The Low End Theory

One of my favorite albums from the 90's. For some reason the line, "I want chicken and orange juice, that's whats on my rider" has been in my head since the 90's and I frequently blurt it out at inopportune times to the consternation of my family. And, of course, one of the best Busta guest tracks ever!

This was so good. No wonder it's a classic

Now this is an influential album right here. My first A Tribe Called Quest experience was with their first album just under a month ago. I'm a bit miffed that there wasn't much time between the two (as well as the sheer abundance of repeat artists I've gotten as of lately), but those feelings are strongly outweighed by my positive feelings on this album. Every piece of praise I had for their debut applies here, but to a stronger degree. The jazz influence was certainly there in their first album, but it is in full swing on The Low End Theory. They even acknowledge that in the first song on the album! Speaking of songs, there's some great ones on here. Of course, you have the classics like "Check the Rhime" and "Scenario" that are obviously great. However, the deep cuts from this album like "Skypager" and "What?" are pretty good as well. There aren't really any bad songs on this album, which is good. The rapping is even better on here than the debut. My big complaint on the debut was the lack of Phife Dawg. Fortunately, there is no lack of Phife Dawg on The Low End Theory. He is here and he is great. Q-Tip still does great as well, and even though he doesn't rap, the work that Ali Shaheed Muhammad provides on this album is essential to what makes it so great. The sound is excellent, the writing is enjoyable, and the pacing is much better. This album has aged magnificently and its influence remains in and outside of hip-hop to this day. The Low End Theory may not be my favorite album to release on September 24, 1991. I personally liked Nevermind more. But there is no denying that this is a legendary album that deserves all of the praise it has gotten over the years. Light 5/5.

yas this album was so sick. so vibey and jazzy and just fun to listen to. definitely need to relisten to pick out some favs bc they all sort of just flow together rlly nicely

phenomenal album

Classic

Q-tip er den rapper med den bedste stemme til den slags jazzede beats, de bruger her. Pfife er en virkelig god kontrast, trækker energien op men bliver aldrig for meget (ulig fx flava flav). Synes det er sjovt hvor ofte han nævner hans højde, short king 👑 Busta Rhymes vers på Scenario GOAT, både fordi det er Busta men Q-Tip har også nogle fantastiske lead-ins. Det her er første gang jeg hører den hvor jeg ved, hvem Peter Tosh er, fordi han tidligere var på listen!!

Nogen af de bedste beats nogensinde, og virkelig gode flows. Pladens bedste vers er det sidste (Busta Rhymes på Scenario), men det er nok et top 10 hiphop vers nogensinde Teksterne er nogen gange pænt datede. 90er-raps forhold til kvinder var lidt for meget delt op i to grupper, "alle kvinder er klamme ludere!"-gruppen og "kvinder er fantastiske, bortset fra dem som er klamme ludere, men de er ikke rigtige kvinder!"-gruppen.

5/5

Tribe arrived fully formed with Instinctive Movements and they followed it up with another classic just over a year later with a sound all their own. Incorporating jazz samples and continuing the lighthearted humorous lyrics, this one holds up to this day as basically perfect.

FINALLY!! On day 138, this generator gave me my first perfect 10 album! This is in my top 5 albums of the 90s. Probably top 3. 10 stars!

A hip hop classic, truly amazing.

Awesome album. A Tribe Called Quest were really a force to be reckoned with.

I had heard this album in pieces at various stages of my life, but had never sat down and listened start to finish. It really blew me away- the clever wordplay, juxtaposed serious tone with sillier lyrics, the music sampling- the all came together to create a powerhouse. I can see how the album was so influential to so kany artists, and helped define the sound of hip hop as a genre in the 90s. Overall- a masterpiece of a hip hop album.

You on point, Phife? All the time, Tip Well, then grab the microphone and let your words rip

Amazing Album, played it 5 times in a row. Honestly, I fell in love with it the first time I heard the line "Back in the days when I was a teenager."

Banger!

Easy 5

Yes

Chad rap

Love this album. One of the greatest hip-hop records of all time.

Really cool album, perfect for just chilling and having in the background

Love Tribe, but never listened to this the whole way through. Love this era of rap and acid jazz, trip hop, etc. Reminds me of listening to the radio as my main source of music. Such a great vibe.

Really great hip hop album. Qtip has a nice flow.

Butter- track 4-horn line ⭐️ Verses from the abstract sample ‘heatwave- the star of a story - Ron Carter- bass

One of my all time favourites.

Great

Me gusta como Shaheed usa el bajo a lo largo del álbum. A mí parecer los beats son cerebrales. Q-tip es S tier MC. El flow del álbum es increíble.

2nd behind Midnight Marauders only cuz the cover lacks a penis :/

Jazz and hip hop fusion? What's not to love!

5/5 - say the whole thing

Hard to fault this. 5*

Excellent. Second listed of this record. Got way more out of it this time around.

When that fat and chunky double-bass sample hits at the beginning of 'Excursions', a feeling of unfiltered joy rushes through me knowing I get to listen to this thing again. This was one of the many albums that had me falling in love with old-school hip-hop back in the day. There was a period in my life where every morning kicked off with that bass sample on 'Excursions'. It's "hip-hop" and "rap" music in its purest, unadulterated form. The beats are blunt and dusty - never feeling too clean or calculated. Their jazzy components are spacious, dark, and warm enough to effectively form pockets for the rhymes of Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and all the features here. 'Buggin' Out' is one of the greatest songs. Period. I mean holy that bass sample kills, the drums slap, it's mixed beautifully, and the witty back and forth between Tip and Phife is unconventionally addictive. Their rapping is so perfect here: "'Oh yo he's acting stank' really on a regal?". The light touches of synth driving the Phife-exclusive 'Butter' highlighting his women's trouble is another flawless cut. I love the stark criticisms of the music industry on 'Show Business' featuring Tribe affiliate Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian. That guitar interlude on 'Vibes and Stuff' is serene, the way the beat coasts on 'Check the Rhime' rules, and 'What?' is consistently hilarious and witty. Then of course we got the posse-cut standard that is 'Scenario' with a memorable verse from a young Busta Rhymes closing off the entire album. Perfection would be an understatement - this is how you tightly package a sonic idea and conceptual motif into something bite-sized yet still grand in its presentation. It's an album that masters the art of consistency. In other words, rap didn't sound like this until 'The Low-End Theory', and rap hasn't sounded like this since 'The Low-End Theory'.

Incredibly influential hip hop album. Some of the best production of the genre

In the running for #1

I have a few Tribe albums on vinyl but for some reason I can't remember ever listening to this one. As always Tribe perfectly incorporates the best jazz music and rhythms with their own brand of hip hop. The lyrics are great, the music is great. Great album front to back.

Certified hood classic

Album gains steam and by the end hits harder than 2 day old shits. But Fife was there another way to show me where you come from?

Maybe the best album of one the greatest musical acts of all time. It's always hard to write when I come across an album like this that maybe changed my whole life and I'm so close to because it feels like I can't say anything that I haven't already heard others say. Everyone has there own niches of what makes them understand what music can truly be and what it can make them truly feel and for me that falls within Tribe's whole discography and community, reaching out to De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes. My whole life I have had an affinity for art and music particularly that's worked in contrast to the more sensible and "normal" environment I was raised around, and moreso in my contrast to be able to express myself. This is why ATCQ has always been so important to me, they create everything that makes me feel the music sooo hard yet they never lose their sense of humour or their ability to just be silly and it makes the music so much better for it. But my own random personal feelings aside, this album really is that good. Not necessarily the first to tackle Jazz within hip hop (RIP Guru) but they were the first to clean it up and package it the way they did. By all reports this was due to Q Tip being the perfectionist he is and it really does show. Hours sitting in a studio listening to potential records to sample and tweaking the mix as you run back and forth between the studio and your car to see how it sounds is all that can make an album this minimalist and sparse sound like something that can undeniably move heads. I can still vividly remember the first time I heard Buggin Out as I was leaving my house to walk to school and it was just the perfect moment as that snare hit so crisp and Phife comes in with one of the greatest verses of all time. I rewound it and played it over and over again and didn't hear the second verse until I was halfway to school. And despite hearing it that many times I'm still bumping it regularly years and years later. Scenario is maybe the greatest posse cut of all time, rivaled on its own album by Show Business which in my opinion may be the most underrated posse cut in hip hop. But beyond just my personal experiences with it, this album is an ode to jazz and the culture from which hip hop was born. There's a large voice often saying that hip hop and sampling culture is somewhat "stealing", but when Q Tip specifically makes a point to shout out Ron Carter on Verse from the Abstract, this is more love than individual musicians were usually shown within Jazz itself. People don't regularly talk about McCoy Tyner, they talk about John Coltrane (and his quartet) despite the fact that without the lush and rhythmically dense piano on those records, they simply wouldn't be what they were. But this is because these musicians are tools used by an auteur (for lack of a less wank word), and this is crediting how important the arranger and organiser and conductor of musical performances is, while displaying great trust in these musicians to do in knowing they cna do what you require while adding their own flavour to it. This is the culture that was passed down to hip hop and I think is displayed so beautifully on this album, with moments such as the one I mentioned not relying on you having prior knowledge but telling you where this music came from and why, transforming the musical sphere from simply self-referential, to self-preserving. But this is taking the piss! No one wants to hear people talk about jazz like this and really what's important to me is that this album is intrinsically intwined with my whole life at this point, the highs, the lows, hanging out, hyping myself up, meeting new people, this album is more than music, it's a constant, it's gospel, it's just fucking awesome.

In awe from the first From bass lines on down to flows Masterclass of cool

Foundational for sure, and an absolute blast to listen to.

So chill and fun

Heard this but haven’t listened to it 1) f*** yeah 2) f*** yeah 3) f*** yeah 4) aight 5) f*** yeah 5 star

One of hip hop’s great conscious-rap outputs. It’s great beginning to end.

One of the all-time hip-hop classics. Styles upon styles upon styles is what they have.

One of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.

What we had previously heard the few years earlier before low end theory was gangsta rap with ice-t, 2pac, nwa, eric b and others this was the album that started the movement of experimental rap that lead the way for fugees, wu-tang and other rappers attempting to create a fussion between rap and other generes, styles and cultures. The smooth jazzy low key relaxing vocals of Q-Tip and the contrasting more hard and powerful delivery of Phife and Jarobi with an extreme influence a knowledge of jazz made this a totally different sound never heard before in rap. De la soul had already had a different approach but this was a jaw dropping album cause the mix of styles simply killed it. This should be a top 10 rap album of all time. It has not been given the credit it deserves because of the way it changed rap music

What's a Tribe album without 5 stars?

I knew this was a 5 star album approximately 20 seconds into the first track. Come on man, how can it be better than this? Tribe gets into some of the most addicting grooves in music history.

Waar Floris het al had over 'The White Album der Hip Hop' van De La Soul, kent dit album de prestigieuze titel de 'Sgt. Pepper van de rapwereld'. Dit vooral vanwege de immens progressieve aanpak op het gebied van productie en engineering, en niet zo zeer op esthetisch vlak. Al kun je de vrijgeestige artiesten uit Queens wel bestempelen als de hippies van de East Coast hip hop scene. Dit album bouwt voort op revolutionaire technieken en de storytelling filosofie die we al hoorden in 'Paul's Boutique' en '3 Feet High and Rising', waaraan het een hoop te danken heeft. Maar al die elementen, van de gelaagde samples tot de cultuurswitch van gangster rap naar humoristische boom bap, worden naar een legendarisch niveau getild. Dit is peak early 90s hip hop, het walhalla wat talloze acts na hun tevergeefs hebben proberen te bereiken. Bijna 33 jaar na dato is dit album fresher dan de freshte pannenkoeken die bij je lokale record store over de balie vliegen. Dit album - en A Tribe in het algemeen - was voor mij een essentiele pionier, die mij de fascinerende wereld van de 'Golden Age of Hip Hop' introk. En alhoewel de (letterlijk) kraakheldere productie en de organische wijze van mixing, waarin live instrumenten en samples samenvloeiden, de earcatchers zijn op deze plaat, is het voor mij allereerst de timing, de flow, en de wordplay van de mannen die mij deden overtuigen van zijn centrale plek in de hip hop Hall of Fame. Hoe de rhymes met speels gemak voortvloeien op die overheerlijke double bass (s/o naar Jazz-icoon Ron Carter). Dit album belichaamt de brug tussen jazz rap en neo-soul, en is een voorbode van Q-Tip's monumentale werk met de 'Soulquarians' tegen het einde van het decennium. Dat die double bass een dodelijk wapen is op dit album wordt direct duidelijk in de openingsfase, met 'Excursions' en 'Buggin' Out'. Twee van de sterkere songs op het album; de eerste als een afrocentrisch anthem dat als geen ander het ATCQ-universum tekent, de tweede vanwege de vocal performance van Phife. Het contrast tussen de twee rappers, die samengaan als milk and honey, wordt nogmaals duidelijk bij het duo 'Butter' en 'Verses from the Abstract'. Deze laten zien dat de groep een ongekend oor voor hooks heeft. Het middenstuk neemt een beetje gas terug, waarin een aantal nummers iets te veel leunen op de zalige productie, zonder echt iets nieuws te brengen. Maarja, ze komen er ook wel weer gewoon mee weg, omdat ze de flow weigeren te doorbreken. De tweede helft van het album pakt de draad weer volledig op, met de fameuze tracks 'Check the Rhime' en 'Jazz (We've Got)'. De Average White Band's loop van de eerste is het uithangbord geworden van de groep's gogme op gebied van sampling. De tweede is jazz rap perfectie, smooth like butter. En al die elementen - de één revolutionair, en de ander juist retrospectief - komen tot een explosie van jewelste in de laatste fase van de plaat. Met hoeveel souplesse de humor wordt geleverd in 'What?', en hoe die De La Soul-achtige track z'n transitie maakt naar het charismatische boom bap anthem 'Scenario', is tekenend voor de uitzonderlijke muzikaliteit van de Tribe. Phife en Q-Tip leveren nog één keertje, maar moeten uiteindelijk hun betere erkennen in de featurings. Dinco D van Leaders of the New School pakt de microfoon en zet een tandje bij, wat één van m'n favoriete verses van het decennium oplevert. De lat werd hoog gelegd, maar niet te hoog voor een jonge Busta Rhymes. Wat een manier om én één van de meest iconische Hip Hop albums ooit te eindigen, en je eigen carriere te kickstarten. Er zijn weinig verses in het genre te vinden die zoveel persoonlijkheid uitstralen als deze. 'Scenario' staat voor de continue drijfveer om elkaar te pushen naar nieuwe hoogtes, de ideologie die 'The Low End Theory' gebracht heeft waar het staat. 9,5/10 Highlights: Excursions Verses from the Abstract Jazz (We've Got) Scenario

Geweldig album, veel goede nummers, origineel, want echt anders, en invloedrijk.

A classic.

I really have enjoyed the 2 Tribe records I’ve gotten so far. Funky, jazzy, Afrocentric beautiful rap. None of it feels too aged.

All. Time. Classic. Hip. Hop. Nuff said.

Amazing

Awesome album, loved it.

I love this album and it’s a very different hip-hop album than Maddie that I have heard. I have always thought this is one of my favorite albums in this genre because it is so fun, relaxing, and playful to hear. There are many great hooks and beats on this album and the wrapping is awesome. Five out of five.

Gear: Hifiman Arya Artwork: schwarz, sexy, ikonisch Mix: smooth, funky, fett gezupfter double Bass, organische Beats, groovy Vocals Musik: Legendär. Wertung: klare 🪙🪙🪙🪙🪙/5

Incredible

Time is an inanimate object

This is my kind of rap, love the style and the beats

I can’t believe I slept on this. I think I still prefer Midnight Marauders, but holy shit this is undeniably amazing.

A real vibe I love this album

Absolutely fantastic. Great grooves, lyrically diverse.

Legendary. Still Hits.

Man. This was pretty incredible.

Deserves every inch of hype it receives. Though it lacks my #1 Tribe song, Award Tour, it has more than enough undisputables. Verses from the Abstract, Check the Rhime, Scenario, Excursions, Buggin Out, all god damn classics.

This is one of the albums where rap/hiphop got more musically complex while also being fun to listen to. It's one of the first rap albums that still feels fresh, where as, for example, even though Straight Outta Compton is great, it does sound musically dated.

A CLASSIC.The best hip-hop album ever.

An all-timer, this album has such a distinctive sound and compelling irrepressible energy. Simple but totally captivating beats with a smooth laid back funky jazz flavor keep your head bobbing along gently. The production is clear and crisp and balanced and everything comes through just right, like a live jazz trio perfectly captured laying it down. The vocals are the really stand out part though. Keeping the choruses to a minimum, Q-tip, Phife Dawg, and Busta Rhymes swap verses relentlessly and joyfully, they each have a unique flow, playing around with cadences, going off on wordy excursions, spinning out elaborate stories, bantering, conjuring images, and having fun with the language. It starts and ends on a high and never lets up in between.

That boom bap. Strong opening track. I don't claim to be the biggest Tribe fan. Not a huge fan of QTips voice, but the energy is so good. And sonically overall it works. My favorite track has always been Scenario. It's the track off of this album that I have played the most. It's an album.

All-time favorite. Great beats and verses.

It's 1991. Storrs, CT. UConn's West Campus. Lancaster Hall, 4th floor. This is the what you hear coming out of the windows on every nice day. It's the soundtrack to every party. This is the album you put on when you bring a girl back to your room and awkwardly try to get her in the mood. '90s hip-hop was full of experimentation and this is some of it's best. Stripped down beats and jazz samples under chill conscious rhymes delivered with precision. I think about this a lot because it's exactly the trajectory I wish hip-hop would've taken. Unfortunately the record industry thought it would be more profitable to glorify gang violence, crime, misogyny, and consumerism instead.

A perfect, cool hip hop album. Filled with poignant lyrics and sick beats.

Great mellow vibes, old school hip hop with some R&B

Das ist wohl mein erstes Hip-Hop Album, dass mir richtig gut gefallen hat. Auch wenn oft der Rhythmus ziemlich ähnlich war in den Songs, so war die Art der Arrangements richtig cool gemacht. Abwechslungsreich.

This one is one of the best 90s rap records. I wanna get it on vinyl

Holds up way better than almost every other 90s hip hop since there's not skits bogging it down.

Probably my favorite rap album not by the Beastie Boys.

👍🏻

Undergrad discovery. all rippers, no skippers

I listened to this 4 times in a row if that means anything.

Some of the best of what was at the time considered new school hip hop.

There are exactly zero flaws on this album. So incredibly influential. Q-Tip might be my favorite. This is really excellent.

classic.. to think new generation is likely to rediscover rock n roll of the past... will they do so for rap? Out of their catalog i probably have heard this the most. It just flows like the Downward Spiral. Beastie Boys had Paul's Boutique as their opus... this is tribes' opus

Brilliant. The smartest, grooviest thing to come out of 1991, and still one of the c-o-o-l-est albums ever made. This is the album you give to your friends who claim not to like hip hop. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Check the Rhime, Jazz (We've Got), Buggin' Out, Skypager, Excursions, Everything Is Fair, Verses from the Abstract, Vibes and Stuff, The Infamous Date Rape, What?, Scenario, Rap Promoter, Butter, Show Business

Amazing flows, solid beats and lots of innovation.

Rest in peeace phife dawg

Just so very cool. Flows so well and the instrumentation is the perfect amount of minimalist. Just a vibe that can go on forever.

a tribe called quest only make peak albums. this ain’t their best but i’d still give it a 4.5/5

Couldn't rate this yesterday because I was working. You can't appreciate this record properly while doing something else. This is absolutely headphones music. Drink it in. Tribe just might be the greatest hip hop ever. Completely magnificent.

Classic. Jazzy vibes, good rhymes. Will listen again

Rekindled my love for Hip-Hop Rap. You must hear this before you die.

The Low End Theory is not just an album; it's a cornerstone of hip-hop history. Released in 1991 , it's a testament to the group's mastery of the genre. From its funky beats to its slick production, every aspect of the album is crafted with precision. One of the standout elements is the use of live double bass, which adds a layer of richness to the tracks. The minimalist approach to production allows each element to shine. But what truly sets The Low End Theory apart is the interplay between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. Their chemistry is undeniable, with each verse complementing the other seamlessly. Beyond its musical prowess, the album also delves into socially conscious themes, offering thought-provoking commentary on issues such as race, identity, and society. Yet, despite tackling weighty topics, the overall vibe remains laid-back and easygoing. This juxtaposition between profound lyricism and relaxed beats is what makes The Low End Theory a masterpiece of hip-hop. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 9 STAND OUT TRACK - Buggin' Out

Karen recommended me this album when i was working at BRI. Thought it was well good, giving it a five stars cos i really like the beats and the rap FLOW

WOW. I think exposing me to more jazz with this project led me to appreciate this album more. The blending of hip hop and jazz is perfection. Lyrics are insightful and reflect NYC life of the 80s/early 90s.

Ja ik vind dit gewone echt heel hard

Masterpiece

5 is for the artist. My personal favorite rap group of all time. Its not their best album cause there are a couple stinkers, but its also a jazz album so it kinda just goes with the flow.

Hands down one of the best hip hop albums I’ve ever heard

DOPE

The album is brilliant, but hip-hop is not mine.

Love jazz rap and the Tribe were the best at it. Catchy groovy beats.

A masterpiece by every measure.

Top drawer for me

Favourite hip hop album so far.

I’m so glad this one made it on here. I got into tribe a few years ago and found myself really loving this one and Midnight Marauders. Funny enough I already have memories with this album, it became part of my late night fall asleep albums. It’s such a chill album and the jazz pieces of it really make it seem special. Like a real late night jazz club hip hop. Since I was up late last night and saw this, I listened to the album while going to bed.

Love this album, so glad it's on here. There's always been a debate as to which is the ultimate Tribe masterpiece, and it's typically between this and Midnight Marauders. Me personally, I'm going Midnight Marauders, but this one has a cool jazzy edge to it that elevates things. The energy on the intro track is so perfect, can't overstate how awesome that baseline beat is. The album maintains the jazzy feel pretty well, with some great upright bass lines, but there are also a couple tracks that depart to more of hype territory. I was thinking this fell shy of the five-star rating, and I'm not sure why. Listening back to bangers on here, like "Check the Rhime," I mean how could this not get five stars? I thought it lost some steam, but in reality I think I was just not as engaged as I needed to be. As far as the rivalry goes, Midnight Marauders is still my winner. To me, that album is a brilliant ride start to finish, with no skips or bumps along the way. This one's arguably just as excellent, but it's just doesn't hit me in quite the same way. Nevertheless, a legendary album, and very deserving. Favorite tracks: Excursions, Buggin Out, Show Business, Check the Rhime, Skypager, What?, Scenario. Album art: Easily their best, right? I mean holy cow. The fact that this woman would make an encore appearance on MM is so cool too. Just a perfect art style and color combination, this one is elemental, essential. 4.5/5

It's like butter, man

So so so so good

Uh fangt schomal groovy ah. Oha?! Rap?! Hani wie ned erwartet. Das album isch so guet😭😭 wie hanis ned kennt

Hieno tiedostavan rapin klassikko josta ei puutu mitään! Tykkään tosi paljon kyseisestä levystä vaikka bändiltä ja aikalaisilta löytyy myös muita hienoja levyjä. 5/5

Luulenpa, että tämä on mielestäni kaikkien aikojen paras rap-levy. Aivan tajuttoman hyvää musiikkia. Se miten vokaalit on kuin yhtä biittien kanssa ja flow jatkuu biisistä toiseen. Kahdesti kuuntelin läpi eikä se tuntunut riittävän. Toivottavasti muitakin TCQ:n levyjä on listalla, koska ei ne hirveästi huonompia ole.

Jazzy East Coast Hip Hop. Boom baps out in full force. Low End Theory is full of smooth jazz bass lines and sick drum beats. Incredible flows and lyrics from everyone involved. Even though all the songs had similar feelings, it's a feeling you never get tired of. For me, it's like I'm nostalgic for a time I was never alive. It's cool I got to listen to The Chronic before this to really see the difference between between coastal styles. Definitely an all time classic Will for sure revisit.

Today's album is fantastic! Really solid early 90's hip hop. Apparently this album helped garner Busta Rhymes notoriety and led to him breaking out on his own. Busta wasn't actually a member of the band but was featured on some songs, and was always hanging around with them. Their beats are mixed with jazz, and it just works so well. This whole album is a vibe! Favourite songs: Scenario, Show Business, Excursions, What?, Buggin' Out, Rap Promoter, Verses from the Abstract, Check the Rhime, Infamous Date Rape, Butter, Vibes and Stuff, Jazz (We've Got), Skypager Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Everything is Fair 5/5

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I'm not a hip hop fan by any means, but this was one enjoyable ride from start to finish. Love the jazz influence heard on this album, and the lyrics are somewhat positive and fun.

zo jazzy, lovely

All killer and no filler. Super easy listen with those jazzy beats, having an actual jazz bassist playing all over it definitely helps. The back and forth is so good on this album, one of the best things about Tribe. Love it.

A true classic

An absolute masterclass in old school hip hop. I can see the influences this spurned in many modern hip hop artists evidenced by just this one album. The group is super tight and the production is both solid gold and offers a ton of variety. All in all a class act. Standout tracks: Buggin' Out, Check the Rime, Jazz (We've Got), Scenario

Best boom boom bap.

Really liked this mixture of rap, jazz- haven’t heard it in years

The entrance of this album marks the golden age of hip hop. In this era, hip hop started to branch out in multiple areas of the country and continued to evolve at a high rate. The jazzy samples, heavy bass(the low end) and raps by Phife and Q-Tip made this infectious album. A true introduction to Busta Rhymes on Scenario is a classic moment in hip hop.

Excellent, comforting, vibrant. Amazing record.

This is a vital album that everyone should listen to. Very happy it was not another rock album. I have listened to this one before, but it was good to go back for another listen.

do i even have to explain?

One of my favourites

A cornerstone album in the evolution of hip hop. Honestly this one speaks for itself. Let the beats get your head rocking and enjoy the smooth flow, clever wordplay and tight storytelling send you back to one of the most exciting times in music history. 9/10

This the second Tribe album I've had now, and wow they are one of my best discoveries from this project. I think I still preferred their debut, this is very different but also incredibly good. Will revisit it for sure.

hip hop?? and jazz?? love this album 9/10

Definitely glad I listened to this multiple times so that I could pick up on the bars. The flow and beats went well together, made me want to bob my head along with the rhythm. Some mid songs like What? but overall a great listen.

Just straight rhyme and it’s good. And jazzy. This is consistent with my theory that I like minimalist production (if the vocals are good which they are.) 9/10

Classic, pure, 90s

The Low End Theory is the second studio album by the influential hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released in 1991. The album is widely regarded as one of the best and most innovative albums in the genre, as it showcases the group’s artistic maturity, lyrical prowess, and musical diversity. The album’s title refers to the low-frequency sounds of the bass and drums, which form the backbone of the production. The group’s main producer, Q-Tip, crafted a minimalist yet rich sound, sampling mainly from jazz records and adding subtle touches of rock, funk, and soul. The result is a smooth, organic, and cohesive sonic landscape that complements the group’s rapping style. The Low End Theory also marks the emergence of Phife Dawg as a co-lead rapper, alongside Q-Tip. Phife, who had a minor role on the group’s debut album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, developed his skills and confidence as a rapper, delivering witty, humorous, and clever rhymes that contrasted with Q-Tip’s more laid-back, abstract, and philosophical approach. The two MCs displayed a remarkable chemistry and balance, trading verses, finishing each other’s lines, and engaging in playful banter. The album’s lyrical themes range from social commentary, cultural criticism, personal reflection, and hip-hop history, to everyday topics such as women, money, sports, and music. The group also pays homage to their influences and peers, such as the Native Tongues collective, Zulu Nation, Kool DJ Red Alert, and jazz legends like Ron Carter, who plays bass on one of the tracks. The album features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Brand Nubian, Diamond D, and Lord Jamar, who add their own flavor and perspective to the songs. The Low End Theory is a masterpiece of hip-hop artistry, a landmark album that defined the sound and style of the '90s and beyond. It is an album that transcends its genre and time, and remains relevant and influential to this day. It is an album that every hip-hop fan and music lover should listen to and appreciate.

This was awesome! I loved this style of hip hop and I’ll be listening to this album again. I hadn’t listened to A Tribe Called Quest before but can hear their influences on other hip hop artists I really like. It had some nice jazzy vibes and didn’t take its self to seriously which I appreciate in any musician.

I really like the Native Tongues—their clever beats, their proud African-ness, and overall the joy present throughout their music. This album is so solid throughout, and the second half in particular is excellent. I like the jazz-hiphop fusion going on in this record and the Busta Rhymes feature is amazing. Though some of the song structure seems simplistic by modern standards, I have nothing to complain about. And having read about the influence this album had on countless artists later on, I feel inclined to bump it up from 4 stars to 5.

Great consistent sound but never really gets samey, lots of good songs and a few great ones. Love the stripped down sound. 4.5/5

Love me some old school hip hop. This album really did make a great impression on me so imma giv it 2 dem. The full score I mean.

Ive listen to it before and it's still phenomenal

Loved this! Obviously was somewhat aware of TCQ before this, listened to a bit of their stuff over the summer (inspired by the hip hop soundtrack to the new TMNT movie lol), but this was my first deep dive into one of their albums. This was just totally my wave length. Another review I read puts it very well - this album works in two ways: you can zone out and chill and it’s great vibe music, or you can listen intently and the depth of the lyrics and construction of the songs will reveal themselves. A new favorite for sure! And it ends with a wild Busta verse!

Love this album

A classic for a reason, I'm a big fan of this style and era of rap.

Loved the hits off this for a long time, but it was good to hear it in its whole package. Even after all this time I can see how revolutionary this must have been when it came out. There is such a rhythm to this album and how Tip and Phife go back and forth, incredible. A classic to be sure, its just undeniable.

Absolute classic

Masterpiece

What’s the what’s the what’s the scenario?

What more is there to say about this album that already hasn't been said? Complete album from top to bottom, its influence is still being felt today in hip hop Never will get tired of this album

Such a great vibe

On a good day I prefer this album over Midnight Marauders. One of my unskippable albums and just amazing throughout. S tier shit.

Best album ender ever

i love a tribe called quest lol buggin out is still top track to me

Love it

“Low End Theory” makes “Empire State of Mind” sound like it’s about Schenectady. 6-3-4

All-time classic and pinnacle of hip-hop.

Favorite Track: Check the Rhime Jazz (We’ve Got) Scenario

Ho00y!

Classic

A very very solid and influential record. Basically changed the sound of rap. Those boom-bap beats and creative samples set the precedent for rap groups to come.

First 5 I’m giving,and it’s an album I’ve already heard before (lol).Yeah I’m already really familiar with tribe and a huge fan of their stuff however this album’s just as good on the second listen if not better.It’s not for nothing this is considered one of the greatest rap albums not just of its era but of all time.Bass has always been such an integral part of hip hop,even in the modern day we can still see it in the vibrating trap bass that makes your cars speakers shake.This album utilizes bass so efficiently and masterfully and it goes perfectly with Q-Tip’s and Phife’s raps.The lyricism is catchy and memorable,simple and appealing.Q-Tip’s flow and his chemistry with Phife combined with the album’s bass and percussion focused beats result in a very hypnotizing and appealing listen.It’s smooth (like butter).Legendary album. (R.I.P. Phife)

I mean… wow. Sonically, this album feels so full to the ear, from the heavy basslines, the sampled drums & other beats, and perfectly placed vocal flows that I find it impossible to not enjoy this album from that standpoint alone, but... Look, if Run-DMC made commercially viable mainstream hip-hop possible, and N.W.A. gave rap the blueprint to have the amount of edge you’d find in albums to come, this album is the perfect melding of both – the commercially acceptable sounds of jazz and great sampling that others would continue to try and refine throughout the decade, mixed with the type of vocal flow to appease the holdovers from the Sugarhill Gang-era who couldn’t quite get behind Dr. Dre & company, with a lot of bones thrown in for the N.W.A.-adjacent crowd. Don't even get me started on the ripple effects this album must have had on R&B for the decade and beyond too. For my money’s worth, this is the best album I've listened to so far. It is easily the most deserved 5 I've given, and if we were going by 10, I’d genuinely give it at least a 9.75/10, if not an outright 10. I think, for my sensibilities, it's basically a perfect album, and I am a complete moron for not listening to it beforehand.

I love all the bass at the beginning of the songs, like in Buggin' Out.

Mellow, prescient, probably one of my favourite records in this genre

The real and original hip hop

Knew this a little, was a bigger De La fan. But shit. This is magnificent.

Supa smooth hip hop - a great alternative to the gangsta rap happening on the west coast. Laid back (not frenetic), jazzy grooves established with the bass lines, crisp and rock solid time with the beats and smart lyrics. I love Q-tip's delivery. This album reminds me of one of their compadres, De La Soul, and sets the stage for acts like Digable Planets. I really regret having missed this when it first came out. Check the Rhime has best groove, Excursions is a great intro to the album. Everything is Fair got my attention hearing the gunshots and the closest song to sounding tense. Buggin' Out and Jazz (We Got) are great tunes also. Scenario is a bombastic way to end the album. Fantastic.

All that you really need to know is Busta Rhymes spits 'Rawr rawr, like the dungeon dragon' in the Scenario. A sublime example of 90s hip hop.

Another absolute banger of an album. Like the other Tribe album this is the exactly the type of shit I love.

A pretty classic 90s rap sound. I really liked the back beat of all of the songs. Some of the lyrics were silly. I’m excited to listen more and start to understand the lyrics.

I liked this one! Reminded me of Adam and hannah

Just great.

Soo good! A true classic.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

An old favorite of mine. Such great jazz samples and beats. Ali, Q and Phife are such a great team. This whole album is just perfect.

In my review of Tribe’s first album I praised Q-Tip as the obvious star of the record, and while I stand by that assessment, what The Low End Theory does best is to reposition the group as, well, a group. Phife gets more time to show off his skills, and all of the features are fantastic, including the Jazz great Ron Carter. The reason why the repositioning of A Tribe Called Quest was important is because of the connection between their brand of Hip-Hop and Jazz. Jazz is a collaborative genre, and in the 90’s Rap was looking as if it were moving away from the group effort it had been since it’s inception towards one where individual were getting more attention. By intentionally seeking to explore Rap in a group context, The Low End Theory moved Hip Hop the closest it had ever been to Jazz not just sonically, but philosophically as well. But while the sonic side of Jazz Rap has remained consistently relevant since the album’s release, the group philosophy has sadly fallen to the wayside. We don’t have any Rap groups nowadays, which is a shame. I blame Jay-Z

Of the big rap groups from the golden era in the 90’s, I feel like A Tribe Called Quest have always been one of the most underrated ones. It’s not like they weren’t popular in their time, because they were, and Q-Tip especially was a big figure in 90’s hip-hop. They just aren’t talked about nearly as much nowadays as some groups are. But that doesn’t change the fact that when they were in their prime, they were simply putting all other artists focused on jazz rap to shame. Jazz rap is a pretty blanket term. There are a lot of different sounds that can be categorized as jazz rap. But this album is simply the most honest jazz rap I’ve ever heard. And one of the only ones that is attempting to actually mix jazz and rap. What makes this immediately obvious is the bass lines. The record is covered in super deep, low bass sounds that sound straight from a live double bass. One song even features Ron Carter, a famous jazz double bassist. The drum beats are also very loose and use a lot of splashy open hi-hats. These elements give the album a warm and smooth texture, just like jazz. Q-Tip is pretty much the leader of the group, and by far the one you will be hearing the most on the album. And he has always stuck out to me as having one of the best voices of any rapper. Everything about this album is just chill. It seems like I’m undermining any complexity this might have, but this has a particular vibe, like a coffee date on a cool autumn afternoon in the mid-2000’s. And it’s great. When you need something laid back and easily enjoyable, throw this on. Rating: 9/10

Great from start to finish Stand out tracks: Excursions, Verses from the abstract, What?

Excursions Buggin' Out Butter Check the Rhime Jazz Scenario

Loved it. Knew only a couple songs before and ended up saving half the album. Favorites are show business and scenario (s/o busta)

Amazingly great, love the minimalist production, so good

Ich kannte A Tribe Called Quest nur als Name einer Band, aber bisher hatte ich nicht bewusst Musik von ihnen gehört, nicht einmal das Genre wusste ich. Überraschend jazziger Auftakt für ein Album der Neunziger - dachte ich erst. Nach dem Lesen des Wikipedia-Eintrags zur Band weiss man dann, weshalb jazzige Beats das Fundamet bilden. Mir gefällt diese Mischung aus Jazz und Hip-Hop! Eine richtige Entdeckung.

My alltime favourite hip hop album

Wow - this is just a phenomenal album. Incredible rhythms, absolutely fire raps, and just incredible flows. This is the kind of album I wish I'd known about a long time ago, and feels so important to understanding the genre as a whole. What's shocked me is just the shear number of lines present in this that I've riffed on by the likes of Beastie Boys, House of Pain, and Eminem. I had no idea how influential A Tribe Called Quest was in the space until listening to this.

I LOVE IT

Awesome album, stone-cold hip hop classic

absolutely fantastic grooves

LP

Hell yeah. Sit outside, relax, and turn this bad boy on

This was my favorite era of rap. These guys and De La Soul have the best vibes. The production is phenomenal, the lyrics are possibly the best thing about the album. They’re intriguing, unique, introspective, and only ever add to the whole of the project. Never take away. Equally as good as the lyrics are the beats. The mix of genres is seamless and beautiful. Everything comes together perfectly. I have no complaints and never had. 5/5

a classic

I love getting bangers on Fridays. Hip hop isn’t my usual genre but this has had so much influence in the 30 years since it was released. I also love the jazzy twist mixed in.

Classic Tribe - not a lot to say except it's butter.

cheese and crackers

3/3

Great album. Excellent blend of hip hop and jazz.

Just an awesome blend of Hip Hop and Jazz. Smoooooth...

Classic

One of my favorite of all time. No question

Giga liefde voor tribe. Begint toch een beetje traag, maar dat is niet per se stom te noemen. Het album is door de jaren heen enorm op me gegroeid, en was 1 van de eerste vinyl platen die ik had, zo’n 10 jaar geleden. Banger

Amazing. Solid album beginning to end. Objectively good, in my opinion.

One of my all time favorite albums

Cat: 5 stars. My absolute favorite A Tribe Called Quest album. Masterpiece. AJ: Oh?

This album went crazy. The jazz elements and into alternative rap. This is genre defying for the time. Each song was unique and creative.

WHAT THE FUCK!!!

AMAZING!!

It sounds exactly like the 90s and it sounds exactly like today. RIP Phife Dawg

Another banger for me. I’m happy to see hip hop represented relatively early on this list and I don’t think you could do better than this album. Controversial take - I’m not a huge fan of a certain 80s hip hop sound that shows up on albums by Run-DMC or even early Beastie Boys (who, caveat, I would list among my favorite artists all around - hip hop or otherwise). I think the cadence of that era is a little silly and feels dated. And frankly I think that’s due to groups like Tribe that really changed the game. Tribe often (rightfully) is credited for building a bridge between jazz and hip hop and you can obviously hear that all over this album. Changed rap (and jazz!) forever for the better. In 2016 shortly after Phife Dawg passed away, TCQ released an album called “We got it from Here…Thank You 4 Your service” that featured support from Kanye, Andre 3000, Busta Rhymes (who makes his debut on this album!), and my personal favorite, Kendrick Lamar. And I would guess that those artists were the ones who felt like they had caught a windfall by being invited in. But you don’t find yourself in that kind of company without having made an enormous impact. Low End Theory is an iconic album and the first that we’ve listened to so far whose influence on genre is, in my opinion, indisputable.

Fantastico, uno dei migliori album hip hop

One of my all time favorite albums from one of my all time favorite groups featuring one of my all time favorite songs.

classic

Amazing beats especially, loved the old school vibe. Recognized an epic beat sampled by Redman and Method man

I mean c’mon, it’s A Tribe Called Quest. 80s/early 90s hip-hop is on another planet it’s so good, and A Tribe Called Quest are beyond even that. Truly pioneers.

Loved it, a classic, easy listening

Hip Hop classic. Sometimes Ill listen and not like it as much, but this time I appreciated it way more.

First off, this may be the coolest, smoothest hip hop albums of all time. The extremely tight jazz rhythms and samples are just enough, never too much— I can only imagine how small a sample time they’re dealing with here!— and it just has this overall smattering of cool over the whole thing. Massively influential, of course— there are about 10 artists I can think off the bat who you can trace directly to this sound— but it’s very singular by itself. The mix of the drums, samples, and bass always sounds coolly atonal to me. Maybe it’s the heavy bass, or the pastiche of samples that are just whimsically put together. But it has a tonality like nothing else. Mix that with these super fun guys who are both super lyrical, poetic, and yet never take themselves too seriously, dealing with the roller coasters of their newfound fame. The charisma is off the charts. I really love this kind of hip hop, which always feels more about real life advice, neighborhood relatable stuff, even as they’re talking about this new fame they’ve got. They just seem like super relatable kids you might hang out with in high school. That kind of juvenile but also earnest truth-telling is still in hip hop today, but it’s rare. Refreshing. You can’t help but root for Tribe. Or put them on in the background and tune out, it’s just as good. 5/5

This builds so well after "People's Instinctive Travels...". The beats, lyrics, and delivery are all more refined in their sophomore album. I know some people rate this as their best, which I will disagree with, as 'Midnight Marauders" is the greatest hip-hop album of all time. However, this one is up there in the all time greats form this genre of music. A absolute classic. 5/5 Listen all the time

After a couple of hellish and stressful weeks, I'm finally ready to pick the list back up again. It's crazy that for a really long time I thought I wasn't into hip hop at all, but it's just because I wasn't hearing the right stuff. I realised there was more hip hop than just nothing but gloating about money, sex, drugs and violence. This jazzy East Coast hip hop is just so good. The lyricism is excellent, the music is a total vibe. I can't help but bop my head to it - It's chill but not boring or tiring. It bridges the gap between jazz and hip hop so well. Love this so much. Favourite: Jazz (We've Got)

Great.

Timeless, despite the dated references.

Perfect

Masterpiece

AWW YEAH

No need to say anything - 5 mic

Fanfuckingtastic

So good for the early 90s wtf

groovy

great. almost slipped but glad i didn’t. laid back and smooth

If Cool was an album, it'd be this one. Strong from start to finish and very easy listen. 8/10.

I got five on it! Arguably their best and a end to end burner! Not a weak song on this one, this is what five stars sounds like

Hip hop immortale, beat storici con un influenza jazz fortissima e un flow veramente veramente iconico, che fila giù liscio. It's like butter, baby

One of my favourite albums of all time and an undisputed hip-hop classic Q-Tip and Phife show on this album why they are two of the greatest rappers of all time Also an impeccable verse to close out the album performed by a then up-and-coming Busta Rhymes The jazzy beats add a sinister atmosphere to the conscious lyrics Favourite tracks: Excursions, Buggin Out, Butter, Verses from the Abstract, Check the Rhime, Jazz, Scenario

Love it

Classic, amazing thing

Buggin' Out is one of their greatest songs "I never half step 'cause I'm not a half stepper Drink a lot of soda so they call me Dr. Pepper" is such a classic, so is "'Oh yo he's acting stank,' really on a regal? A man of the fame not a man of the people Believe that if you wanna but I tell you this much Riding on the train with no dough, sucks". Rest in Peace Phife, one of the greats Butter is so incredibly smooth, they're amazing story tellers Every beat on this album is a crazy classic beat Still not sure how I feel about Infamous Date Rape, its definitely supposed to be a more progressive view on it, condemning it, etc. which is super progressive for the 90s, but some of the lyrics still come off as weird to me on such a sensitive topic. Scenario is such a sick closer, Coast Contra did Tribe justice through their freestyle, you can definitely feel that this is where a lot of their inspiration came from.

No hyperbole- this is the best rap album ever. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg have incomparable chemistry, the beats are immaculate, vintage, timeless and futuristic all at once, and it just sounds full. Not to mention fun. This is what you play to someone skeptical of rap. A

Great “walkin around” music.

Undoubtedly god tier.

For some reason I hadn't listened to much A Tribe Called Quest. But that will change now. This was an absolute banger. I love all their styles and flows, and it just oozed quality,

It is the perfection of Alt-Rap. This record made me dislike a lot of other rap records at the time. This record is slick, sophisticated, snazzy and jazzy. This will make your head bob. Metal heads had headbanging. Tribe brought the pizzazz to rap. And yes, it does remind me of bee-bop.

The only ATCQ album Id ever listened to was their most recent one, which I thought was absolutely mint but never got round to their older stuff. Was chuffed when this cropped up, and wasnt let down. How they weren’t ever the biggest rap group on the planet baffles me (or maybe they were? I dunno). They do seem to be the band that influenced the biggest bands on the planet though. Like a rap version of The Velvet Underground. This just sounds like a step above other similar records. It’s clever, incredibly well put together, and catchy as fuck but in a way that doesnt lose any of its integrity like some records do. Love the subtle jazz influences that are threaded throughout. The whole record just sounds authentic. Love it.

I knew of a tribe called quest and the famous tracks but never listened to an album. This was better than I was expecting and further adds to my theory that I much prefer East Coast to the West Coast! This is the sound I think of when I think of hip hop. Was really chilled in parts, but then pretty funky with great bass lines in others. Great flow. I'll be listening again.

The album that got me into rap, 10/5

This is my favorite album of all time - full stop. It's perfect back to front. That bass line that flows into Tip's verse get me hyped every time; the first time I heard that I knew I was in for something special, and my God does the rest of the album deliver. This is Hip-Hop at it's finest RIP Phife

Maybe the best hip hop record ever made. 10/10

Added to favorite albums

One of the greatest hip hop albums ever released.

One of my favorite albums already. Love the instrumentation on the album, feels like a jazz club with 2 great emcees crushing it.

really solid. Not a single song I wanted to skip, and I enjoyed all of them as well as the lyrics.

Fantastic album, will return for more of their work.

Just a phenomenal album. Not much else to say, just peak early nineties hip hop.

such a pivotal album for hiphop, one of the best ever. the boom-bap beats and jazz influence throughout make this such an easy and seamless listening experience.

After deciphering that Infamous Date Rape is more of a social commentary than being inherently misogynistic, I’m happy to be able to say this album SLAPPED.

This is super chill hip hop and I am here for it.

Perfect. Midnight Marauders bolji ipak.

Fun lyrics, recognized some songs and the album cover.

This was absolutely stellar all the way through, and one of my favorite listens so far. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg just have buttery smooth flows on every single track, but the wordplay was fantastic and made you really want to hear what they had to say. Meanwhile, the production from Q-Tip mostly was awesome. Most of the record was quite chill and laid back vibes, with a lot of simple minimalistic beats mixed in with some break beat moments and my favorite was the little jazzy samples and instrumentals mixed in. Every song had a great head-bobbing groove to it. My favorites were definitely Show Business, Butter, the first three tracks, and What? (which I especially liked with the clever rhymes throughout). This should be a listen for folks who think they don't like hip hop or think little of it, because from front to back it's a incredibly clever record.

Yeah. 9/10

stone cold classic 5/5

Love this album and really bummed I just listened fully now in 2023. Easily 5/5. Great production and lyrics are on point. RIP Phife! 5/5

жирный сочный бас с рэпом алкоальбом: бейлис с коньяком

From a point that Hip-hop was becoming the best version of itself, this is one of the best.

Good album

Awesome LP !!!

Phenomenal

This won’t be my first listen this is a hella good album. Least fav excursions/everything is fair Fav vibes And stuff/scenario

okay, need to listen again, didn’t feel it much

good Album it Kinds Dips in quality in the middle,but it’s a fun conscious rap album.It feels weirdly dated but in a good way.Don’t hear rappers rapping about “africa being the motherland” a lot anymore.They make two arsenio hall references for some reason.Check the Rhime is great.The whole Albums has this very relaxed chill vibe to it.

Based Album

This album starts with the observation that hip hop is like bebop. The music itself is classic New York hip hop and includes jazz elements such as walking stand up bass, horns, and the occasional use of a ride cymbal in place of high hats. Lyrically, this is a socially conscious album which includes criticism of the rap industry, discusses violence, and critiques misogyny. Overall, this album predicts the rise of progressive rap in the 2000s and 2010s and is one of the best and most cohesive hip hop albums of the 90s and all time.

So good.

This is absolutely one of the best albums we'll get on the 1001 albums list!

This is life. 5 Stars. Magnificent.

Definitely my favorite Tribe album. I really miss this era of jazz heavy hip hop. As I continued to listen, it went from a 4 to a 5 cause it just flows. It's like butter baby.

legendary artists from a legendary time in music history. Setting the bar and breaking the mold for future artists to build and tear and dissect to their needs.

One of the best hip hop albums ever.

Peak of rap

Avant-garde. Textes positifs, optimistes. Promotion d'un panafricanisme. Album de rap très, très jazz.

Astounding. Amazing. Legendary. One of my favourites. Love love love

This being the first hip-hop record I really listened to probably explains why I like it so much, but man, it’s just such a fantastic record. Timeless beats from Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the signature playful yet pointed lyrics from Q-tip and Phife Dawg, who now has come much more into his own as a sideman compared to their debut, making for a balanced and entertaining trading of rapping styles. I often find certain lines or phrases from the record repeating in my head, sometimes not even realizing where they’re from. From the attention-grabbing bassline and introductory narrative that starts things off to Busta Rhyme’s career-making verse closing things out, it’s a joyride the whole way through

Undeniable classic. From lyrics to beats to the cultural impact, this will forever remain an all-timer. Rest in Power Phife Dawg.

Great album! Mixture of Jazz and hip hop is immaculate.

It’s pretty hard for a rap album to remain relevant and listenable over time given how much styles and sounds change. It’s crazy that this album is over 30 years old and still sounds so fresh. The raps from Q-tip and Phife are poignant and powerful and surprisingly don’t sound dated. The jazz production is timeless and love the fact they used a real bass player. Probably one of the best early rap albums.

One of my favorite hip hop albums. They perfect their style here, with no second feeling wasted. They get straight to the point, with one song immediately getting to the action and leading straight to the next. It's harder to find a more consistent album. I felt excited for every song with tons of highlights that stand out as some of the most iconic songs hip hop has to offer. The jazz samples and beats sound incredible, deep and dark, distinctive from what everyone else was doing. It sounds really cool on top of Q-Tip's and the others' raps. Q-Tip is by far my favorite rapper. He's funny and conscious, clear and precise. His flow is smooth and aligns with the samples. I'm obsessed with his cool voice. But the other rappers aren't bad either. They contribute to a vibrant and lively vibe, and several of them give a passionate performance without coming off as too grating.

Goat

Liked this album back in the day, love it now.

Pretty different from what I am used to listen, I also really like the production on this album!

Best: Jazz (We’ve Got) Worst: Skypager people gotta stick their nose in the business

All time great hip hop album, an absolute masterpiece

Just absolutely amazing hip-hop.

One of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. From the first subdued seconds of "Excursions", with its iconic basslines, to the blast of "Scenario", here's a record that ages like fine wine--the sort of jazzy rap album that even foretells Kendrick Lamar's forays into similar subgenres decades after the fact. Other reviews in here just perfectly encapsulated how essential this album is. Just to give you one example, "(We've got) Jazz" is proof that this record looks into the past while being of its time, and yet can still be considered timeless. And almost each track from this masterpiece shows those sorts of assets. As I'm writing this short assessment on my phone, a friend of mine just looked over my shoulder and said: "Oh this is *The Low End Theory*, by A Tribe Called Quest, right?". It just took him two seconds to recognize the cover. This is how iconic this album is for a whole generation (and hopefully, for many others to come). Number of albums left to review: 655 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 173 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 82 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 96

Så jävla bra

One of the best albums there is!

A Tribe Called Quest, and Q-Tip in particular, really paved way for a new era of hip hop with The Low End Theory blasting it’s way into the 90’s. The beats are kept to a jazzy minimal with Q-Tip and Phife Dawg providing almost flawless lyrical performances one after another. When it comes to hip hop, Quest truly is something else.

I was but a small child when this was released (9 to be precise) and really would have only heard this from the environment around me. In discovering Tribe in college, I spent more times with Midnight Marauders than this one, but always thought this was a classic. Nowadays, I think it is a matter of my mood as to which one I prefer. Regardless, a classic album without really any weak points. An album that's certainly among my 20 favorite hip-hop albums of all time, this is an easy one to score and rate.

A classic. No notes.

One of my all time favorite hip hop albums. I don't know if it was the first, but it was the first one I noticed a real Jazz influence in. This was the peak of golden age beats and lyrical invention.

FUNKY, FRESH, and an absolute CLASSIC. Happy to listen through this album again, it's good vibes every time. Rest in peace Phife, modern day masterpiece.

Love them

The low key beats, the flows, the whole package. What more do you want?