The Low End Theory

listening to this for the first time i can hear the inspiration a lot of modern current day artists get from this album. the lyricism from the album unfortunately relates to events happening today. effortlessly cool while spreading the word

Bops per squared inch very high

Not good enough for me to comment on it but also not unlistenable

I love the rhyming in this style that Tribe has

Te veel van hetzelfde

I liked this - I definitely enjoy the rhythms and humour in New York hip-hop like this and De La Soul.

calssic

Avg score is too low for this album. And it’s coming from me, who doesn’t vibe much with hip-hop and rap (tho I’ve got some great albums on vinyl, including this one).

All the time Tip

Blauwdruk van wat goede hiphop is. Het klinkt moeiteloos, maar de beats en teksten zijn eindeloos creatief en hebben elk nummer wel een nieuwe knipoog waardoor het album fris blijft. 10/10

Another one of those albums that I can't quite beleive I've never actually listened to before. I've always loved the Tribe vibe, and listened to a lot of their stuff one way, or another. But apparently not the full album. It's a solid 4 off a single listen, it would defintely go up with more time.

this was a fun album obsessed with the cover favorite song: what?

Not a fan of hip-hop, but west coast is better

hmm…new

A good 90s hip-hop rap listen.

Boring

Unexpectedly nice album. Add the song Check the Rhime to the playlist. Love the winds and jazz vibes.

Don’t care for rap

Q- Tips flow is so addictive. 7/10

7.5/10

I was so surprised listening omg the first song is so groovy

Holy shit what an album! Every song hits hard. Brilliant production on some of the best sounding double-bass I've ever heard and class samples. Lyrics are, obviously, class and the vocal interplay between the Tribe artists and the cameo artists is next level. The album seems to gradually swell and expand with each song.

Qtip man…

Favorite hip hop record ever. Easy 5. 5/5

yer

No skips seminal rap album with incredible beats.

Second time it’s come up as the day’s album but that is fine by me.

Cool and jazzy. My kinda hip hop

rip phife <333 iconic album. no notes.

Excellent, early 90s hip hop.

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.

pretty good

nice this the good rap

For a group with a lot of hype I expected more, the lyrics are good but the music is just okay. The repetitiveness of it is really distracting at times

one of the most boring albums in my life

this is it

You on point tip? All the time phife! After just getting People’s Instinctive Travels a few days ago I was hoping to get this album next; I just didn’t expect to get it this soon! This has been my favorite ATCQ album since I first got into them in high school. The jazz influences on the beats are incredible. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg ride those beats with masterful and playful rhymes. I love this album.

Rap

One of my favorites.

Cracking album.

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.

Nice throw back to when hip hop could be both intelligent and fun.

As I said with their previous album on this list .... classic!

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.

"Raow roaw like a dungeon dragon" Strong 4.

The jazz inflection to Tribe's sound always gives it such a timeless feel to me. I've always loved Midnight Marauders but appreciate the classic tracks off this album (Check the Rhime, Scenario) and fell in love with a few more tracks on this listen (Verses from the Abstract, Show Business.) A bit sad that however timeless they're sound, misogyny is also timeless given the terrible takes in 'Infamous Date Rape.' You know, these crazy skeezes on the rag and all.

I have this album on my wall at home. This is nothing shy of a masterpiece, and a work of art. I love the vibes and stuff. (Pun intended). Q-Tip is an absolute perfectionist and needs mentioned in the best producers of all time a whole lot more, Tribes music has always sounded so smooth yet intricate. Tip is a sampling genius and workaholic really shows all he has to offer in this record. A Tribe Called Quest are definitely pioneers of the jazz rap genre. I absolutely love Busta Rhymes on this record his collaboration on the song ‘Scenario’ is flawless. What a verse, what a music video. Just a segment of what is an incredible record. RIP Phife Dawg. An infectious flow and a proper mc. Favourite tracks are: ‘Excursions’, ‘Buggin’ Out’, ‘Rap Promoter’, ‘Verses From The Abstract’, ‘Show Business’, ‘Vibes and Stuff’, ‘Infamous Date Rape’, ‘Check The Rhime’, ‘Everything is Fair’, ‘Jazz (We’ve Got)’, ‘ What?’, and ‘Scenario’.

Very nice, flowed real smoothly and gave me quite a few chuckles

fucking awesome

Ret fedt, meget 90'er

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.

Gorg

Buggin out. Lots of 90s love

This made me remember I need to listen to more rap

Pretty good. I liked the vibe

A great album. Great artists all collaborating around great beats with great rhymes.

very meh. all the songs sounded identical to me :/ like not bad! but just nothing special whatsoever

Very listenable. Some nice brassy sounds and jazzy beats. 'Check the Rhime' has an old soul sample, but can't think what. Can see why this would have been seen as a great album at the time - seems ahead of its time. Busta Rhymes feature good way to wrap the album up.

Listened to this in full recently (ish) once before owing to 'Excursions' featuring in the most memorable scene in the TV adaptation of Station 11 (great book and series, go read and watch!) Listened while doing some schoolwork today and really enjoyed most of beats feeling pretty lo-fi. Lyrics are playful in spots and make me stop to listen in others (hello Mr. Busta Rhymes) because of the energy pumping into my ears. Really enjoy that all the contributors have very distinct voices. Love the hooks and samples. Love the jazz that's mixed in in spots. Great album!

1. Excursions 5/5 2. Buggin Out 5/5 3. Rap Promoter 5/5 4. Butter 4/5 5. Verses From The Abstract 5/5 6. Show Business 4/5 7. Vibes and Stuff 5/5 8. Infamous Date Rape 4/5 9. Check the Rhime 4/5 10. Everything Is Fair 4/5 11. Jazz (We Got It) 4/5 12. Skypager 5/5 13. What? 5/5 14. Scenario 5/5 5 stars. Peak

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.

My second from ATCQ. It took me a track or two to properly get into it but once I did I really enjoyed it. Definitely need to check out more of their stuff. Top Track - Jazz (We’ve Got)

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

Smooth Rap with Jazz Instrumentals. Might relisten again to found gems

I like this alot. Old school hiphop is something I enjoy listen to, although im not super into the history. The minimalistic approach i liked, leaving more heads pace to listen to the lyrics and it's flow.

Great album!!

Potentially the greatest hip-hop record that had been released up to this moment in time. 4/5

- onneks tällasta musaa on joskus tehty, koska enää tämmöstä ei tehhä, hemo cool levy

une classique!

Tribe. US3. De La Soul. Digable Planets. I loved this subgenre, even though it wasn't what I normally listened to back then, nor what my friends were all into. This album was a breakthrough, and for good reason -- it slaps.

Good for background noise

Dank & chill early 90s hip hop

So good on my new headphones.

(100/100)

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

Does sound a little bit dated. That makes sense since there are essentially no hip hop albums that sound modern 35 years later. That being said, there aren't a lot of hip hop albums approaching middle age that still stand up as a great project.

Love!

Loved it!

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

Pretty smooth

Not my go to style of music but recognise it's brilliance, lyrically and the dynamic. It certainly made me conscious how I've stopped listening to entire albums and the concentration it needs to remain focused.

Excited for this. I already know Excursions and Check the Rhime. I liked!

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

Cool

alr vibing w the first song didn't expect to like hip hop at all ok this is so fun might actually get into 90s hip hop will def listen to other albums by this band

Not for me

4.5, so good.

God-tier

Classic

8/10

Solid

Every song is identical. If there weren't gaps between them I wouldn't be able to tell where one ended and the next began.

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.

Loved this album when it was first released. I understand the criticisms, it's basically the same song repeated with minor variations.

It's just so dang much fun. "What's America without green and glamor?"

Geluisterd tijdens het schoonmaken. Relaxt, goed te luisteren. Zeker nog een keer afspelen. 9/10.

Just a brilliant piece of work. Phife Dawg is still the most underrated mc.

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!

The tracks sound similar to each other. The flows are basic and sometimes annoying. Nothing really impressed me about this album.

I love how jazzy this entire album is. I think the opening track is the best opening track ever. Not in terms of quality because that'd be Fiona Apple, but in terms of how good it is as a opening track.

So good

wow i forgot how peak this was

pretty solid but not my fav

sort of cool, appreciated how influential it's been

Production is excellent, love the jazz type beats throughout. Easy to tell how this album became so influential. Some of the lyrics sound dated and the album seems a bit long but the highlights are very strong. Many of these songs will always sound fresh. Overall a very solid album that stands to remain influential for a long time.

not my thing

amityville

(Rating: 7.5) Really good, love how clear their words and the story they tell. I liked Butter a lot, him talking about meeting his match and his point of view on how he treats women. The instruments and noise in the background and are a lot more jazzy and taking up space than most rap songs. Not a big rap person but I would listen to this again.

I really liked this one. Maybe too little melody for my taste but it was the best one so far.

such a fun album, very good memories.

A TRUE CLASSIC ALBUM

Love the simple beats and the flow. Enjoyed listening to this despite not hearing many of the tracks before at all.

This was an awesome blend of some of my most-listened to genres of music, and I will definitely be replaying this! I can’t believe I went so long without ever listening.

Hip Hop? Never!

O som com muita interferência "um chiado". Não gostei muito.

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

really wanting to get more into hip hop rap and I think this album was a great introduction to that. faves from the album: vibes and stuff, everything is fair, and what

Favourite Tracks: Excursions, Buggin’ Out, Verses from the Abstract, Show Business, Check the Rhime, Jazz (We’ve Got), What?, Scenario

Great album. Suitable for vibing.

If there is one thing this album really excels at it's THE BASSLINES man. They're so incredible straight from the opening seconds. With their bounciness they create a hypnotizing laid back atmosphere that plays throughout the entire album. There is not a single beat that doesn't bang on this. The drums are also tight as hell and super hard and make the production here outstanding. While I like the rappers in ATCQ, I can't exactly say they kill it on every single song. They don't go below a certain level but aren't always in top form. This doesn't stop this album from being super iconic and defining for jazz rap.

A primeira faixa já inicia o disco te dando um soco na boca. Flow imparável e impecável, samples fantasticamente selecionados e empenhados, uma vibe totalmente descontraída e deslocada. O melhor álbum de Rap que gerei na lista até então, e dúvido que tenha algo aqui que irá tirar o seu título. O baixo! Meu Deus. Eu amo tocar baixo enquanto ouço esse disco. Toda linha é perfeita, perfeita, perfeita. Flows viciantes, barras fantásticas, nunca me canso. Um absurdo que o que dominou os anos 90 foi Gangsta Rap e não Jazz Rap! Preciso ir viver no universo alternativo onde o contrário aconteceu! Produção analógica e instrumentalização orgânica, isso que faz falta em outros discos de Rap. Isso aqui é fantástico, eu ouço esse álbum lendo as letras como um livro, e é impossível ficar parado. Impossível. A cabeça se mexe e o pé bate igual uma possessão fantasmagórica. Bem, é tudo que você pode querer de um disco de Rap, de fato, é o endgame do gênero. Não há mais nada a dizer, álbum perfeito. 5/5

Good

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.

Q-Tip's flow and voice are unreal and instrumental in creating an incredible project. The second half of this album is truly something special. Personally, this is not my favorite A Tribe Called Quest album, but it's definitely a clear 2nd to their 2016 LP. 4/5

awesome stuff going on here but I don't feel smart enough to remark on any of it. wondering why the only version I could find was "explicit" but every curse word was censored

All the music I like points me to Tribe, yet I haven't listened to a full Tribe album until now. Surprise, surprise, I enjoyed the album a lot. This is an easy 5 for me.

I’m not a rap expert but I get the sense that this is a very important album for the genre. Lyrics were a lot of fun.

the people yearn for the return of hiphop that fucks (this is hiphop that fucks)

“Scenario” stands as one of the most important posse cuts of all time. Incredible production across the album, but some noteworthy credits: “Butter” samples Weather Report, “Show Business” samples James Brown AND Aretha Franklin, “Check the Rhime” samples Minnie Riperton.

Sorry to be the guy that drops this from #1 in the group. This album is strong lyrically. The production style contains innovative samples and highlights those strong lyrics and vocals. It gets repetitive on those tracks that are just basslines and beats though. It’s clearly an intentional choice - I just like beats to have more substance.

An album that I once loved but am now unable to enjoy because of my own inability to let go of a grudge. You see, on a spring evening in early 2017, I was discussing this album while walking downtown. As a non-chalant goofy aside, I said “and Q-Tip is such a great rap name.” Suddenly, this woman emerged from the shadows, a smirk on her face as she relished in saying, “Hate to break it to you, but that’s already a rapper’s name” and then she breathed cigarette smoke in my face I’m not joking this is a real thing that happened. I said “that’s literally what I just said” in a tone that was pretty overtly hostile than was warranted in that situation, but I was pretty pissed off and just kept rattling off Tribe references I’m not joking this is a real thing that happened. Indeed, I am still exactly as pissed off as I was in that moment. Now, 9 years later, I fear that my enjoyment of this album has been permanently sullied by this fucking moron who went out of her way to interrupt the conversation of a complete stranger in order to be condescending. She’s forgotten me and yet I bring her up quite often. I hope she’s having a bad day. Anyway, I am incapable of listening to Tribe without getting irritated and flashing back to that interaction. I’m giving it 5 stars because I used to love this album a lot but now it has bad associations.

My favorite hip hop album of all time right here! It’s the contrasting stuff that make it so damn good. The warmth of the jazz samples complemented by the crisp percussion of the beats. Fun and braggadocious, but conscious and progressive. It’s breezy, nostalgic, and energy-boosting every time. Could listen to this daily — though I might occasionally skip track #8.

Good album but don't really like the genre

Bangers on bangers. I love love love this album. the whole vibe is amazing

track 1: i like the beatt, resalto el bajo y el sample de la trompeta ?, las voces y el discurso en el coro slay, track 2: buggin out buggin out, la tercera entrada me gusto mas q las del resto, le da un cambio al track, mmm please uwu track 3: no mucho q decir q no haya dicho anteriormente track 4: el intro esta increible ?? mm they know who they aree, a qn le escribieron esa cancion jejej, ITS LIKE BUTTER BABYY tmb le da un cambio al track, track 5: rompe con lo demas de los 5 tracks ya q es mas tranquilo y me gustan los acordes de guitarra del fondo :3 muchisimo mas chill, me recuerda a las canciones de 2020 ??? progessions can be made if we separated forever, track 6: rompe con la vibe del track 5, la entrada del 1:30, i was not that cutie JAJAJ, track 7: i think i gotta screeeammm, un poco mas grunge ? im not sure, increible sample track 8: GREAT INTROOO, el final del primer verso >>>, EL SAMPLE DE CYPRESS HILL, u aint going out like thaatt, sigo insistiendo con el bass, crazyylyyy, EL CORTEEE, best traaackk track 9: EL CAMBIO DE BEAT ????, no se pq me recuerda a tyler the creator ??, ik u know who i am, el coro es otra cosaaaaaa, 2:00, back in the dayysss, el finalll lo mejorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr track 10: EVERYTHING IS BETTER WHEN YOU'RE LIVING IN THE CITYY, el piano en el fondo le suma demasiadoo, society torture track 11: LA TRANSICIONNN, we've the jazzz, competition must go from a fair way, EL JAZZ EN EL BRIDGE DAAALE, yeah dont stop, really cool cutting ending track 12: EL BEAT, SAMPLEO UN TELEFONO ??????????????, ns q suena en el 1:20 pero me gusta mucho, thanks for calling track 13: lame as a brain, tututu, again with the bass, what are laws if they're even EQUAL, pense q se habia dañado por el corte jejakje, resalto las lyrics a lottt, take it easy baby WHATT track 14: q manera de cerrar un album, scoobydoo, busta rhymes cuanto lleva rapeando ?? DUN DUN LIKE A DUNGEON DRAGONNN, me gusta la portada resalto en general el bass en cada track jazz vibes i like it me gusta demasiado el buen manejo de los samples

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

REEEEEEEEEEEEEP 10/10 jedna od zelja ovoga mi je bila da prodjem kroz rep klasike 90ih, od kojih je ovo jedan naravno malo mi je rasisticki uvek pricati ovako kao da razumem njihov zivot, ali nekako mi deluje kao da album savrseno prikazuje crnacki zivot u to vreme (sistemske, finansijske poteskoce, ali pored toga optimizam, ritam, funk, osecaj community-a, naravno i dosta kurcenja, pricanja o ribama i sve to) ima mongo vise fokusa na bassu umesto na bubnjevima klasicnim, sto je bas kul i neocekivano za rep album 1991 rep je nekako malo prostiji nego danas ali mi se nekako svidja sto je tako blunt jedva cekam da slusam jos repa obozavam ovo poz

Wasn't really big into them back in the day, but these guys are pretty good. None of the songs I recognize are on this album though.

A fine early 90s rap album.

Listened to this one a lot in HS. Reconnecting now, I’m further impressed by the minimalism in the beats: live bass and jazzy drums (are they sample or studio? That question makes it cool) do so much heavy lifting. Also the low-in-the-mix percussive scratching is noteworthy.

This is only my third album of the year. It's also my third album by an African American artist/group and second 1990s hip-hop album. It's also my 150th album of the project. Now, for the actual review: the album is excellent. It has some of the best beats and flows of any hip hop I've heard, and is lyrically excellent. The rapping is top-notch, and refreshingly free of violent content. The songs lack most of the profanity common in rap songs, as well as the misogyny. It has everything rap does well in spades without the genre's usual pitfalls.

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.

Damn. So good.

very easy to listen to! definitely see the timeless influence from this album

I love this album

My loves! Not may fave ATCQ album, but Qtip&Phife D are master lyricists and Check the Rime & scenario are BRILLIANT tracks - can still remember dancing to Scenario when it came out and all the guys were shouting out the lyrics - nice memory.

The low, slow rhythm reminds me of double-dutch. Waiting for the perfect moment to jump into the center of the two opposing ropes as they tap the ground in a hypnotic cadence. Tap, tap, tap, tap... Towards the backend, the beat changes, and it's more frenetic and intense, like when a kid would add their own jump rope to the mix while still keeping up with the original two in motion.

Just like Ringling Brothers daze and astound captivate the masses cause the prose is profound...and so is the beats...it's a new year!

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.

2 - TERRIBLE

The music is pretty good, but again it's just endless loops (I know that's how the genre works - I don't care for it). As for the rapping, it's about as goofy as you can get. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

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

Nothing stood out to me lyrically or musically, not my cup of tea I guess.

Digging the vibes, good workout music

Lief gut durch endlich mal wieder HipHop. c

Hip hop toujours pareil

Peak hip hop. The old heads had some classics.

It was really good

There are a couple of interesting ones but otherwise, and possibly sounding ignorant, are all these songs supposed to sound exactly the same? Because I could not for the life of me tell them apart

78/1001 First listen. This makes jazz more listenable but it still has some jazz so I don’t want to listen to it again. 4/10

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?".

I used to love this band, or wanted to at least. It is such cool music, but it verges on the preachy. I love the edge it brings though. I’ll listen again.

really liked this! it was great to listen to.

10 That’s a 10!!! First hip hop that ever made sense to me and opened me up to so much music that I love now that I would have hated before what a consequential day that I first listened to this. Will always be one of my faves

Really not a genre for me, it just sounds like noise lol

I fear every song is the same

Enjoyed alot. Maybe because the Sun is shining (its July) and the laid back jazzy grooves are working their magic. Lovely smooth delivery and lyrics that would not upset your nan.

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

I don’t listen to much hip hop, but I really enjoy this album.

Kinda catchy even though I don't like rap

Liked didn’t love

ok. Not really my thing.

Very fun and funky Need to give other albums a listen

The fire on the tracks kept me warm on this winter day.

Not too shabby

4/5

Love this one, just good vibes and some really hard hitting lyricism. “Infamous date rape” is a very heavy hitting song. Love the boom bap drums and use of a double bass, it’s impossible not to bob your head to this one. I don’t really have anything bad to say, other than I definitely prefer midnight marauders, but that’s just a personal taste thing.

Great OG hip-hop. Really clean, laid back early 90s vibe. Loved it.

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.

4.5 but im rounding up this time. so good. why isnt midnight marauders on this list though? that one's also great. go listen to it.

great group. did not hit me quite like the first album does. would probably be a 5 star if I was following generated album order & listened to Guns N' Roses before. but instead I listened to Sam Cooke. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

It’s really good, all their stuff seems to be really good.

2.5

Not my fav Tribe album but solid with classic highlights.

Overall rating by me: 9/10 Songs added to the playlist: ,,Excursions", ,,Show Business", ,,Vibes and Stuff", ,,Infamous Date Rape", ,,Check The Rhime", ,,Everything Is Fair", ,,Skypager" Notes: Genuinely the best album that has been introduced to me by this site. Well written verses, funky beats and the meaning behind the words. Definitely a top 5 mention.

Trykte på play på vei hjem fra Tonys nyttårsfest og Raekwon’s Incarcerated Scarfaces begynte å spille på vei mot Olaf Ryes i et snøbelagt Oslo. Følte meg så jævli G. Sangen var over. Begynte å høre på Liquid Swords — starte året med litt boom bap fra øverste hylle. Så innså jeg at jeg Low End Theory venta på meg. For et album å starte året med. Jeg har hørt altfor lite på A Tribe Called Quest. Alle vet at Can I Kick It? er legendarisk — et exempel på hvordan et sample har blitt bedre enn låta den sampler. Men Low End Theory er så sykt vibe. Smooth af boom bap med conscious raps. Det eneste jeg ikke liker med skiva, er at den er sensurert som canon. Den har rare pauser hvor de åpenbart sier ‘fuck’, men det er visst et bevisst valg. Og det er greit å ikke “banne,” men da bør de drite i å skrive lyrics med “banneord.” Men det er ingen som rapper med like bra flow som Q Tip (bortsett fra MF DOOM), og ingen som produserer like smooth som Q Tip. (Det må nevnes at Phife Dawg også spiller perfekt på Q Tip’s beats & rhymes — dette er et joint project!) Så da er en enkelt femmer. Det her er musikk som får meg til å romantisere å være svart i New York City på 90-tallet, i kjølvannet av Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. Hip Hop har aldri vært bedre enn dette. På et vis er dette den ekte afrofuturismen.

Dette er bra, men syns det blir lavmælt litt for lenge. Det er kanskje grunnen til at jeg aldri har kommet helt inn i gruppa.

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

Don’t like rap

I've already listened to his album (42).

Not my vibe too much. Pretty old school hip hop and rap.

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

quite nice if you’re tryna get into rap, an easy listen and gives nyc

Super cool. Love the jazzy additions, and very impressive lyricism in the raps

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.

Classic

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.

I reviewed TCQ’s first album a couple of months ago, and I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Q-Tip’s The Renaissance when I reviewed it last week. I know I listened to an album by TCQ before I started this project, but I’ll be damned if I can’t remember which one it was (and that’s why I log everything I listen to now), and I have determined it wasn’t Instinctive Travels, so now I’m going to find out if it was this one! This will be my last album from 1991 to review, and I’m feel certain that this album will be a great way to send 1991 off into the sunset. I didn’t enjoy The Low End Theory as much as I enjoyed Instinctive Travels, but it was still a really solid album with some outstanding rapping. Before listening to this album, I read that it was a bit different than its predecessor, in terms of the beats that were used, and unfortunately, I think this album suffered a bit from that change in direction. It took me until “Show Business” to really get into this. The rapping was really great throughout the album, but musically, I felt that the first five tracks really lacked a lot of punch. The lead-off track, “Excursions,” had some great rapping, but I could tell right off the bat that this album would have a different sound to it. However, there was still that fuzziness to the production that I really enjoyed. But once this album got to “Show Business,” I felt like this album really took off. The beats and samples were much better from that point forward, and I really enjoyed the last 2/3 of the album. Lyrically, “Show Business” was one of the best songs on the album too, and the line ‘go get yourself some toilet paper ‘cause your lyrics is butt’ was insanely clever and funny. From that point, “Check the Rhime,” “Everything is Fair,” and “Scenario” were all fantastic. “Scenario” in particular was the best song on the album in my opinion. The Busta Rhymes guest verse was incredible, and the line ‘bust a nut inside your eye, to show you were I come from’ had me cracking up. I really enjoyed the sound of this song, and it was an excellent way to conclude this album. Even though I wasn’t as big a fan of this album as I was its predecessor, I still thought it was a really good album, with some excellent rapping from Q-Tip and Phife Dawg.

Rolling Stone put this at 43 in their top 500 albums of all time. GTFOH. This album isn't even in the top 10 for 1991 let alone top 50 all time. Or maybe this is brilliant and I'm just salty today.

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

There's no way... Again, a playlist that I've recently listened to...

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

A laid back, minimal rap album which brilliantly fuses jazz and hip hop. Grew on me after a few listens.

I like these they are old school with good rhymes etc

The album generator has blessed me recently. Controversially not my favourite of theirs, some amazing songs no doubt but they're mixed amongst more songs that just struggle to stand out. Nothing bad, lyrics are tight, just not as hitting.

Good vibes

The addition of a few jazz stars doesn’t necessarily elevate it

The instrumental behind the vocals is consistently entrancing in a way not many albums manage to pull off. It's been a goal for years to actually sit down and listen to A Tribe Called Quest and this is probably the best way to launch into it.

Nichts für mich.

The Low End Theory is a timeless record that still sounds fresh decades later. The beats are warm and stripped-down, the bass does the heavy lifting, and every track feels effortless without being lazy. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg trade verses with humor, confidence, and heart, making the album feel both smart and fun. It’s hip-hop that doesn’t shout to prove itself—and that’s exactly why it lasts.

PAIXAO

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.

Meh. Nothing remotely interesting on this at all.

Excellent ! Je n’avais pas écouter d’album hip hop comme celui-ci depuis longtemps. Assez chill, les morceaux se suivent bien. Gros coup de coeur pour show business. Je dois réecouter le premier album pour comparer. Un classic du hip hop jazz !

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

Heard Before: No Fav tracks: Buggin' Out, Check the Rhime, Jazz Listen Again: Definitetly. Bop after bop. Vibes all the way through. Rating 5.

Not my preferred genre, but I can appreciate

Good vibes good beats good lyrics. It’s good.

bardzo przyjemnie mi sie go sluchalo, ale mimo wszystko nie byl to album, z ktorego kazda piosenka niesamowicie by mi sie podobala. mega mi siadl ten jazzowy klimat, pare piosenek wlecialo na playliste!!

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.

zasad (na trećoj pjesmi) tipične rep nige iz devetesetijeh. vjerojatno ću nakon što preslušam zaboravit da sam slušo. ne primjećujem ni kad se promijeni pjesma. dosadnooo na petoj sam pjesmi. dosta loš tekst, dosta loš flou. eh nakon što sam preslušao: uglavnom bezvezno. na trenutke jako loše i teško slušljivo. dobiva dvojku zbog nekih (doduše ne pretjerano čestih!) fora semplova

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.

one of the best hip hop records of all time imo

Just bangers

5/10

Actually love underground hip hop like this, excited to add them to my rotation

On the same day, Sept 24 1991 Nirvana’s Nevermind and Tribe Called Quests Low End Theory were both released. September 24th should be made a National holiday called Twin Apex Predator Album Birthday.

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

very similar songs with each track but overall love

Old school hip hop. Simple beats and rapping. In 2025. it sounds very naive.

I like their music.

More melodic than most, but still not my thing.

Genuinely one of my favorite albums, this site didn’t change anything here

I dunno, feels very much like the 90s Not doing it for me

Word is what?

4/5

oh i’m familiar… all time favorite

Thoughtful rap lyrics

For some reason has never clicked like MM. 8.5-9 though

So good - love their beats!

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

34 years later, this remains the benchmark for alternative hip-hop. Endlessly listenable and lovable. “You on point, Phife” … “All the time, Tip” … indeed.

Rap classic

Took some lessons from their previous effort (like, some lou-reed-inspired lessons) and made a more complete album - but is it better? Still some slower parts here, and the highs are not as high, but it's a lot more even. I tend to dislike that, so caveat emptor. On the other hand, it's got Busta closing out on Scenario. I dunno, not sure I can give it the 5 but maybe I'm a mark.

Un àlbum que m'encanta i que em recorda moltíssim als meus primers anys de descobriment musical. Va ser una d'aquestes coses que vaig trobar per internet quan començava a tocar el baix i buscava tablaturas prou fàcils i alhora prou interessants, em vaig passar mesos obsessionat amb Excursions. Amb el temps vaig anar escoltant altres temes i a totes em continuava captivant els samples, el contrabaix i tot i que al moment no entenia gaire les lletres, i encara menys el rerefons polític que ara fa que m'agradi més A Tribe Called Quest, la manera que les expressaven m'agradava. Aquesta crec que ha estat la primera vegada que l'he escoltat sencer i no ha decepcionat. Top 3: Excursions, Rap Promoter, Jazz (we've got) i MH Check the Rhime

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

J’ai préféré Midnight Marauders mais honnêtement c’est juste chipoter: les samples de jazz sont très propres, et l’écriture de même.

Découverte totale et c'est grandiose, direct dans ma playlist

awesome lyrics

Absolutely incredible album. Lyrically witty, intelligent and perfectly delivered. Beats that intrigue and hit. Two of the best crew tracks with Scenario and Show Business. Just completely brilliant.

A Tribe Called Quest was the group that got me in to rap music. When I was younger I had a pretty strong aversion to rap. Most of what I knew were the huge top 40 songs and party music: Eminem, 40 Cent, Soulja Boy ect. I found most of it predictable and commercialized, and generalized almost all of it as "bad" music. When I heard Tribe Called Quest, "Can I Kick It" which featured the Lou Reed bass riff and a rock inspired drum beat I was pretty instantly hooked. I quickly devoured Midnight Marauders, and became a fan of the tribe. That album introduced me to this album and Low End Theory became one of the seminal albums of my 19th - 20th year. I haven't listened to it in a while and I am happy to say it completely holds up. What these guys do is still so incredibly unique in my mind, they rap about themes outside of the traditional rap cliches and sample creative beats that incorporate jazz, funk, rock and RnB. They push and blend the genre but in a way that comes off as completely authentic despite having huge mainstream success. Low End Theory is an early HipHop masterpiece and deserve it's place on the rap music Mount Rushmore.

One thing I've noticed going through this list is that I either absolutely love or completely hate the hip hop albums on this list. There's very little middle ground for me and, unfortunately, the hip hop albums I've disliked seem far more common than the ones I've liked. The Low End Theory won me over from the first few notes. Not only is it falling into the hip hop I love category, but I think this is my favourite hip hop album from the generator so far. I absolutely love the jazz vibe and the rapping is incredibly smooth. I could, and probably will, listen to this all day. I wish I had checked A Tribe Called Quest out much earlier!

Erinnert mich an das erste Fanta4-Album

Still not buying this style

Yes Yes Y'all! This is some peak 90's hip-hop. I'm a fan of A Tribe Called Quest and the Native Tongues. Positive and fun to listen to, but still had a message, most of the time. Great album by an amazing group.

Entdeckung.

134/1089 There were so many references/realisations in this project… It’s still bizarre to hear Donald Trump references pre-2016, especially when they also reference “Fake News”. It’s also nice that this project has worked out the way it has so that i understand the context of the Afrika Bombaataa, Duke Ellington, and The Message name drops. Also had no idea that “Rah Rah Dungeon Dragon” wasn’t a Nicki Minaj original… all that out the way, this was a really fun and enjoyable project. The flows were smooth and meshed together but also felt distinct. The production was great as well as the lyricism just overall it all worked so well for me. i think it’s 5 star-cusper, which could solidify more with further listens faves: Excursions, Buggin’ Out, What?, Scenario, Skypager, Jazz (We Got) 82/100

One of my favourite rap albums. Incredible beats, perfect flow. Lyrics aren't great if you listen close but that's okay.

classic hip-hop

A fantastic followup to their debut in every way. The beats and jazzy samples are better, the rhymes are better, and Tribe continues to sound super chill. Great guest appearances from Busta Rhymes!

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.

Yah this is just another example of ATCQ being easily one of the greatest rap groups of all time. This album has just got so much spunk to it and it’s got its own sound. The only other group that sounds similar to this is De La Soul, but they changed their sound pretty drastically after their first album. Still I’d say this is easily one of the best rap albums of all time. It has great beats and production and it also has super infectious and catchy lyrics. Seriously, wish I could give this album a 4.5 cause I don’t think it’s a perfect 5/5 like 3 feet high and rising, but it’s so close to being there. Personally it’s just shy of a 5.

Here we go…yo. And away I went bro.

Amazing hip hop album, lo-fi and clear inspiration for Nujabes.

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

4- great album loved the grooves

My big "what ifs" for 90s music involve Trip-Hop and New Jack Swing... I wish that style of rap had become dominant rather than Gangsta Rap

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

rule of this website 4080 / anyone who rates this album low is shady...vibey and important but it's so funny seeing what passes for conscious rap at the time because even the progressive takes on date rape are like oh! ok!

omg finally something fun!!!!!! the songs are good but the lyrics are a little scary sometimes LMAO but that's Life and i support them for that.

90s rap. It's OK but rather listen to a lot of other music.

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.

Verrrrry solid four here. Maybe a 4.5, my main issue is just it being a bit padded, I think? Very good and listenable stuff, just very similar much of the time.

What a tour de force! Q-Tip, Phife, and the other members of ATCQ lay down some intense bars over one of the finest collections of jazzy beats I've yet heard - well deserving of the album name.

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

A shining highlight of 90s east coast hiphop. Every part of this album, from the flows to the production, is so goddamn smoooooooth!! (like butter, baby) Best enjoyed on some beefy speakers with the bass cranked way up to get the intended head-nodding effect. What a timeless classic. Standouts: Buggin' Out • Butter • Verses from the Abstract • Vibes and Stuff • Check the Rhime • Jazz (We've Got)

GOOD album. This might be my favorite album in this style. I really think the bass elevates it above other albums of its time and I appreciate the wordplay and humor a lot. I was almost a little bored at points but then they switched it up for me.