviors in opposite directions. Where Pharcyde featured "ironic" threats of violence against women and a general immaturity in its lyricism, Tribe leans in the opposite direction, making various claims about supporting women by slut-shaming and criticizing "artificial beauty" like weaves and dyed hair. And then there's Infamous Date Rape, a completely misguided and baffling song. I have seen this track praised for shedding light on the horrific problem of date rape, at a time when the subject was barely being discussed. However, this song does no such thing; what purports to be a song about date rape can, in actuality, be boiled down to "if a girl doesn't want to have sex with you, she's probably on her period", and "be careful having sex with a girl because she might accuse you of rape afterwards". Not only are these somewhat incomplete discussions of sex and consent in the first place, they completely dodge any discussion of the actual issue the song is named for in a way that feels a little gross. And even though it never made it on the album proper, I still can't help but think of the song Georgie Porgie, which would have been on this album if not for label interference. The artists' vision of this album would have taken a break from their generally progressive and peace-loving views to preach unabashed hatred and disgust at the concept of gay people, and that knowledge does undercut some of the seriousness in the rest of the album. Homophobia has long been an issue with hip-hop, and I'm not claiming A Tribe Called Quest are unique in their views on the subject, but it is uniquely disappointing in their case because they: 1. are otherwise very forward-thinking for the time, and 2. expressed that homophobia not merely in throwaway lines here or there like most other rappers at the time, but in an entire song dedicated solely to that hatred. This does not ruin A Tribe Called Quest for me; I still believe they were generally a source of good in the hip-hop scene, even if a little misguided at times. And maybe I'm just coming to it a little late, but when taken as a whole, The Low End Theory's up and downs leave it as an album I find to be good, not great. Highlights: Excursions, Buggin' Out, Rap Promoter, Verses from the Abstract, Show Business, Vibes and Stuff, Everything Is Fair, Jazz (We've Got), What?, Scenario (LP Mix)

Seth - Beats feel organic & lively albeit sometimes hard to distinguish between tracks. Early east coast vibes, yet this feels like a bridge from the hip-hop days of the early to late 80s to the next gen 90s boom bap east coast rap. I genuinely feel though this album was not made for white guys in their 30s. Logan - Whole lotta nothing, bopping my head just along to the beat. I could tell the music had a message, but the message seemed to be over my head ie infamous date rape track. It felt experimental, not in a bad way. S - 3.5/5 L - 3/5

Not a huge fan of old school rap, all songs generally sounded very similar to me: Top songs: Scenario

actually decent. normally 90s rap is cheesy, but this held up

smooth

A nice new percpective on rap. Most of the lyrics are high vibrational.

sick beats, but some lyrics were distracting. I enjoyed the second half better

some calm luh flows also nice jazz influences

Overall Rating - 3.07/5 (6.14/10). Pretty solid old-style hip-hop. Slick flow over a good beat.

Groovy, tekstas tho visą laiką apie moteris.

Hört sich irgendwie jedes Lied gleich an aber für zwischendurch nicht schlecht.

3.5

Some good rhythm and beats 🥁

Highly overrated.

Nao e a minha cena mas acredito que seja bom

My rating 3.2

I was pleasantly surprised at this album. I’m not usually someone to be keen on rap music, with jazz and hip hop in the mix it creates this unique sound that I thoroughly enjoyed. I also bopped my head to a lot of it. However, it became repetitive which means there was no specific song that stuck out to me. If I heard this music I would like it but I wouldn’t go immediately to add it to my playlist, which is why I would rate it a 3/5. I definitely need to make a hip hop playlist so that I can listen to the songs again

Does it get anymore classic 90s rap than this? Pure lyrical poetry. Some of these rhymes are a littttle goofy though—“What is a party if it doesn't really rock? What is a poet? All balls, no cock.” Not quite a 3, not quite a 4. Fav: Verses from the Abstract, Vibes and Stuff

This is a very 90s record, for better or worse. The production is excellent, the flow is right, but I had to stop paying attention to the lyrics a few tracks in. Still, worth a listen.

This is the Stringer Bell of rap: not smart enough to hang with the philosophers but not hard enough to run with the boys on the street. Tribe tries to show his bona fides by listing off names of rappers no one remembers 30 years later (and name dropping Arsenio Hall 3 times isn’t a flex). Then he conflates vocabulary for intellect. But his lyrics have no particular insight despite having more syllables. Kendrick Lamar is a much better option for that. Altogether the tracks move along pleasantly enough, which for rap might be more of a bug than feature. It should be more challenging. The album was heading straight in to a half-hearted 2 stars until Busta Rymes jumps in with 90 seconds left on the last track. He brings all the energy that was missing and lifts the whole album on his shoulders up to a 3.

Rap promoter to butter transition was smooth like butter Wow butter more like peak I’m half way through the album now though and it’s getting kinda old WOAHHH CHECK THE RHIME finally something different! We GOT the jazz!!

Not really my style, but it was pretty nice. Reminds me of songs I hear on a stop sign during a roadtrip.

Very fun album. Scenario is a a classic and a great way to end the project.

An album I’ve only listened to once.

6/10

3/5

Mire laidback rap compared to the monstrosities I've had recently. Listenable

not exactly a huge fan of hip hop especially in this era of my life however i think the beats and the flow is pretty great, would've been interested in this had i been listening a few years prior

I like the classic 90s vibe as a background vibe. Not mad in any way

Album n.5 I dont really listen to a lot of rap but this album had some good songs on it. The lyrics where harder to follow by meaning but I think I got the gist of it. Again not really my thing so half of the songs didnt really land for me. favorites where: buggin out, vibes and stuff and check the rhime. I rate it 3,3

Not a huge fan of rap, but this is kind of relaxing. I love the album colours and the psychedelic neon art. Certain songs are super cool lyrically. Wouldn’t listen to the whole album again I think just because I might just forget about it.

Typ najs hip-hop, men inte min smak

I enjoyed this more then de la soul or cypress hills.

Pretty good old school hiphop

I liked this overall, even if there weren’t standout tracks for me. All the songs kind of blend in to each other, but are all good

I still don’t know how to talk about hip hop, so here here are my general thoughts on the album. He has good flow! I think the instrumental was slightly lacking. It was very samey throughout. Scenario is obviously a great track! I didn’t realize it was on this album. 3/5 ⭐️, some enjoyment, but I didn’t really pick anything out I loved about it. 135/1089

3.5

I mean, the greats, but I can't pick out one tune I would listen to on its own. Still, I love how much of The Abstract's lyrics are "Yeah, I'll play your show if you pay us."

great album favs were Vibes n Stuff and Jazz

1. Excursions 3/5: beat is cool, bars are hard just not a fan of the delivery. I like the audio bites throughout the chorus. 2. Buggin' Out 3/5: beat is cool again, snare is hard. Still just don't like the delivery from this era. 3. Rap Promoter 2/5: i like this beat less than the others, same complaints as before, bars are hard just don't like the delivery. 4. Butter 4/5: beat is crazyyyy, and delivery is cool has more character, chorus is so sick. can't imagine relistening tho, only thing i find myself latching onto is the beat. 5. Verses from the Abstract 2/5: I can't tell if im listening to a clean version or they just stop talking when they cuss, it's aight, can't really complain about anything but also not finding anything i latch onto. 6. Show Business 4/5: Beat is hyppeee, can hear people like Terror Reid being inspired by this, whoever is rapping at 2:20 is tough, kinda get bored of everyone else after a few bars, i really really like this beat tho. 7. Vibes and Stuff 4/5: Best beat so far, can also hear a snare that i use that's probably ripped from this song lmao, chorus is cool too, get a lil bored but big vibe on this song. 8. Infamous Date Rape 4/5: ???, i like the beat again, same as before not too big on delivery but not finding myself getting as bored w this song 9. Check The Rhime 3/5: beat cool, it's so much better when they rhyme off each other. im bored again. 10. Everything Is Fair 3/5: amen break *.* same as every song, cool beat, not too big on delivery, gettin a lil bored as the song goes on. 11. Jazz (We've Got) 3/5: they've got jazz, chorus is tough, ye. 12. Skypager 3/5: s in skypage stands for sex, i like these shorter songs more, feels like more is happening in a shorter period of time, makes me appriciate it more. 13. What? 2/5: i can't stand this beat LOL, I like their delivery when the bpm is faster, silence bar is crazy haha. 14. Scenario 5/5: banger song, beat is so crazy, i think with more people on this makes it that much better, the delivery from back then they kinda just stick with it without switching flow, this song having different people kinda fills that gap you don't end up just wanting to hear the next guy get on. Busta Rhymes is so fucking good actually carries on this song. Overall: It's cool, i feel a little out of touch with it given my age, can appriciate what it probabaly did to hip-hop and the inspiration people have taken from this. Just maybe didn't age that well, just kept finding myself getting bored of the guy spitting waiting for something else to happen in the song. All the beats are sick just this era of delivery i really am not a massive fan of. 3.2/5

These guys are really good.

I can respect what they're doing, it's just not my bag. It's good "sitting on the deck with friends" social background groove but after two goes it didn't hook me to actually play it ever again

Mid

Continuation from the previous album, same same, not my cup of tea.

Very nice jazz elements to the beats and rapping is great

Extremely solid jazz rap stuff, roots of which you can hear even today

Too rap, not my genre

Not my jam, but not bad.

Not my type. A classic rap album

yo yo yo im here to say, that this album is just ok.

Funky - love the flow and the double bass

They changed hip hop for sure. Lofi jazz beats. Intelligent lyrics. The only thing is the very repetitive delivery on this album. Every song has the same cadence and Delicery style. It gets tiresome very quickly.

I’m not much of a hip hop fan, but I do enjoy the old school ‘90s rap like this. Still not something I listen to on the regular, but it’s decent.

i had a good time

old school rap was just better

i get this is the original jazz sample album which influenced hiphop forever but it doesnt do it for me......the samples and production gets really boring and generic after a while i do recommend We Got It From Here cos it blends samples with live instrumentation which is more my style....i really love that album but low end theory...not that much

Enjoyable

A good album, I liked Buggin' Out and Butter the most.

1st album

Excursions - 3.5/5 Buggin' Out - 3/5 Rap Promoter - 3/5 Butter - 3.5/5 Verses from the Abstract (feat. Vinia Mojica & Ron Carter) - 3.5/5 Show Business (feat. Diamond D, Lord Jamar & Sadat X) - 4/5 Vibes and Stuff - 3.5/5 Infamous Date Rape - 3/5 Check the Rhime - 3/5 Everything Is Fair - 3/5 Jazz (We've Got) - 3/5 Skypager - 3/5 What? - 3/5 Scenario (feat. Busta Rhymes, Dinco D & Charlie Brown) - 3/5

Not really my style, but they have a reaaly good vibe

nice thoo

Its a rap jaz album that good but i would came back to it often

Favorite Track: Jazz

Always innovative this early album from the tribe suffers from lack of focus. Songs like check the rhime and scenario are magnificent and swaggering but there is not enough. Not their best work but still there are bits and pieces to enjoy

Endlessly chill and groovy. I really like the live instrumentation on this and Q-Tip's is just so smooth and pleasant. Light and approachable, but still very artistically sound. Key tracks: Everything Is Fair Jazz (We've Got) Scenario

Solid album....would listen again

3.75

Très bon, mais un peu répétitif et daté

Nice, short funky rap album. Like the instruments with raping. Pretty same all the time. 3/5

Love the jazzy production but some of the tracks start bleeding together especially in the middle. The hand-offs and dialogue btwn the different Tribe members are as charming and funny as ever on this album though. „Scenario“ bangs like nobody‘s business and Busta Rhymes‘s feature in particular rules. „The Infamous Date Rape“ is an embarrassing track to look back on; Phife‘s verse in particular rehashes the same fears that op-eds of the time harped on. Loved „Excursions“ and „Skypager“ though.

me gusto, buen sonido

Le pongo 3 estrellas porque al de los Rolling Stones de Sticky Fingers le puse 4. Al principio, apenas puse la primera canción pensé: qué estoy escuchando? Porque es un género que no escucho nunca, y si no fuera por este proyecto nunca me hubiera enterado de la existencia de esta banda. Pero al final me terminó gustando. Son canciones con buen ritmo, para escuchar algo distinto. No guardé ninguna canción en mi biblioteca pero lo disfruté, y eso es lo que me gusta de haber empezado esto: de entrar en contacto con música nueva para mí, pero que fue importante en la historia de la música.

American rap!!! 2000s

Bastante diferente a lo que oigo normalmente, me gusto que toda la musica se siente muy colorida y es un respiro divertido a la ai moderna

Didn’t do much for me but in fairness I’m also not necessarily a hip hop/rap lover and I also didn’t actively dislike it too much. I liked the first track a lot and the lyrics seem cool.

Holly - I liked it. Would need a relisten because I wasn’t concentrating. Liked what I heard. 3/5 Sophie - would also need a relisten. I liked the vibes. Is it meant to be one big song? 3/5

This was fun! I liked this more than most of the other 90s rap on the list so far. And it seems like they're less interested in getting money and screwing bitches, so that was a nice change of pace too. 6/10

rapaz n é meu estilo n, mas é bem massa e bem produzido

i don't really listen to hip hop as much as i used to, but still appreciate it. i did like the album, especially the beats and flows, but it didn't blow my mind or anything. would give it like a 3.5 if i could.

Not fully my style but good vibes

7/10

3 fine

Nice, but not impressed.

Mostly pretty good, but losing a star for that date rape song.

Good

ta bueno, pero el boom bap despues de un rato cansa y se siente repetitivo. quizas con mas escuchas me acostumbre y me termine gustando mas

Very early 90’s hip hop. I’ve definitely heard of A Tribe Called Quest, but I don’t really know a lot of their songs. I had heard the last song on the album, Scenario, before. I liked it, but nothing really stood out. They had some interesting pop cultures in their songs. Their rapping is very clear and you can hear/understand all the lyrics.

me gusto la vibra pero siento que todas las canciones son iguales. al final me aburrio un poco por eso

Nice sax on Butter. The instrumentation is quite good on most songs. I guess the rap is decent. It fits.

Good some great tracks not rlly my thing

A smooth groove all the way through

This felt VERY progressive for 1991. The hip-hop showcased on this album sounded more like the hip-hop that would start to emerge around the middle of the decade...A Tribe Called Quest was absolutely ahead of the game. Early 90s hip hop can sometimes sound dated in some ways or another, but even by 90s standards, this holds up fairly well!

Very good start, I love Hip-hop, but this album was very same-ish with no standouts. Some of the lyrics were fun and fresh, I like the 90s vibes a lot, also. The overall idea of "progress" as the center theme of the album, as well as some progressive ideas, were up my alley. Very little sexism, but not nonexistent. I have to say that some rhymes were very simplistic but the beats were nice to listen. I'd rate it a 5.5/10.

buen hiphop, todas las canciones suenan igual

Two stand out tracks on an otherwise same-ish album that music has moved on from. Would've been a 5 at the time of release.

good

suffering from SSS (same sound syndrome) on this one for a handful of the songs. I've never really listened to hip hop music often, but the album opener really hooked me right into the album with the thought out bars and bass line. The songs that feature something different like a featured artist or instrument are great. Favs: What?, Scenario, Excursions, Abstract

Very cool vibe and groove throughout. Some funny lyrics, and a good album to mark or do work. Not sure there’s any big song that pops. Just solid.

90s hip hop taking in a wide array of inspirations and musical influences, interesting social commentary and clever wordplay that requires some further thought to scratch under the surface. The high energy beats contrast with the sometimes heavy lyrics, but then the interplay of rapper and MC is also there throughout. I appreciated it without hugely enjoying it.

I'm sorry to say that I traversed my journey with early hip-hop albums, of which this is a pretty good example. It's a cool and well produced album and I enjoyed every single track in isolation. It just gets a little too repetitive for me to fully engage with for the whole album. Mix a few of these tracks into a DJ set or at a swanky bar and I'm all for it. I won't be sitting down and listening to this album again though.

Good record, well done Tribe.

Great lyricism and flow. I enjoyed "Check the Rhime," "Jazz," and "Scenario" the best

what a great album!

Started off really promising and I thought I’d this going to be an hip hop album I can really like? Sadly it went down hill from there. Still, probably better than most in the genre and the opening track is truly excellent

I love tribe so much but I struggled to find this one as revolutionary as everyone else calls it. Fun listen still but wasn't home run

Some great beats. Lyrics range from amazing to downright bad. It feels dated but that only takes away from it a bit. It was enjoyable though finishing it felt like homework. I’m torn but I’ll give it 3 stars due to impact and the beats alone

Was alright, about what I'd expect of hip-hop in that era

Some of the lyrics and rhymes that crack me up. However, the beats feel repetitive throughout the entire album. A bit boring for me but oddly calming to listen to?

Funky and addictive!

good

Decent. After a few more listens I'd probably 'see the light'

It's good but it feels like I'm listening to homework. Lyrics can't just be a part of the flow of music, but something that needs to be actively listened to to understand what is going on. While that creates depth it's an exhausting listen. Also I know this sound is groundbreaking sooooo many people have copied this style since it now feels tired? The 90's was wild y'all.

Yeah, it was fun. Stand-outs - Check the Rhime - Jazz (We've Got)

I was reluctant to press play, TBH. I enjoyed it more than I expected. It was a lot funkier than I thought it would be. I totally understand why it's a classic and I'm glad that I listened to it especially since it's not an album that I would have chosen on my own. This is a very good early 90s hip-hop album. I understand why it's on this list. The lyricism was less "Rapper's Delight" than I expected -- and that was welcome. 🥁 I _noticed_ the tight drumming on this one and found myself wondering "....wait....is Questlove associated with 'A Tribe Called Quest'? Is that how he got the name?" It turns out his name is inspired by the group.

Great album. Definitley 90s hip hop. Love the bass. Beats got a little repetitive after halfway through. But again, that is the 90s. Great lyrics. 7.25/14, 71.96%

05-06/03/26

I liked this one. Refreshing to hear rapping that uses other words than slurs or something related to sex. The beats and music were also to my liking. Would I listen to this volunteraly again? Maybe not but definitely wouldn't mind listening to this if it comes up from playlist or something. Best track was Check the Rime.

Jazz con rap me gusta! Sonidos muy claros, pegadizos. Un 8 🙌🏼✨

Good hip-hop album with jazz influences. It's smooth and cool and doesn't sound dated. My previous album was MC Solaar which I liked even more so this gets a 3+.

Album No. 0171 on my list. I’m not rally all that much into hip hop (I think I’m really starting every review of a hip hop album like this now). Hence, I had never heard of either A Tribe Called Quest or their album “The Low End Theory”. If I’m not mistaken, this is the highest rated hip hop album on this site. Unfortunately, I’m not really sure that I get what the fuzz is all about. This is not really a bad album and I 100 % get why this is considered a hip hop classic. But I found it rather solid than really great, I think. There are some cool lyrics here, there is a solid flow; to my limited knowledge, this is really classic early 90s hip hop at its best. That being said, none of the songs really stood out to me, and I found that there is a little lack of dynamic on this. Anyway, I’ll add “Excursions”, “Jazz (We’ve Got)”, and “Scenario” to my playlist, the latter being a solid collaboration with Busta Rhymes. 3/5 stars.

нє, ну качає, прикол але я таке не слухаю 🥀 може, почну йоу

This was the first hip hop album that I've listened to and although it is not really my type of music, it was pleasant enough.

Quite cool and easy to listen to but, like a few other hip-hop albums on this list, it felt very samey. After the first few songs, I felt like I'd heard all the album had to offer.

interesting rap album. kinda had a jazzy vibe without any sampling.

данный альбом - сплошной рэп, но, несмотря на это, некоторые треки оказались довольно неплохими. хотя тексты мне вообще не понравились, в инструментале есть моменты, за которые зацепилось ухо. ну и +1 звезда чисто из-за Q-Tip'a

For me it's kinda basic but maybe legendary album. Liked some tracks, but overall it's a 3-star album. Enjoyed some jazz instruments.

I really enjoyed the drum and bass combo that drives the groove of the album. Very clean tones, very satisfying to bop to. The focal element of the album is the rapping and word play. I have a hard time focusing on lyrics in music, but the bits and pieces I picked up swayed back and forth between clever word play and discussion of sex, drugs, and money. I noticed I started to get bored the deeper into the album I got. I attribute that my personal difficulty focusing as time went on, and the drum and bass groove, while nice, eventually lost its novelty and got repetitive. All in all, solid album! I think I'd enjoy it more broken up and sprinkled throughout a playlist than listening to the album front to back.

few songs were good

Nice and good

Tiene muy buen ritmo,no soy fan del rap y no suelo escucharlo,pero acepto que son buenas canciones

Good older rap with a nice musical interludes.

pretty good

One of the quintessential hip hop albums. It combines jazzy elements, with great rapping to conform a really interesting listen. Would slightly prefer 'Midnight Marauders' but this vastly improves upon their debut. 8/10 [KEEP]

Good

Day 189 Wasn’t blown away but fine as background music. Highlights Check the Rhime Skypager

It’s pretty good (I’m assuming better for its time) but I am left confused by the intention of the song “infamous date rape” like is it supposed to be satire? If so it didn’t really land that way with me, so had to knock it down for that. I think overall it’s solid but I wouldn’t find myself listening to it again (and this is coming from a rap/hip hop enjoyer)

Great text but I never was a fan of this type of beat

It’s great album. I didn’t know the band so it’s new for me and i like to listen to new things. This album is not incredible but is worth listen.

7/10. Some really good beats and samples in here. Kinda relatable subject matter too

love the sound, flow sounds a little simple compared to modern rap I've heard but I wonder how much I'm missing in terms of linguistic nuance. Didn't like Butter too much due to the lyrics just boasting of disrespecting women. Liked 'Verses from the Abstract', a lot more. Like the flow on 'Show Business' it's a bit faster paced and fun. I wonder if the choice of order is relevant. Does this tell a character narrative? Infamous Date Rape?? Can't tell if it's ridiculing this instructional method for how to court a sexual partner and the 'risks' of being falsely accused. If it is I feel it may be too subtle for me to catch. Liking 'Everything is Fair'

This was perfectly fine and though not my preferred genre, easy to listen to.

Alternative hip hop at it's best.

I'm having a hard time with this one because it's very good, undeniably important, influential, etc, but it's pretty dated. Most of the old school rap that holds up is the stuff that doesn't take itself super seriously, and this one takes itself pretty seriously.

GOING IN: No strong feelings LISTENED WHILE: decorating FAMILIARITY: New to me SKIP RATE: Played it straight through REPLAY VALUE: Deffo play again DISCOVERY CURVE: Warmed up nicely ALBUM ARC: Pretty even, consistent VERDICT: Fair enough BODY'S VERDICT: Decent head wobble FAVOURITE TRACK: My Rating: 3

Rap-jazz fusion! Interesting, but all the songs blended into one another. I can see why this made the list, though.

There’s not enough variation here to keep it interesting. They are very laid back and not bombastic like The Beastie Boys (which I like more). Overall, it’s alright.

05/02/2026 I can appreciate it, but it's not really me scene. Spotify listeners: 4.8 million

calssic

hmm…new

A good 90s hip-hop rap listen.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘸 𝘌𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺 is minimalist, smooth, and deeply rooted in jazz — a blueprint for laid-back, thoughtful hip-hop. The interplay between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg is sharp, and the production has that warm, upright-bass pulse that defines the album’s whole aesthetic. Still, as much as I admire its influence and clarity, it doesn’t fully grab me on a personal level. It’s a cool, intelligent record, just not one I’m eager to revisit often.

It’s hip-hop. I don’t really like hip-hop, but this is fine. I don’t remember a thing about it, I’m never going to listen again, but I didn’t hate it.

Not really my style but not offensive 3

The only track I knew was Scenario. I didn't know that track is credited with launching Busta Rhymes' career - neat! I like Tribe because the backing tracks are groovy/jazzy and they _don't_ do the gangsta rap thing. It's like easy listening rap, in a good way. I think if it had ~2 more hits, I would mark it an easy 4.

Ville give det 3.5 giver mig nostalgi følelse og romantiseret idé om at være ung i new york i 90'erne :))) ville jeg komme tilbage til det? not sure

Heart usually sinks when a rap album appears on here but actually this one was on the right side of rap I can listen to without losing the will to live

Core hip-hop album, absolutely influential, and in the lexicon of the genre it feels like it spends a significant portion of its run time on takeoff and never really catches its wind.

Hmm. It's not bad but it's not really good either. I mean sure why not it's nice at first but 40 minutes of the exact same drum pattern well... it's kinda long. I can see why it's liked but i personally didn't enjoy it after the first 3 songs.

Not something i thought i'd like as I'm not a huge fan of hip-hop, but it was pretty decent. I'd probably listen to it again but its not something i was obsessed with. The lyrics were nice and probably my favourite part of the whole album. My favourite songs were infamous date rape or verses from the abstract.

Pretty good. I liked the vibe

man this album is such a vibe, dropped while i was in college and really takes me back not something that i really feel like listening to anymore, for some reason q-tips flow just feels too specific to a moment and its weird listening now. still, the way it hit in its time was epic

I actually quite enjoyed this one; whether that's because I've had an aneurysm in my sleep, or if A Tribe Called Quest are genuinely a high quality example of hip hop, I should probably get myself checked out just in case. It felt far less one-note and monotonous than much of the hip hop that I've dunked on so far - it's far more "vibey" and moody owing to its atmospheric depth, more varied and palatable vocally with an accomplished flow to the lyrics being delivered, and it takes less of an "in your face" approach where you can almost tune out from the vocals if you so choose. When I did find myself focusing on the lyrics, there wasn't too much cause for concern in that department either, with some interesting, abstract concepts being explored. I'll be chucking this into my "hip hop that I don't mind" playlist, which doesn't get too many runouts, but serves as an occasional reminder that it's probably not the genre in and of itself that I take issue with - rather, the execution in many cases.

00:21am Slušala sam ga iz dva puta i iskreno kida hahaha Na prvo slušanje sam htjela površno preći preko cijelog albuma jer nikad nisam slušala ovaj žanr ranije, na drugo sam našla tekst uz pjesme i većinski nemam blage veze o čemu pjevaju al’ je bilo baš dobrih stihova i strofa pa sve u svemu svidio mi se album. Nemam pojma ko su Q-tip i tamo neki Muhamed i Fajf al imaju dobar bit i mnogo mi se sviða taj osjećaj kao da živim u Kvinsu, Nju Jorku, imam vrećaste farmerice do poda i najbolje drugarice su mi Tamika i Shaika iz bloka

Good for background noise

"GRAAH! RAH! LIKE A DUNGEON, DRAGON!"

Some of the songs sounded the same, but they were all good.

It was not bad, I liked some of the songs. I think for me if I like the album or not depends on the lyricism. Some of the songs had that some didn't. I wouldn't really give it a 3 because it is a bit better so probably a 3,5 in reality

Нигеры на плотной читке, но меня все равно не отпускает мысль что музло состарилось

Stripped down rap. Jazz samples. Clever, easy to understand lyrics. Not gangster rap. Not my usual genre but I liked it.

Infamous date rape and scenario are my favorites. Love the beats but the album is just a bit dated for my liking.

fav tracks: butter, vibes and stuff, everything is fair also not really my type of music, but I can appreciate it for its significance. it is really good, just not what I would ever reach for to listen to on my own. glad I heard it regardless because they're legends.

I enjoyed this album listen from A Tribe Called Quest! I feel like this is music that I can just vibe and chill to while listening. Overall, this was a solid hip hop and rap album that I would vibe to again in the future!

pretty solid but not my fav

sort of cool, appreciated how influential it's been

fun lil old hiphop album. way more listenable than i thought it would be. might even add into a playlist? songs seemed a bit too similar to eachother though, a definite favourite didn't really stand out

Not my personal style but groovy and enjoyable at times

Easy listening, the last half of the album shines with Check that Rhime and Everything is Fair. Very enjoyable and laid back however none of it particularly screams at me to listen to again and again.

Can see why it is considered a classic, but shows its age. Middle section got a bit repetitive, but ending picked back up. Great beats, enjoyed as a whole. Favorite song: Verses from the Abstract Ideal listening setting: mellow Sunday morning doing house chores Would I Relisten: no

not my vibe

it took me a couple songs to really get into it, not my usual, but pleasantly surprised. overall, it was a good listen. 3.5/5

A fine early 90s rap album.

I don't think I 've ever heard a hip hop album b4 but this is fire lol not my usual pick, I will prolly forget or listen when I am at the gym, drivin (dream) or when I want to feel like a gta character 7 out of 10

Heavy heavy beat, but a bit more repetitive than I recall the previous TCQ album (Peoples Instinctive Travels) and consequently I don't like it as much. But still better than the usual hip-hop offerings

Not my thing but listenable. Musicianship and a bit of jazz thrown in. A decent album.

7.2

I had listened to many of these tracks before. They have a unique and cohesive sound that was influential to the underground. But, it's not amazing to me. Its lyrically gimmicky at times and musically repetitive at others.

the instrumentation is good but the vocal delivery sounds like most other early 90s rap

not really my thing, super interesting beats and lyrics but I don't tend to like hip hop and rap so there's only so much I can like it

Very good, reminds me of 2pac

Digging the vibes, good workout music

Primeiro albúm que estou a ouvir como parte deste desafio, gostei. Devia ouvir mais de A Tribe Called Quest. Neste aqui tanto o tema de abertura como o final são bangers, a minha favorita é capaz de ter sido "What?".

Can I kick it? Not this one, but not bad. Good jazzy grooves and funky drum beat, but a bit uninspiring overall.

Kinda catchy even though I don't like rap

ok. Not really my thing.

I appreciate the vibe but this has never been my thing.

I find this so horribly monotonous. It gives me anxiety. But I'll give it a three because google says they pioneered jazz/rap...which would explain why I find it so irritating.

Even though I'm a big hip-hop fan and enjoy quite a few albums of the genre from that time, I haven't fully connected with this one. Mainly because I found it repetitive at times, however, I did quite like the production and the jazz influences in some tracks, as well as how well it's mixed and how clearly the individual vocals are distinguished. Fave tracks: Infamous Date Rape, Check the Rhime, Everything Is Fair, Scenario.

same as their other sounds

It's not really my genre but I kinda loved the song excursions I'll try listening to more songs by them

the stomach bug came back... anyway, i think the album is alright. a bit monotonous, but i don't listen to rap at all so maybe that's just how it is and i just don't like rap.

Someday I may appreciate rap music. I’m working on it. The rhymes are pretty good on this one but the beat is relentless. I added “Butter” to the Generator playlist.

Life is strange 2 reference, enjoyed it but overall not my thing

this is good, up until now the only thing i knew busta rhymes from was halloween resurrection

I like these they are old school with good rhymes etc

This feels like an album that I need to give repeated listens - the key to everything is the lyrics, and there are some that I just can't catch on the first pass. Love the classic jazz samples that provide the backbone, especially when the rappers call them out ("Ron Carter on the bass"). Lots of great historical music references packed into "What?" as well. And was that Busta Rhymes dropping a D&D reference ("Rawr! Rawr! Like a dungeon dragon")? This is one of those cases where as a first-time listener I think "This sounds like every other hip-hop album," but I'm told it was so groundbreaking that every other hip-hop album - or at least a lot of them - sounds like this. Fantastic wordplay and performances, just not the kind of thing I listen to often.

Ensimmäinen kuuntelemani hip hop-levy ja sellaiseksi aika hyvä. En vain ole tämän genren suurin ystävä, mutta biitit kuulostivat hyviltä ja joitain vaikutteita jazzista kuului myös.

have listened before objectively very good. i don’t see myself coming back to it often. could soooo see this changing tho fav: rap promoter

This wasn't necessarily my cup of tea when it comes to rap — I tend to prefer having a lot more to the backing track — but I can see why it's so influential.

I'm not a fan of a lot of hip-hop, but I quite liked this. I like the more minimal beats. Nothing really stand out though so I'm keeping it at a 3.

5/10

Not as good as their other album. Ends so strong though

Thoughtful rap lyrics

Nice album, easy to listen to.

Points for a Busta Rhymes feat

Considering I am not into Hip Hop/ Rap I quite enjoyed this much as I did their other album on this list.

Cool rhymes

ouais pas mal. y’en a des vraiment biens, y’en a des trop longues. gg

awesome lyrics

Erinnert mich an das erste Fanta4-Album

classic hip-hop

Solid rap album, but nothing more and nothing yes. Good flows and average beats. Other people saying this is somehow an ambitious "jazz hiphop" record? Either the occasional chord that is beyond a triad qualifies an entire album as "jazz hiphop" or I listened to a different album.

Clearly very talented artists and a well made album. Not my style of music though

This has to be a grower, I was disappointed with this one on a first listen but I should love it.

I knew A Tribe Called Quest for the hits and it turns out that those hits I knew aren't on this album. Still this is quite pleasant. The beats are what I would call 'old school' (my theory is that people's definition of 'old school' depends on when they started listening to hiphop, in my case that's the nineties). Boombap-ish drums. Jazzy samples. It's got the same looseness as the hits I was familiar with but musically it's a bit more understated. It's still quite playful but decidedly less flashy. I can see why it didn't really break through in my little corner of the world back then but happy to have a chance to spend some time with it now.

Good stuff! A lot of very similar stuff but I didn’t mind it. Lot of cool beats. On the upper tier of hip hop this list has given us. Would give a 3.5 if I could

These guys just exude cool. There wasn’t anything here I was super wowed by, but I really enjoy their rhymes and their beats.

Tykkään kuinka hyvin levy "swengaa" alusta loppuun ja tuntuu että ollaan siellä jossain nykyhipidihopin alkulähteillä taas pelailemassa korista ja skeittaamassa. Ei tää kyllä huono oo ja ansaitsee jopa myöhemmin uuden kuuntelukerran

Ihan jeppis levy. Hyviä biittejä ja selkeää räbäytystä. Vähän ehkä itseään toistava, mutta ei silti ehtinyt kyllästyä.

Fun album, some good tracks. Highlights: "Vibes and Stuff", "Jazz (We've Got)

Good tunes but not my style :).thx

Lyyrisesti ehkä parempi kuin nusab osalta, mutta hyvähkö levy. 3/5.

Its a fine rap album. But I'm not wowed.

24 hours after grinding through Dr Dre’s gangsta rap, A Tribe Called Quest offered a much more engaging experience. The musical atmosphere is much more refined and spacey; the lyrics are live-and-let-live in outlook. I liked the clarity of the diction too. If I had a disappointment it was that - with the odd exception - the lyrics weren’t super-clever or thought provoking. I’m glad to have heard it, though.

Bit repetitive but a few good tracks

Cool production, nice flow. A bit repetitive-sounding, though, but it's alright.

Rap écoutable pour une fois

Fun, good beats, takes me back.

Yep, this is hip hop. Nothing revolutionary, but I guess you had to be there for it to have an effect.

Better than most hip-hop albums. Notably lacking in violence and misogyny, very refreshing.

Just ok

Solid rap album. Might listen again? Tough to say.

Really interesting to hear Busta being showcased.

These guys helped start Busta Rhymes' career, but were also heavy influences on Kanye's career. So I'd call that a wash

Yes yes yes

Old School Rap. Not my thing.

Good, wouldn't listen to it again probably but it was a enjoyable listen.

I do still really like this but as a whole it doesn’t do a lot for me anymore. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Second TCQ album off this list. Sweet beats.

Good beats, monotone vocals, trippin.

#150/1001. My wife said that this is hip hop she understands, and that is a great compliment from her. For me it falls somewhere in the middle, not super innovative, not terrible. The flow and the beats are again good, and there is a bit less ghetto and anger, which for me is a plus. But still a 3.

Appreciated the old school beats and jazz influences but it did get a bit repetitive.

Old School corny rap Funky beats Decent flow Quite basic rhyming

keine ahnung, gehört, irgendwas empfunden aber dann wieder vergessen und irgendwann war das Album zu Ende. Hat keinen bleibenden Eindruck hinterlassen, wie ein nicht riechender Furz

Angenehmer 90er HipHop

Slightly too slow for me. 3.

Really good

Solid, cool album :)

Great sample and lyrical storytelling. Stand out track 'what?'

No es para mi

Great grooves. I wasn't listening to the words. Gets kinda repetitive.

Pretty familiar with this legendary hip hop album , the rhyming is a bit out dated and the instrumentals low on layering but there’s quite a few classic tracks

Somewhat well-aged.

So often i see it on some lists where people highlight the best albums and have tried multiple times to appreciate it ans Triba called quest, but it's just not for me. Also the jazziness is not really helping it. 🥲

Like, fun , funky even. Nice downtempo 110 something bpm.

A real bassist! Otherwise... more rap.

Everyone loves Paris because it is so beautiful. But it is just a nice building repeated thousands of times. This album is the Paris of hiphop albums, a good song repeated a bunch of times. I went in with high expectations and didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

It’s good but also the same sound on repeat

Je pense que c'est très bien mais je ne m'y connais pas assez en rap pour bien juger.

A decent album

Lots of bands sample, but these guys are masters of inclusion

I'm not super well versed in older hip hop/rap but liked this album much more than I expected I might. Smooth and flowy with jazz undertones.

Songs kind of all sounded the same but I was happy enough

Great listen to fu my old hip hop. Doug E Fresh

cool 90's rap, enjoyed the sound, didn't listen much to lyrics tho, so might have missed alot

Liked the funkiness but after a while it felt like all the songs sounded the same. The last song was ending on a high note for sure.

I'm not a fan of this music genre, so an album has to have something really special for me to appreciate it. While this album is obviously very well produced and executed, it didn't have anything that made me want to seek it out again.

I dug the groove and old school style, but it got pretty samey.

a "classic" hip hop sound, in the sense that when i think of hip hop, i think of verses and beats like this.

Enjoyable record with bouncing instrumentation (those basslines!), solid hooks, and good wordplay that work at both a lyrical and rhythmic level. Easy to see why this album would make it onto a list like this, given the style that oozed from every track and the timeless production. The dated cultural references, lack of cultural alignment to my experience, and thus my tastes mean this doesn't quite rate highly for me. However, I wouldn't turn my nose up at listening more, and I'm glad to have been exposed to the album. 3.5/5

solid consistent vibe, lots of lyrics for the mood I am in

In an era when there was all kinds of East-West coast conflict posturing and beefing between hip-hop artists, groups like Tribe distinguished themselves by name-checking other artists they admired and staying out (and above) the fray. These guys were in it for the love of the form. There was no childish diss track drama so prevalent in a lot of commercial hip-hop. Tribe opted instead to elevate their peers, highlight their friends, and build community as part of the Native Tongues collective. Although 2 Live Crew were considered hip-hop's premiere party record producers, every house party I went to where hip-hop was played in the 90s I heard A Tribe Called Quest. I owned every other Tribe record on vinyl besides this one. We open with "Excursions", featuring the organic sounds of an upright bass, no doubt a nod to their admiration for the work of jazz pioneer Charles Mingus. Tribe's aesthetics always leaned more towards jazz than the funk inspirations of many of their contemporaries, and if you ask me, it was definitely one of their strengths. Other highlights include: "Show Business", which gives a classic production style evoking Eric B and Rakim. Any track that talks shit about the music business and bites the hand that feeds is an automatic banger in my book. "Butter" drops a buzzy synth bassline and lyrics flipping the macho-bravado where the player gets played for a change. In "Vibes and Stuff", despite the beats being great, giving props to the Zulu Nation—and Afrika Bambaataa specifically—has unfortunately aged like milk, given what an unredeemable p.o.s we would later discover Bambaataa to be. Wah Wahhh. "Scenario", a hyped up fast-paced multi-lyricist word salad jam, has been rocking good-time house parties since forever and needs no further explanation. A total hammer drop to close us out. The influence of this record is undeniable, aside from it being included in the 1001 Albums book. The eponymous and legendary experimental hip-hop and electronic DJ night at the Airliner in LA in the mid aughts was named directly after this record. If you liked waiting in lines, you could hear The Gaslamp Killer, Tyer The Creator, Flying Lotus, and occasional drop-ins by Thom Yorke on the 1s and 2s at that spot. Nicki Minaj references "dungeon dragons" in "Roman's Revenge" with lines and delivery lifted directly from Busta Rhymes' verses in "Scenario." Being repeatedly verse-checked by a superstar rapper 35 years later holds some weight for sure, even if it is a Harajuku Barbie. Before we put these dudes on a pedestal as bastions of so-called "conscious" hip-hop, however, we would do well to look at the whole picture. These guys were not exactly heroes. The Low End Theory had the song "Georgie Porgie" cut from the album by Jive Records due to its unbelievably homophobic lyrics. And this was no garden variety narrow-minded heteronormative quip nor a random homophobic slur, either; I've read the lyrics and they are totally repugnant. I can separate the art from the artist, but not when the art itself is horrible. Here's hoping these fellas evolved, as the years wore on, because there was never any indication in later career work or interviews addressing the disgusting sentiments they expressed in this unreleased song. Two-thirds of the group's association with 5% and Nation of Islam organizations, however, give cold comfort that their attitudes in this regard changed. Deserving of a 4.5, but knocked down to 3 because this story of the hate track they tried to hide does tarnish the fuck out of an otherwise decent album. The cover art is fantastic, incorporating the band's fixation with the ladies with an Afrocentric color scheme that would make Marcus Garvey proud. The organic painterly textures suggest African body paint, but punctuated with a bright juicy blacklight effect that feels at once tribal and futuristic. The hand painted typography gives the whole thing an earthy feel that matches the music's aesthetics that favor live instrumentation over relying too heavy on samples and synthetic sounds.

Weird

Tämähän oli vaihteeksi ihan leppoisaa hipitihoppia. Hyviä biittejä ja melodioita.

Ihan kivaa maalailua!

This record makes you think that pagers and arsenio hall would have a longer impact than they did.

I liked this! ‘What?’ was an excellent, excellent song, big fan of a line about threesomes and a line about laws not being equal one after the other.

Rated each song on a scale of 1-3, meaning the highest score possible would be 42. Ended up with a score of 33 which is a ratio of 78.5%. So that’s a C, or a 3 star rating. It’s ironically apt that the album is called The Low End Theory because the latter half of the album is way more interesting than the songs higher up on the track list.

Fun, easy to listen to and quite toe-tapping, without leaving that much of a mark. I think the other ATCQ album that we had felt a bit more substantial than this to be honest.

very jazzy hap-hop and connected these genres, laid-back, culturally and historically significant "Show business"/"Everything is fair"

Old school rap, not my jam but good enough, i like the instrumentals more than the lyrics

the kind of album where i like get it but i dont get it enough to love it love it. I know fantano sucks this album off constantly and i know it's culturally significant and people love a tribe called quest but like it's just pretty good kinda political rap to me i think

6/10 The beats...they're fresh... 8-8-2025

Sympathique à découvrir, mais qui n'a plus l'impact que ça pouvait avoir. Pas mon style de musique.

Great old school hip hop album 3/5 for me but I'm aware it's highly rated by those more into their hip hop than I, personally I prefer later American hip hop like Blackalicious, mos def etc

I love rap - but for some reason I really struggle with A Tribe Called Quest. I can't explain it in any way!