The Low End Theory

The lyrics were so smooth they melted like butter through my fingertips. The beat so groovy you could scrub barnacles with it. Gotta love a quality hip-hop album. 4 stars.

I understand why people see this album as one of the greatest albums of all time and I do appreciate what it has done for hip hop and its musical craftsmanship. It’s a good album, a great one even. I really love the heavy fusion between hip hop and jazz, the rapping over the minimalist jazz grooves is something I love a lot. Just for some reason the album doesn’t quite fully do it for me. I think I just don’t quite get it all the way. But I know this is good stuff and I’m able to appreciate it regardless, it’s just not quite my groove.

Sophisticated rap, great writing, wonderful grooves and Ron Carter to boot. Great listening to start my day.

Ok, but felt a bit... basic.

Hip hop

Jazz samples with breakbeats with 90’s hip hop ?????? And you gonna say someone rated this under a 4???? Insanely good the bus ride was baller !!!

Honestly, surprised. These guys did the basics brilliantly and produced such an incredible hip-hop album. The jazz elements work a treat, showing that these two genres fit well. Didn't appreciate the misogyny in there, however, such a brilliant album, and shows that I appreciate hip-hop more than I give it credit for.

Seria um ótimo álbum de hip hop... se fosse o primeiro que tivesse ouvido, tem umas músicas interessantes mas ainda escolheria ouvir Modal Soul do que esse álbum.

I feel like this was easy. One of my all-time favorite albums. Classic to the max. Go read "Go Ahead in the Rain" right now. Do it!

Great album that has withstood the test of time.

Intelligent hip hop. Listened twice.

None of the Quest songs I knew. But its fine

Such a great album!!

4/28/2025: great bare bones beats and baselines freeing up room for lyrics + Busta Rhymes debut!

The Low End Theory — другий альбом A Tribe Called Quest, став не просто поворотним моментом у хіп-хопі, а й культурним рубіконом, після якого говорити “реп — це лише музика для вулиць” стало неможливо. Якщо дебютний альбом заклав джазову основу - то ця робота пішла ще далі - глибокі басові лінії легкі джазові снейри, контрабас. Усе послуговує тому, щоб цей альбом звучав камерно та «інтимно». Ну і звісно сам флоу та ритмічні малюнки стали набагато складнішими. Навіть не поглиблюючись в тексти, його дуже приємно та цікаво слухати. Але при цьому - читати тексти все ж дуже бажано - вони тут стали більш абстрактними, філософськими, а подекуди навіть пророчими. Наприклад, гурт зміг передбачити те до чого незабаром дійде музична індустрія у своїй жадібності. Це зрештою і призведе до її стрімкого падіння через піратство на початку нульових. Назва The Low End Theory — не лише про «басовий звук». Це маніфест уваги до тих, кого не видно та не чутно - про бідні райони, про молодих темношкірих чоловіків, які виростають під гуркіт сабвуфера. Саме тому «бас» тут настільки важливий та відіграє роль своєрідної «метафора присутності» - навіть коли він приглушений, все одно залишається панівним елементом. Цей альбом, в тому числі є предтечею того, що пізніше назвуть abstract hip hop, та conscious hip hop. Та якби не цей альбом, навряд ми б отримали інших геніальних виконавців в цих піджанрах, таких як Common, чи Kendrick Lamar.

Fat, smoove and fresh fun to the max.

dobar rep zanimljiv beat al nije moja šalica čaja

Maybe one of the best albums early 90s crew Hip-Hop has to offer. Sadly, I'm not a big fan of the genre and found it hard to enjoy any of it. 3.5/5

So good and I'd never listened to this!

I love them so much. Their flow. The two MCs going back and forth. “Check the Rhyme” is forever one of my favorite rap songs. I will forever have a little crush on Q-tip too.

I'm not sure which is a more perfect album in the annals of prog hip-hop between this and "New Refutations of Space and Time" by Digable Planets...they're both perfect.

Absolute brilliance....

Groovy listen.

Every song sounds pretty much the same. 2 might be harsh, but there was nothing to keep me listening.

Fucking classic.

I see why this is such a classic. Good to listen to and enjoyable for someone who is not a hip hop fan. Great album. 7.9/10

twas nice.

Sorry I just don’t like rap. I’m sure they’re great.

Pretty solid. Definitely see the cultural relevance.

Tips on point

Shit gas Top 3 Excursions Rap promoter Butter

Halt sehr typisch Hip Hop. Esch no loschtig wie Hip Hop halt ned ganz so miis esch onds ergnendwie au langwiilig esch. Trotzdem heds au rächt geili ond dör s eigentleche Moschter onvorhärsehbari Änderige was es irgendwie no spannend macht zom zuelose. Vorallem wenn's ned eifach e standard Gugemusig stil musig im Hendergrond esch (was aber im Grossfall leider so esch) chönd drom t Lieder au no geil si. Vergleiche met desem bisherige Rap Albom fendi aber Power in Numbers geiler.

Sorry to say but I found this so boring and tedious! Songs weren't bad but after like 3 of them they blended into one long mega song for 40 mins 2 ⭐️

Absolutely foundational.

Not enough Lou Brock shoutouts in the rap game these days

The bass and lyrics have gotten better with time; Wine. Makes me feel like I’m riding through a melting pot stacked with busy city streets, the colours of different cultures glowing amongst the greyscale streets No skips

The jazzy elements really help this album to stand out, in addition to the skilled rapping. Overall, a very good album. Favorite track: "Check the Rhime"

fire

Pre-listening thoughts: oh man I am SO excited for this one. I loved the last album by ATCQ so really high hopes for this Post/during listening thoughts: there’s almost a jazz element to a lot of these beats which I find really interesting. It’s minimalistic (but not boring) and draws more attention to the actual rapping when it needs to. This group has such clever lyrics and engaging delivery. This is a brilliantly cohesive album!! Embarrassed to say I heard scenario from Pitch Perfect before here 😭 9.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: this is so unique that I kinda want to say yes Fav tracks: Butter, Verses From the Abstract, Show Business, Check the Rhime, Jazz (We’ve Got), What?, Scenario Least fav tracks: n/a

As a kid during this time period I much preferred the bombastic beats and more aggressive lyrics coming from the west coast artists as compared to the more relaxed, jazzy sound coming from the NY mainstays and 30 years later…that’s still the case lol

Sorry Pete

I liked it, but it’s definitely not something you can just have in the background. The words demand attention. More for a car ride than just hanging out around the house.

i'm only at song 3 and it already feels like i listen to this for ages. gotta stop, i'm sorry.

super snazzy !

Bangin

Versus from the abstract or what? is the best on this album, gonna give it low 3/high 2

Certified CLASSIC

I never had a pager

What is a compound withOUT a element

Jazzy rap, takes me back to the times playing GTA San Andreas. Not my type of music but still a very high quality album.

No notes.

Ain’t gonna rain on this 5 parade. The lyrics flow, the beats have my head bobbin’

Q Tip might be one of the top 5 best rap lyricists in hip hop history. And he’s not #5 or #4.

There's a reason why this has the title it does: dat bass. And lyrics about butts. Q-Tip's and Phife's flows are instruments in themselves that add to the jazzy sound. It can get samey, but it was definitely influential. Highlights: "Buggin' Out" and "Check the Rhime" (nice interplay between Tip and Phife), "Show Business" (a bit harder including a couple of f-bombs, more like the New York sound that was popular at the time, features Lord Jamar, Sadat X, and Diamond D), "Scenario" (a classic posse cut)

Tribe covers a lot of topic, with full emotional range. Every song could be a hit

Dope ass album. Might be my favorite hip-hop album of all time. Five out of five stars. Still as relevant today as it was in 1991

Solid album. I prefer their album "Midnight Marauders" over this one but I do enjoy this one.

Really enjoyed this. First time hearing this album in its entirety. Can’t believe I missed this one when it came out 35 years ago! Love Q-tip….smooth!!!!

Another never before listened to album (just heard a smattering of the songs over the years) but I was pleasantly suprised how it kept me captivated throughout

Still holds up. My favorite hip hop group of all time and my second favorite Tribe album. RIP Fife

In my mental game called "What's the best Hip-hop album of all time?" I go back and forth between this, Enter the 36 Chambers, and 3 Feet High and Rising. Which is to say, this is a classic of the genre. Jazz influenced conscious rap? Yes please. It also transcends time and genre. This is an album I refer people to who say they don't like hip-hop. It's just that good. From the production to the rhymes, 100/100, perfect album hands down.

Let Q-Tip clean out your ears. Jazz rap rules, especially when the production is so carefully thought out and the MC talent is on point. I think Midnight Marauders has better individual songs, but they’re similar enough to me to play as side 1/side 2.

Jazz hip hop at its finest. My second favorite album of all time

Geiler Oldschool Hip Hop, vA versteht man da noch jedes Wort

Je suis un hipster (ou un inculte au choix), je préfère leur précédent album.

A classic, and a huge piece of my teenage years. I am so glad this one has stood the test of time, too.

Listened to this a lot in high school and I still love it. The beats are a little too repetitive and it feels a bit dated for that reason but it's a classic.

Like most hip hop I enjoy the instrumentals more than the rapping, and this album is no exception. What differs it from a lot of other hiphop is that the instrumentals are amazing, much thanks to having Ron f'ing Carter on bass. Also the rapping is pretty cool but I didn't have time to investigate the lyrics in depth.

❤️

Low vibes but chill. Kinda was expecting a little more here. 2.5 goin down.

Not bad for a rap album.

Bumped this the whole day at work. Always been a Tribe fan so this was fun!

very great production!!!!! my ears were happy

Musically, the Quest is on the rise 1001 Albums Generator 2 Oftentimes, after a successful or acclaimed debut, an artist will struggle to follow it up. This phenomenon is so common, the phrase “sophomore slump” has become a common critique in music circles. A Tribe Called Quest not only avoided this fate, but surpassed their debut (and subsequent) albums with their 1991 sophomore offering. The Low End Theory is quintessential 90’s hip hop in all aspects. The chill, jazzy, sample-heavy beats, the “hippity hop” vocal delivery, the occasionally questionable lyrics. Every aspect of this album oozes the sound that would dominate the decade that would follow. The finest aspect of this album is Q-Tip’s production. The sound of a jazz bassline is as key to this album as it is to any “true” jazz album. Hell, they got jazz legend Ron Carter to play live bass on Verses from the Abstract. ATCQ’s sample choice throughout also shows their depth of jazz knowledge. From Art Blakey to Lonnie Smith, Jack DeJohnette to Weather Report, even non-jazz legends like Funkadelic and The Doors show up on this album's WhoSampled page (seriously go read through this page, it is fucking amazing to see all the elements they pulled together for these songs). The way that the beats often open up during the choruses (expemplified on Excursions, Vibes and Stuff, and Check the Rhime) show that Q-Tip is doing more than just looping samples. The attention paid to the layering is something special on this album. With all this said, it turns out this album isn't an instrumental hiphop album. Tribe has two primary MC's: the aforementioned Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. As I mentioned previously, this album exudes 90's hiphop energy, which can certainly feel outdated when done poorly. Lyrics like "Go get yourself some toilet paper 'cause your lyrics is butt" and "What type of crap is that? Yo, how's about a smack?" do not have the swagger that they must have had back in the day. Although some songs on the album, such as Everything Is Fair and Rap Promoter, do deal with conscious themes, this is not a typical heady, triple-entendre rap album. However, I think that this album is one of the best examples of this style that I have ever heard. So many albums from this era end up being "My name is Joey and I'm here to say / bitches love to blow me, every day"-core. While there is some of that on this tracklist, The Abstract and Phife are able to embrace this style while not taking themselves too seriously. Now, this is not to say that this album is parody; no, this is very much a labor of love for the artform of rap (and jazz), but at the same time, the lyrics and delivery do have a bit of a cheeky feel to them, which saves this album from falling into the trap that so many old school hiphop albums fall into. It is able to perfectly straddle the line between humorous self-awareness and serious artistry. Even in this, as with their beats, they mimic and pay homage to jazz legends such as Charles Mingus and Sun Ra, who were also known for incorporating a level of non-seriousness in their serious art. While a couple of songs near the end do not hold up to the rest of the tracklist, The Low End Theory is a must-listen for anyone that is interested in hip-hop. The beats and lyric delivery are among the best the genre has to offer. Favs: Excursions Check the Rhime Scenario Least Fav: What?

hey defür dasses rap isch, isches no kuul, es passiered wenigstens halbewegs spannendi sache im bass oder sogar saxophon. aber igendwenn wirds eif repetitiv, rap gfallt mer eif nöd..

as someone who isn’t much into hip-hop, this album is awesome

Out of all genres rap is the one I’ve listened to the most when I’m writing this, and this album was really good. It was very chill, easy to listen to, and there was nothing bad about it. I really enjoy when there is jazz in rap and this album had it.

has aura. cool vibes to the end pretty peak for 1991 and something i enjoyed getting to listen to

Dogs have no sense of rhythm. I suppose animals, in general, don't have a sense of rhythm but I can PROVE that dogs don't. How, you say? Well I took my dog for a walk with a bluetooth speaker playing this album and he didn't bob his head once.

++: Butter, Show Business, Vibes and Stuff, Infamous Date Rape, Check the Rhime, Everything Is Fair, Jazz (We've Got), Skypager, What?, Scenario +: Excursions, Buggin' Out, Rap Promoter, Verses from the Abstract 9,0/10

4.5 stars. Such excellent early wrap, feels extremely influential.

Classic hip-hip/rap album, great beats and lyricism, absolute must listen for rap fans

Yeaaa good vibes all around. 4 stars.

Wel leuk Maar niet heel bijzonder Heb niet echt de concentratie om de tekst helemaal te analyseren maar de flow gaat wel dik Niet echt hitjes maar het is gewoon wel prima

I really like A Tribe Called Quests style, but I find that this album is a bit monotonous at times. When I hear these songs individually on a playlist I dig them more. Still a good album, standouts for me are Scenerio, Show Business, Jazz and Check the Rhime. 7/10

Meh. Not as good as I remember.

Vrolijke deuntjes

good listen, but kinda feels like a time capsule

Och, ik ga proberen om hier objectief over te zijn, maar ik hou echt heel erg van Tribe. Ze zijn voor mij de perfecte mix tussen jazz en hiphop. Q-tip is oprecht de beste producer uit die jaren als je het mij vraagt, en dan ook nog eens een fantastische rapper! Ja dit album is dus ook gewoon heerlijk om aan te hebben. Ik denk dat ik hun debuutalbum misschien nog wel beter vind en anders We got it from here, thank you for your service. Eigenlijk is Tribe voor mij gewoon consistent ijzersterk. De dikke beats, de laidback flows, het hit gewoon. Dus? Dit is een makkelijke 5 sterren dan toch? Toch niet, ik leun toch net iets meer naar 4 sterren. Het is super relaxed, en toch betrap ik mezelf erop dat de beats net ff te meh zijn en de flows van Q-tip en Phife net iets te veel van hetzelfde zijn. 5 sterren is een vrijwel perfect album. Dat is dit gewoon niet, begrijp me niet verkeerd, het is een fantastisch album! Maar net geen 5 sterren. Mijn god, speciale shout out naar die fantastische Busta verse aan het einde van Scenario. Ge-wel-dig! Wat een knaller om te eindigen! FAVO: Excursions, Buggin out, Show Business, Check the Rhime, Everything is fair, Jazz(We've Got), What?, Scenario

Probably the best 90s rap album.

eh, my memory of this album is better than the actual album

Nice - haven't listened to this in a while

Trying something a little different here. Excursions - what an incredible start to the album. That upright bass sample will forever be stuck in my head. I’ll never let it go. Perfectly captures the vibe and feel of the rest of the album. If you only listen to one song from this album and want to understand what ATCQ is… make it this one. Buggin’ Out - Incredible opening verse from Phife here. It’s a great introduction to his style and really sets him apart from Q-Tip. And their chemistry is on full display here. I take it back about Excursions being the only song… you need this one too. Rap Promoter - that guitar sample is everything here. Tip is absolutely right - “this one’s a fly love song”. Butter - the horn on the chorus just makes me melt every single time. Phife does his best to take the moment for himself with a couple incredible verses ,but that horn just swoops in and snatches it from him. Verses from the Abstract - this beat is so nasty. I get why Tip says funky like 12 times in his verse. How can you think about anything else with those drums!? And the vocals on the chorus with Tip shouting out everyone Native Tongues adjacent gives me chills every time. And why is the funkiest part when the beat just drops out and it’s just Tip. I love this album. Show Business - I have no idea what the sample is. I think it’s a guitar? Either way, it’s the kind of thing that Tribe does so well. They don’t overuse it. It comes in only right when you need it. Little moments like that are all over the place here. All of the little things that come in for a beat or two and don’t reappear for another 10 bars. Lesser producers would try to a jam them into the loops for the whole track. How is the second best posse cut on this album? Vibes and Stuff - it’s verses like the first one on this track where Tip really makes the case for my favorite rapper. He is just so smooth over this beat. The little embellishments and layered vocals - he’s probably my favorite rapper to just listen to rap. Infamous Date R*pe - first and only “misstep” for me, if I can even call it that. I just get a little confused with Phife’s verse. Is this supposed to be an example of date r*pe? Or we complaining about a woman that has “changed her mind” after an encounter? It’s ambiguous enough to me that I can read it the first way since, the track ends with a verse from Tip basically saying “consent is important” so I guess I don’t know. Regardless, an attempt was made to be less misogynistic than other rap acts of the time (or even today) so props, I think? Check the Rhime - Phife and Tip’s back and forth the perfect encapsulation of their chemistry. They work so well together. I love a good horn loop… Everything is Fair - Why does the the vocal sample here remind me of David Byrne? I’ve always heard his voice here, just me? I love how the beat goes back and forth between 2 samples in a similar way Phife and Tip go back and forth in the previous song. Just a really creative approach to beat switches. Jazz - probably my favorite snare sound on the album. Just so punchy. It sounds like they are smacking the heck out of a trash can lid. Oh, did I mention a love a horn sample? This chorus has a good one. Phife flow on this beat is perfect. Skypager - lol it’s funny to me that the fact that a skypager can be flaunted as a status symbol is the most dated thing about this 33 year old album. This had to still be funny and silly at the time too, right? I mean Phife seems too proud that his Duracell batteries last for 3 weeks! Song still bangs though What? - I’ve always seen this an intro to the next track. I still feel that way. But I love the way Tip says knockin’ boots. Makes me giggle. I love this album. Scenario - this sample is so good. It’s constantly reused and for good reason. Every verse here is stellar. It’s probably Phife’s best on the entire album. PSA to anyone that wants me to do karaoke. Learn one of these verses and get 3 other friends to learn one too. I’ll take whichever one’s left and we can have some fun taking over the party. Best posse cut ever? This and Danny Brown’s Really Doe are neck and neck for my favorite. Hopefully it’s obvious that I adore this album and understand why Questlove calls himself that.

One of my favorite hip hop albums. The flows and the vibes here are some of the best.

This is peak hip hop for me. This is the good good stuff. Q-Tip might possibly be my favorite rapper. His flow is unmatched - he sounds cool as hell, and so smooth...like butter, baby. Then him, alongside Phife, and it's just undeniably great. They're all legends, and this album is legendary. Every song has my head bopping along to the beat. I didn't have to listen to this one to know I was giving it 5 stars, but of course I did! I'd listen to this one any day, any time. It's THE vibe, and stuff.

Good jams and rhymes. Not my cup of tea though.

I think it was a bit samey. I initially thought a four but got bored on the back end. I think the beats and musicians are really good tho

Pretty decent I suppose, but didn’t really grab me and makes want to listen again. Quite repetitive I guess. Not really one I’d keep going back to.

Old school rap isn't for me, but I can hear influences for today

Nothing special

Groovy and I need to read the lyrics next time

Great, but not quite 5 stars

Loud and clear

Good, Grooving vibe, flow and beat hit on the point. 7.8/10

Love the old skool flow

I've always heard that early hip-hop like the Tribe is required listening to understand rap, but I've just never been able to get into it. The flows and rhymes are legit, and I can see the influence it had on later rap artists. That said, it kind of lands flat for me. Long tracks of them just flowing doesn't really do it for me. In this day an age, this seems like foundational listening for newer rap artists, but there's better stuff for pure listening. It was kind of fun to hear an early Busta though.

Great album

Greit nok, for langt

Smooth

Big De La Soul 90s vibes. Great sound overall.

[4.5]

Smooth like butter I don’t really like a lot of rap or hip-hop or whatever (my stats in this will confirm) But I really like this. I guess it’s all the new shit I dislike.

Seminal stuff. Although there’s a bit too much business rap on here, I suppose it was vital to speak up at the time this was made. The last two songs saved it for me, like they were building towards the best they offered on this album.

One of my all time favourite albums and one of the greatest hip hop albums from the golden age. The production on this album is bass heavy and just right and they named it accordingly, although the name also was a comment on the status of black Americans. Almost every song is a classic. When I first heard this 30 years ago, it felt a little sparser than their other albums but I grew to love this sound. Pure hip hop. It’s like butter, baby.

If I was into hip hop at all I'd be into that.

There’s this pretty unsubtle, absolutely excellent (perfect?) moment in “Everything’s fair” as the front-of-the-mix Funkadelic sample meets the bass line in the crossfade then disappears, leaving us with Q-Tip telling a story about unrequited lust, ambition and money. (But in a way that’s never more dramatic than “casual”.) I mention this moment specifically because a) driven by a beat I can only, feebly and in awe, describe as “sick”, it slaps, and b) it feels like a nice little metonym of what’s so spectacularly cool about this record and Tribe’s whole thing. The nods back, the moves forward, the feeling of effortlessness about it all; the knowing you’re in safe hands, so letting your guard down and having a dance. The 90s that this record helped to shape might not have been “my” 90s – unless the vibe they cultivated had any bearing on Space Jam or upstream influence on The Fresh Prince? – but here in 2025 this record still feels sharp, organised and focussed. That this is a great record feels evident in it being as available to me while I’m making pizza on a Saturday night as it was while waiting for a bus on an early Tuesday morning. You don’t need to be in the mood, because it’ll transport you. Props.

One of the crown jewels of classic 90s boom nap rap. Plays like one long jam, with each immaculately produced track seamlessly flowing into the next.

good vibes 4/5

Just what I’ve been looking for. Smooth beats. Can’t believe it took this long. The story telling the sampling. Such a great listen.

Excellent, I enjoyed this one a lot! Fun instrumentals and vocal work. 'Excursions' was my fave track.

This is great; already a favorite. I love the interplay of Q Tip and Phife Dawgs voices.

Not my cup of tea

I’m just going to be brutally honest, this album really didn’t do much for me. Let me put this disclaimer: I don’t really care for hip-hop. I might have said that in other reviews, but I think it’s relevant here considering this album’s reputation as a landmark for the genre. For fans of hip-hop, I can understand what makes this a classic. And truthfully, it’s not bad. One of the best things about 90’s hip-hop is the jazzy vibe it can illicit and this album basically pioneered that, from what I understand. It really is an easy album to chill to, especially on a nice drive home from work (which is how I listen to these albums). But here’s my problem: most of this album sounds pretty much the same to me. Like it’s hard for me to tell the songs apart, which makes it difficult to pick which songs I liked. Also, hip-hop tends to be a very lyric heavy genre. You pretty much have to pay attention to the lyrics in order to get really anything out of the songs. As someone who usually listens to the music more so than the lyrics, it makes albums like this hard to enjoy. Maybe that’s a reflection of my taste in music and how maybe I rely on choruses and hooks too much, but that’s just me. I take responsibility for not really jiving with this album. I acknowledge that this is a masterpiece to some and that it’s not really my thing. It’s just a little disappointing to get a highly-regarded album and realized it does nothing for you. Favorite track: Scenario Other hits: What?, Check the Rhime, Jazz (We’ve Got)

Enjoyable flow and fun rhymes. I really liked this, but I will admit every song sounds the same.

All killer

Bops. Sort of sounds similar throughout but good background rap

Really dull and monotonous beats. Doesn’t feel like the bars have a lot of energy or creativity behind them. 1.5

Classic!!!

The Bars are so on point and a tribe called quest is one of the best aging old school music to me. Really love the album. Smooth like butter and thats a Fact!

Upright bass (samples??), drum programming and smooth rapping. This is good but not going to end up on my everyday listening.

A little long, not too many musical highlights

a quintessential hip-hop album. not only one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time but it's one of the greatest albums ever!

Milestone album, this came out in 1991. Insane! 5/5

Tribe was one of my favorite hip-hop groups, and this remains arguably their best album. I loved that they were socially conscious and provided an alternative to the gangsta and hardcore rap, much of which I've struggled to connect with. Tip and Phife are great lyricists, and their respective vocal deliveries allow them to stand out among their peers. The music across this album displays their influences while perfectly accompanying their words, and I love the uses of humor as much as the serious messages. I'd give this top marks based on songs like "Buggin' Out" and "Scenario" alone just for how those songs make me feel. When those hit, I've gotta move with a smile on my face, every time.

Fantastic. 5/5

Classic rap.

Did not like it at all

One of the all time best albums and ny favorite hip hop album. Just fantastic. Favorite track: Check the rhime other picks: jazz we’ve got, excursions, buggin out

Rap Oldies not really my type. Felt a bit boring at the start. Butter got me groovin tho. Fun from then on out.

Lowkey Banger after Lowkey Banger. I'm not a Boomer Puritan, but the lack of any kind of crude language on this thing really impressed me. Socially conscious jazz beat Rap? Sign me up. 5 stars.

Excellent. And now I know where that line in the Barenaked Ladies song "One Week" came from.

When hip hop was getting popular I was waiting for an album like this - one that has someone rapping over live instruments. This one features the legendary Ron Carter on bass and the groove is delivered so solidly. Q-Tip is the smoothest! Liked Songs Added: Excursions Butter Infamous Date Rate Jazz (We've Got)

Incredible rap album and all energy throughout, great features and lyrics.

Man gillar ju ändå detta. Det är najs beats. Sen är det ju lite väl outdated. Men det är lite för skönt för att bara ge en trea. Skulle lätt kunna sätta på denna skiva å köra från början till slut.

Bra skiva för sin tid. Även om produktionerna är lite primitiva är de bättre än normalt och detsamma gäller texter och flow. Check the rhime är lite av en föregångare i hur de väver ihop varandras verser.

Exceptional as exceptional gets. Really hard to top this Best Song: Check the Rhyme Rating: 10/10 Stars: 5/5

Banger

9/10

Great chill late night vibes

I don't like rap and hip-hop. When I listen to albums like this, I only think about ending it as soon as possible. It's monotonous and not interesting. 1 out of 10.

I thought I hadn't had much Hip Hop in my ToPlay list, so I dived into this when it came up. Enjoying it and after liking some tracks on first play (Buggin out) the other tracks might become just as enjoyable. The drum beats and bass are hypnotic on some tracks. It probably won’t stay on my regular player for long but at the moment it’s passing the time acceptably.

I gotta listen to more of their stuff.

Hippity hop but a classic

Excellent hip-hop. Whole album

generational

90s rap

I really dig the strong jazz influences here, and the beats and flow is really solid. Some tracks feel a bit too similar to one another, but this is enjoyable hip hop for sure.

Not my first choice when listening to hip hop, but I like the vibe.

I love Tribe and was very happy to have this one popped up in my list. An immaculate hip hop classic and a contender for the GOAT record in the genre. Possibly Busta Rhymes best verse ever in Scenario as well. I could listen to this all day every day. RIP Phife Dawg. "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."

buggin out, butter, scenario, jazz, rap promoter, so many great songs on this album. classic tribe beats and great vibes. my favorite project from them. wish we could do half stars. 4.5

Probably the best hip hop album I've heard. No duds the entire album. I'll be playing it again.

Excellent hip hop album.

9/10

My favorite from ATCQ! This is where Qtip really perfected his producing craft and it’s still a constant inspiration for me. I’d put this one in my all time top 100, not sure where I’d put it within that 100 but it would crack that list for sure. It’s worth noting that all 100 within that list would be evenly ranked and 5 star albums, so it’s basically tied with 100 of my favorite albums. The beauty of hip hop is that it’s constantly evolving. Even today there are artists who are pushing the genre to new dimensions and in that respect they have much in common with ATCQ, but Joey Bada$$’s 1999 from 2012 is one that looks back at what hip hop was in the 90’s with really solid results. Definitely worth a listen if you like these old school hip hop artists. While there are better albums that have come out since this albums release, The Low End Theory still remains the perfect snap shot of where hip hop was in the early 90’s and for that it’s an easy 5 for me.

This is the one. This is early 90's hip hop. The chill, trip-hop jazzy rhythm. Other groups followed, but this is the standard. This immediately takes me back. By far their best album. Buggin' Out and Vibes and Stuff are my favorites. 5, no doubt about it.

Before hip-hop established the rut of topical clichés of guns, hoes, and drugs, the potential was limitless. Though the golden age of rap appears to have occurred in the mid-90's, before then the style was a bit more free-form. The chorus may just be a musical interlude, or there may not be any chorus at all in leiu of a steady flow of lyrics. Def Jam was introducing scream rap with samples of hard rock guitar, and the Fresh Prince made up goofy stories about Freddy Krueger and Mike Tyson. Tribe elevated the art form by adding jazz and multiple samples to the groove, and approached their rhyming in a conversational, laid-back style that Snoop Dog would take all of the way to the bank a few years later. And behind the scenes, Bob Power revolutionized mixing techniques that made him legendary in the music studio. This isn't a 'singles' album. Just put it on and let it play. I'll bump the 3.5 to a 4 for innovation and keeping things fresh and positive.

Clever, confident, unbothered, and wise, especially for how young they were here. I especially love Q-Tip's brainy-cool verses and vocals: sharp but with a smooth flow. I don't think I had ever heard any of these tracks before, and I found the listening experience delightful. 4.5

This album is a hip hop clinic. Such great story telling. Excursions and Jazz are masterpieces. A descendant of Trinidadian immigrants made the list. RIP to the five foot assassin. It's a real skill to be able to sample and build these songs the way Tribe does.

Generational sounding album. Can tell it’s a precursor that inspires music like mos def and Wu-Tang in the following years. Even 3 decades old, this album is still fun to listen to and feels fresh. Very fun listen with great lyricism/artistry. First I had heard the cypher or group rapping. (It deleted my previous notes, pieced them back together quickly)

Like super outdated, but its aight

One of my favorite albums of all time, hands down. Show Business, Check the Rhime and Butter are all classics and part of my DNA. It is the ethos of 90s hip hop to me and shows the genre is more than just "bitches and hoes" like the critics would like one to think. This is instrumental listening to anyone wanting to appreciate music.

Great listen.

Butata

Immagina dare 4

Sounds like the birth of true hip hop. The beats are fresh and bassy. The samples are choice. Up there with J5 and NWA.

A fucking classic. The production on this album is unmatched, just a genius move to pair lyrical acrobatics with such trad jazz instrumentals. There are MCs still living in Phife and Tip’s shadows, their level of skill on the mic still rivals most of the rappers working today. And to end it on that phenomenal Busta Rhymes feature - this album is firmly one of the all time greats.

I liked the beats at the start … but by the time they”d looped through EVERY song I was very bored. Not for me.

I’ll say at the outset that I’m not a fan of the “rap” subgroup of the “hip hop” genré. I’m used to the hard, nasty, curse laden words that are so harmful to women, and other marginalized groups. But wouldn’t the worst of worst rap groups like Two Live Crew, NWA, and Tupac NOT be included in the 1001 albums that you need to hear before you die? Wouldn’t these groups be considered too rude, lewd, and socially unacceptable to be considered to gain entry into this vaunted list of “The 1001 Albums that you need to listen to before you die”? But A Tribe Called Quest is a bit different from these more raucous rap groups. They appear more refined, uttering poetry rather than raw aggressive lines. This poetry is articulated clearly and defines a story. This is what makes A Tribe Called Quest stand out from the rest of the hip hop community. While the group can’t resist throwing in an explicative here and there, especially on some of the songs like “Butter,” and “Infamous Date Rape.” A Tribe Called Quest proves that not all hip hop is created equal. One must keep an open mind, and decide for oneself if this group is truly a “cut above the others.” I think it is. I give “The Low End Theory” Four out of Five stars.

It's a lot of hip-hop in one go, but all really great

one of my all time favorite albums front to back. I wish I was a teenager during this exact time but was born 3 years after this release. either way, i’m so happy I got to enjoy this during my time in high school. they started the 90’s era of rap search that I hold dear. “Bust a nut inside your eye, to show you where I come from.” REST IN POWER PHIFE DAWG

Needs another listen. Love the songs I knew, but not the ones I didn’t.

90’s rap pretty good

I haven't listened to much hip-hop, but I'd say this was a solid introduction. Reminded me a bit of the "talking blues" stuff made by Woody Guthrie and the like. I appreciated having multiple different vocalists. Still felt a little "samey" to me, as someone who doesn't tend to focus on lyrics as much. Favorite Track: What?

As I understand it, the Low End Theory is to sample some jazzy double bass and stick a rigid beat on stop, suffocating whatever swing or groove might have been in the original. Not so expansive, expressive or exploratory as the jazz records it collages, but simultaneously lacking the hooks and earworms that De La Soul were able to pick out of their record collections. That's a real bass on Verses from the Abstract and it sounds like good playing, but feels disconnected from everything else. I understand, however, that the lyrical dexterity and content is the important thing. Personally, I found it difficult to parse the lyrics as they flew by, so I wouldn't want to make any comment on them. Infamous Date Rape sounded rough, but, compared to the explicit misogyny we've heard on other hip hop records on this list, I'd want to give it a closer listen before I passed judgment on it. "You can ask Stephen If the vibe ain't right" - Honestly, I don't know. 2 I know next to nothing about Rap/Hip Hop. Jazz I only know the basics. Jazz, famously, is typified when a group of technically gifted musicians come together and play the same two bars of music in 4/4, again and again, exactly the same way, at about 100 bpm for 4 minutes or so. It is only a grasp of these basics that allows us laymen to credit the many gushing critical statements on The Low End Theory that identify the album as an ingenious musical bridge between Jazz and Hip Hop. Otherwise we might make the mistake of thinking that Tribe Called Quest was just the same old shit that rappers always do but this time in a pork pie hat. As I say - I can only credit Tribe Called Quest second-hand for their successorship to Miles Davis because I am only a tourist in these genres and must defer to critical consensus. Let’s talk poetry though - I feel I can give Tribe all the credit they deserve for articulating their puerile view of the world through doubtful couplets. ‘I keep a tight net with my brothers Ken and Kenny/ If the question is of rhymes, then I'll tell ya, I got plenty‘ Oh Q-Tip, if only that was the question. 1/5 ‘Get the fuck off the stage’ Miles Davis

Scenario lives rent free in my brain since this album came out. I'm really impressed how most of this hold up, probably due to a jazzy influence. It's smooth, which is unlike a lot of hip hop at the time. The name dropping of Ralph Tresvant, having Busta on board--it's really great. Maybe a 3.5 for me, but bumping for when Scenario hits at the end.

Meh

never heard of but pretty good hip hop. sampled a bunch.

The perpetuality of the flow, the grooviness of the samples, the grittiness of the beats, the seriousness of the lyrics - A golden discovery for me, and already one of the best hip-hop albums I've heard.

Decent for a hip-hop album. I quite enjoy these guys compared to the obnoxious vulgar shite we get subjected to across this project.

Groovy. I like the baselines. I like the lyrics about dedication to writing. “Keep the vibes goin”. Will listen again. Cooking breakfast in a sun filled flat.

A shining example of rap. The flow and lyricism hits melodically and the jazzy tracks make this a record I can listen to whenever. Check the Rhime is a goddamn classic. Go listen to this one.

3.5

Very good. Never heard them before this listen. A lot of very good beats. Catchy. Highlight - Show business.

I liked this

Really not a big fan of hip hop, but as it goes this is pretty gosh durn good.

I enjoyed this more than a thought, simple, good production easy to hear the lyrics which is often my hip hop gripe. I’ll come back to this 3.75/5

Can’t believe I’ve never listened to this before. A lot of fun throughout and will definitely be returning

It's all right, but I've heard better hip-hop albums from that era

A classic album.

This is what I think is when somebody says hip-hop. Just an incredible album that oozes with coolness Really love the jazzy vibes.

I don’t know. I thought it was ok but not really my thing.

Tricky, I get it, I like it, 3, no… wait, I love it, wait again, do I? Yes. 4. Can’t seem to give it a 5… could it be possible that I’m not cool enough?! Ha ha Wait again again, way better LOUD, at volume 11, or on the swanky headphones. Possibly 4.5 if I could.

I remember when this album came out, it was blown away by the neon cover of it. Sadly, I think I’ve listened to it maybe once or twice with little interest at the time. We listening to it now I realize how powerful this band in this album really is. Key tracks, most of them honestly, were Show Business and Check the Rhime. I loved the interplay with the smooth rap weaving between the members and the jazz-based flow. They were the apex of the Golden Age of Rap, hitting controversy without being controversial in their delivery. I can going to come back to this one again.

Random thoughts: * This is the best Tribe album. * I did not really listen to Tribe in the 90s. What a shame?! I really missed out. I was too much of a west coast hip hop guy. * Check the Rhime and Scenario were my two favorite tracks. * Is Busta Ryhmes debut one of the best ever rap debuts on Scenario? * Q-tip, while not the most technically proficient rapper. He is one of the most distinctive and is silky to the ears. I could listen to him rap all day. He's definitely one of my top 10 favorite rappers. * Adding this to a more regular rotation. 4-stars!

rap... het is een muziekvorm... het is ook de snelheid waarmee ik op de fast forward knop duw

Slaps, love the song about pagers. It’s 1991 forever

Amazing. at least the Spotify radio based on this album was amazing so by association I rate this high

brilliant

Nice hip-hop I might revisit. Its still not my style but it worth existing Thought Miles was in the room for the song Jazz ! 3.5

Album 685 of 1001 A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991) Rating : 2.5 / 5 One of the better hip hop albums I've heard from the list. Doesn't make me enjoy the genre any more than I do. Just not my thing.

Found myself getting a bit bored/uninterested while listening Had to remind myself that this album is 30+ years old and has influenced so many artists since

Fantastic start to finish, great samples, smooth deliveries

didn't finish but so good. can see why so influential

Du rap sur des boucles un peu jazzy, ça devrait être un non direct, mais les samples sont cools et on est vite pris par le flow. Je comprends un peu d’où Massive Attack tient son son quand j’entends des choses comme ça. “Check the Rhime” et son sample connu, “Scenario”... Ca s’écoute avec plaisir, même si parfois un peu monotone.

If you are a hip hop aficionado, you might like, or even love this, but as someone who is not into much hip hop it was a meh that quickly faded into the background. This is better than my usual reaction to a hip hop album which begins as a slow burn of dislike that eventually becomes an outright dislike and culminates with loathing by the end of an album.

What decade are we in again, didn’t catch you the first time you told me it was the 90s. And we out Go get yourself some toilet paper because your lyrics is butt I listened to this when Kendrick was performing I would assume These songs end so abruptly Skypager What? Is so fun

Really good Loved electro bass Good lyrics Good melodys

A complete revelation. How did this ever pass me by as a teenager? So many factors - peer group, ethnicity being two immediate thoughts - but goodness, the musicianship, the lyrics. Pure poetry. LOVED IT!

Great beats Great Rhymes

happy to revisit. highlights include "Excursions" "Buggin' Out" "Check the Rhime" "Jazz(We've Got)" "Skypager" "What?"

5 big booms easily

Some bangers. Not a genre that for me is rewarded on an initial listen. Deffo think worth returning to though.

I like the groove of this group. The lyrics can get cheesy at times, but the lyricism is normally great.

Q-Tip and Phife, legendary

The album still sounds good, but after 6 to 8 tracks it gets tough because musically it's almost in an endless loop.

When my taste and preferences were still forming towards this dark ocean that is music, I seemed to take a slight liking to hip hip hop/rap. Now having heard this, besides it being not my style anymore, I feel a little disappointed in my long former rap-fanatic self- for not hearing this sooner. Jazzy, smooth rap!

A classic, didn't love it as much as the first time

Funky hip hop. I was in from the start.

superb album start to finish

These guys are far less offensive than a lot of other rap artists at the time. Unfortunately, I found this album a bit boring with minimal background music and their strength lying in the lyrics/rapping quality but I'm speedrunning these albums so can't give any in depth analyses there, except noting they had quite a lot to say, yet it didn't really sink in for me. A Tribe Called Quest has commanded a lot of respect, so I want to like this album more than I did. Rating: 3

Definitely a genre I'd like to listen to more. A vibe for sure. I'd listen again

God damn, amazing. Can't wait to relisten

Sorry, I do not like rap/hip-hop, etc., and the start of this album hasn't convinced me otherwise! I am sure others may disagree - each to their own...

I have such an admiration for older rap albums, and just the way you can hear the flow of the freestyle and it’s all just authentically good. This album was really enjoyable. I could tell they were getting some inspiration from the N.W.A. album I listened to, and it’s cool because I noticed that new gen rap like Nicki definitely got inspiration from this one :)

This one is a decent record. I enjoyed their smooth vibe and their great lines, very good work. It wasn't amazing though, especially if I compare it to other rap albums from this period. A weak 4.

9/10

industry rule number four-thousand-and-eighty, record company people are shadyyyy

Yeaaa good vibes all around. 4 stars.

This rules. Probably my favorite album up to this point.

A jazzy hip hop album.

I liked it, but not life changing.

Classic

2+ Stars (6/15)

Decent start but abrupt end to the first track. Nothing standing out to me, some decent transitions though. Quite nice to listen to. Decent flow. Yeah, some pretty cool transition. All tracks sounding pretty similar. Fun ending.

Such a chill album

The Low End Theory is genuinely one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, and it's still a toss-up between this and Midnight Marauders as the best Tribe album, somehow. A Tribe Called Quest were really on to something special. Every track they put together during their run (even on the later albums when tensions were higher between Phife and Q), feels like they're discovering something new. As true pioneers to the genre, it feels like they push boundaries at every turn and craft something truly unique in the process. The production on this is as crisp and interesting as possible, Q is in his prime form, and somehow Phife rises up to meet him right where he is. The tracks are unique, diverse, and expertly crafted. This, in my mind, is the real first Tribe album. It was the start of something incredible, and it's put together damn-near flawlessly. 10/10

Not my bag but some great history. Enjoyed it,

The impact this had on hip hop can’t be understated. The quality of this project though…

bop songs ends abruptly

Great old school hip hop.

Enjoyable without being overly exciting, pretty laid back. Favourite tracks: Check the Rhime, What? & Scenario Would listen again. 3/5

Possibly a grower.

Decent

Huge record. Jazz, buggin out, and check the rhyme some of my favourite hip hop tunes ever

Interesting. Wanted to like it but just not my thing.

Loved it! Great stories/cohesive tracks. Love Butter & Vibes and Stuff!

a true beginning for a tribe that had its eyes set on being the one rap group to be preachy as hell but also really cool at the same time . experience flows here and is conveyed with a degree of mastery in terms of flow and beat making that is virtually impossible to match . a collection of songs trying to stop the descent of a sub culture set to exclude every one except the ones who match the people who popularized it and pleaded for life above anything . i could talk at length about the idea that some of the ways its worded are out dated but its undeniable these 20 year old dudes probably know better than other 20 year old dudes and will continue their excursion . the title implies a continuing quest rather than one with a set destination . pretty sure this is a 9 !! won me over seeing in all of its totalities . casually has the best beats of all time probably

That the shit I like. Good, creative, unique (in it's time).

Kjempebra!

1. Skypager 2. Excursions 3. Butter

This has to be one of the best albums from A Tribe Called Quest!

I can vibe to it but don't like it

beat de hip-hop clássico, flow bom de escutar; músicas: check the rhime; scenario (tem uma linha de baixo maneira)

6.5/10

I’m not a big rap fan, but have always appreciated A Tribe Called Quest. Some of the lyrics sound a bit corny and outdated to modern ears, and I don’t see myself returning to this often. I especially like the songs that have a bit more jazzy instrumentation

Solid record. No real skip tracks.

Smooth as butter. Without A Tribe Called Quest the Hip Hop puzzle would not be complete. This record is full of songs that make you wanna cruise with the windows down. Some even made me feel like I was on a subway going around NYC. Favorites: Buggin Out, Check the Rhme, Jazz (We’ve Got)

The Low End Theory ist nicht nur ein Album, sondern ein Statement. Es zeigt, dass Hip-Hop nicht laut und aggressiv sein muss, um Wirkung zu entfalten. Vielmehr beweist es, dass musikalische Raffinesse und tiefgründige Inhalte eine kraftvolle Einheit bilden können. Es ist ein Album, das auch über 30 Jahre nach seiner Veröffentlichung nichts von seiner Magie verloren hat. Ein Tipp: Kopfhörer auf, zurücklehnen und die Reise genießen!

It's quite o.k. but it's still hip hop🤷

It's hip hop. I rate it accordingly.

Lyrically and culturally a high point in hip hop. Beautiful jazz beats

Love it 4/5

ok

Already listened, many times.

Pretty groovy!

Come on now. Easy 5.

Classic for me. Butter is my favorite

This was good. I'm on a hot streak right now. Everyone knows Can I Kick It, but that's where the knowledge ends.

decent jazz rap

Like one unbroken track of flow, funny, clever and rude as hell

yuuuuup. best beats of any tribe album? mixed so well. kind of their most fiendish

Really enjoyed

I've listened to this album more times than I care to remember. I have original vinyl copies of this album, their debut album Peoples Instinctive Travels and the third album Midnight Marauders. All of them are incredible, and 5 stars in my opinion. If I have a slight preference it is for Midnight Marauders (which probably puts me in a minority).

Classic. Maybe my most played high school album.

Had pretty solid bass throughout which I enjoyed, and overall good beats, although a lot of the beats sounded pretty similar to my ear on the first listen. I liked their voices. I wasn’t terribly inspired by the lyrics, but they weren’t bad either. I’m giving it 2/5 stars because it wasn’t bad but I didn’t find it overall inspiring either.

Hell yeah

Not a bad listen

I don't listen to a whole lot of hip hop so this is basically uncharted territory for me This album is perfect, 10/10 Favorite song: Verses From The Abstract Least Favorite: None

The sample based production is so warm

So today it's hip hop again. I actually had to spend more time with the album than I usually do with hip hop albums. I liked the sound of the first track. It sounded like jazz. The chanting wasn't as aggressive as in other albums of the genre, the voices didn't sound quite shrill. Maybe this is the first Hio Hop album that I like? After I got to the 3rd track, the rhythm and melody hardly differed from the previous tracks, I listened briefly to Butter. No noticeable change for me. Check the Rhime was explicitly mentioned, so I listened to that too, or rather watched the clip almost in its entirety. It all looked quite cool, but didn't excite me enough to want to watch the video in full. Even though this album might not have put me off as much as other albums, hip hop is not my genre. 2/4

Nice vibe

Great Tribe album

Eh not my favourite genre, listenable but not terrific, probably wouldn't listen again.

It appears I like more hip-hop than I realised. I’d forgotten how good this album is. The first track compares hip-hop to bebop and that’s really apt, not just due to the jazz samples, but also in the fast riffing throughout. One of the most musical hip-hop albums I’ve heard.

Loved it.

...the original version of Show Business though...yikes.

Not my music

Fun but a lot of it sounds samey to me!

8/10 A straight up excellent hip hop album, extremely well produced, good rap, good features, a considered and consistent sound. Musically this jazz influenced style of production is not my favourite, but they were hardly going to be doing 2020s alternative hip hop styles back in 1991… Best: Scenario

The Low End Theory actually turned out to be a really good album. Oddly enough, the thing i most judge rap albums for (the lyrics) could be pretty hit or miss but i still ended up liking it for some reason. This was mainly due to other factors that mainly helped skyrocket the album into being something great. Those things are the instrumentals with some incredible beats and melodies that fit the songs very well and sounded real cool and while the lyrics were indeed hit or miss, the flows were mostly just hits since they felt so smooth that they became so enjoyable to listen to. I really wasn't expecting this much of a step up from People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm but this album ended up being just that. Best Song: Show Business Worst Song: What?