People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

Wipe your feet really good on the rhythm rug. One of the greatest hip hop records of all time. Genius writing. Flawless delivery. Impeccable production value. Every song runs like honey and each interlude provides a perfectly paced breath to introduce the next chapter of the story. Packed with some of the greatest 90's hip hop tracks of all time, Can I Kick It being the obvious example. Description of a Fool is the progressive antithesis of the toxic behaviour glorified by so many of their peers at the time. Left My Wallet in El Segundo is a comedically leaning work of story telling perfection. Both Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts and Mr Muhammad even have elements of early 90's rave styles (it's a stooone groove, baby). Dropping a track purporting the benefits of a healthy diet in the middle of it all is a master stroke, not to mention hilarious. The near incoherent French over Lucien also falls into this category. One for the collection.

A Tribe Called Quest came out swinging with this phenomenal, genre-changing record. It was positive, experimental, well-rounded, and exclusively different than anything that rap and hip-hop was known for in the early 90's. The foundation of jazz music paired with modern hip-hop rhythms is exceptionally beautiful and joyous to listen to. Each member is a master of their craft, and though Q-Tip was more of the frontrunner than he was in later releases, you can tell each songs was given the proper treatment by every member's role. I just get pure bliss and comfort from listening to this record, even if it doesn't hold the spot for my favorite ATCQ album. Favorite Songs: Footprints, I Left My Wallet in El Segundo, Can I Kick It?, Mr. Muhammad Least Favorite: Rhythm

Really solid Tribe album, complete with fun rhymes and creative, old-school instrumentals you would expect. Classic!

Favs: Can I Kick It?, Bonita Applebum, Ham 'N' Eggs, all of them really Mehs: The opening bit of Push It Along isn't my favorite but, yeah, all these songs are great Lot of fun to listen to for the first time in a couple years. Still sounds fresh and innovative. Great lyrics and song variety (STDs, breakfast food, French Cassanovas!). Fun little unexpected jazzy bits. Great sampling (always love the Lou Reed on "Can I Kick It?"). Is it just me, or did Hamilton totally rip off "Luck of Lucien" in tone and sound? Hmm.

I want to live in the multiverse where the "Native Tongues" style of Tribe, De La, Monie Love and Jungle Bros ended up defining 90s hip hop instead of gangsta rap. The ratio of great hip hop singles to great hip hop albums is roughly 4,080:1. It's very hard to do but these guys pull it off - on their debut no less, and the first of three great albums in a row for them - with self-effacing, creative rhymes delivered with a laid back flow full of youthful charm over clever beats that act like a tour of the pop culture my generation grew up with. Also, pour one out for Phife Dog, the Five Foot Assassin who left us way too soon.

91/100. This is a fantastic and fun record. A Tribe Called Quest masterfully fuses jazz and boom bap—two of my favorite rap styles—into something truly special. The album flows effortlessly with no weak spots.

Never realised just how great this album is. The samples are picked from seamingly everywhere. Lots of it seems to have been grabbed from From, Fusion and R&B. I love the flow, the lyricism. Everything here is a joy to listen to. Paced really well too.

Love Tribe, I like the next few albums more though, feel like they were still finding their way with this one. Regardless, it's another 4.5 (5) stars.

If part of Q-Tip's strategy was ensuring I slapped a juicy rating on this, he couldn't have done much more than ending Description of a Fool and the album with a Sly & the Family Stone sample. Of course, I didn't figure into his strategy one (Diogo) jot(a). As with all the groups in the tentative Natives Tongues collective, the target audience here is other black people, who Tip & co. want to join them in a celebration of all things pan-African. As ever, I'm humbled to be allowed to the party--especially one whose DJ has Luck of Lucien, El Segundo, Bonita Applebum and Can I Kick It on the decks. To my ears, this doesn't groove to rhythms as Afrocentric as you'd assume from ATCQ's image, but therein in lies my ignorance. Celebrating your African roots ain't about aping Youssou N'Dour, Fela Kuti or Tabu Ley Rochereau. The very Americanness of ATCQ's sound is a reminder of how deeply American music has been shaped by people of African descent, and how disgracefully that's been overlooked and overwritten. Slapping the Ghanaian colours on this puts it front and centre, where it should be.

Not only brings me down memory lane but reminds me of the brilliance of this group. Their sampling is groundbreaking, lyrics exciting, and their sound? Chef's kiss.

In case you had any doubt that everything was cooler in the 1990’s than it is today, consider this exhibit A.

Another absolutely phenomenal album, with some iconic tracks in it. The groove, the rhythm, all of it comes together to create a wonderful experience that just doesn't let up.

Bold samples, boasts for days, cerebral and street level at the same time. This is Tribe really nailing how to burst into the music scene, and especially the hiphop scene

Can I kick it?

Took van in for check up,talked to Brenda. JENNI rent paid. Her behavior out of control.

Hard to believe this is a debut album--seems so confident in its quiet blend of hip hop, rap, funk, even a riff or two from Lou Reed and Stevie Wonder. Genius and to know they followed this up with the Low End Theory.... I owe this project for introducing me to the Tribe!

A full rebellion against gangster rap… these guys respect women, misplaced their wallets, and watch their cholesterol.

LOVE THIS SHIT

I always felt too white to listen to this and still do but man I wish I could get over it cause this rips!

Crazy this is probably the third best tribe called quest album

Teraz to mnie pikerka pozytywnie zaskoczyla, nie sadzilem ze ATCQ pojawi sie na tak wystakowanej liscie i to w dodatku debiutanckim albumersem, chociaz z drugiej strony, to nie jest glupi pomysl wybrac akurat peoples instinctive travels and the paths of the rythm, jako przedstawienie tworczosci tribowej, bo zakladam ze jednak zaden inny albumik sie nie pojawi, niestety, bo jako debuitancki album slychac na nim najwiecej kreatywnej wolnosci, bo plyta wydana byla przez jive, ktore raczej jest kojarzone z popowymi wydaniami, no i swiezym ksieciem, kolejnym czynnikiem ktore z pewnoscia mialo wplyw na brzmienie plyty bylo studio calliope, w ktorym obok tribersow tworzyli junglowi bracia, czy chocby prince paul razem z stetsasonic, ktory pojawia sie nawet goscinnie na traku rhythm, ale najwazniejsza jest chemia miedzy czlonakami ekipy, a tutaj ukazuje sie ona przede wszystkim jako koperacja miedzy qtipem i phifem, czyli duetem lirycznym ktory rozumie sie bez slow i konczy jeden drugiemu linijki, jeden z najlepszych duetow na majku w historii murzynskiej piesni rapowanej, a jak w dobrej historii, to tlem bedzie tutaj przyjazn od malego i wspolne dorastanie, jada jada, chociaz ta plyta jest bardziej przychylna dla qtipa, jesli chodzi o podzial linijek, ktory wedlug mego odczucia wynosi 4:1 po stronie Q, co do kolejnych czlonkow to za produkcje odpowiedzialny jest dj muhammad, czyli polaczenie perfekcyjnosci w masteringu, skillsow djskich i instyntku samplowego, bo jest to album opierajacy sie glownie na brzmieniu zlotej ery jazzu, choc potrafia sie pojawic bardziej funkowe zapetlenia, czy nawet cos bardziej rokowego, nie mozna takze zapominac o szadolowym czlonku, czyli panu bialym jarobim, ktory chociaz nie rapuje i pojawia sie jako wodzirej i jest osoba ktora przedstawia bande na openingowym push it along, ale ktory takze mial swoj udzial w tekstach, zwlaszcza na najwiekszych hitach plyty, czyli i felt my wallet in el segundo czy can i kick it, a jesli juz przy liryce, to plyta jest mocno zwiazana z tak zwanym pozytywnym rapowaniem i jest utrzymany w klimacie de la soulowego 3 stopy wysoko i jeszcze wzlatuje, wiec milosc, pokoj i mlodosc, a jak mlodosc to robienie glupot, a to wszystko przedstawione z humorkiem i inteligentnym samokrytycznym spojrzeniem na samego siebie, im wiecej wiesz o plycie tym trudniej jest zapisac jakas notke, bo o kazdym traku mozesz napisac osobna note, ale przynajmniej na plejke nie bedzie problemu, bo z 14 trakow albumu 6 znalazlo sie na niej wczesniej, wiec na dokladke otwierajacy push it along i polowa jest, oby wiecej takich pozycji

Although it's their debut album, this is actually the second Tribe album in this collection for me (I had already heard "Low End Theory" quite a while back). In this case, I wish I'd gotten their albums in chronological order, as I don't think both albums warrant four stars each, yet I foolishly gave "Low End Theory" 4 stars, not realizing we'd get more. This album definitely deserves the four stars more--really 4.5 stars if that were possible--in part because it's their debut album and also because there's simply more variety on this album than on "Low End Theory". And of course there's the eternally fun "Bonita Applebum" on this album, plus a few other fun tracks ("Push it along" for the first 4 minutes or so, "Pubic Enemy"). I'm also really impressed at the range of Q-Tip's samples and references, even if many of the tracks end up having a very similar format. Much like with "Low End Theory", I was struck by how much this album evokes De La Soul at times, and thankfully the Wikipedia entry for this album finally clarifies why that is, as Q-Tip not only appears on De La Soul's "Three Feet High and Rising", but also early on Tribe, Funk Brothers and De La Soul all formed a "collective" called "Native Tongues". Too bad they never did a mega-album with all of them (and the other later members).

I'm not very well-versed in early 90s hip hop. This album has inspired me to start going down that rabbit hole because this album is fantastic. The humor and flow in their lyrics are a lot of fun and must have been revolutionary at the time.

I finally have a 3.5 that gets rounded up to a 4 rather than down the the 3. Some classic things in here absolutely. I did feel their "sound" kind of starts to all feel the same after awhile, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Album koji je lansirao ATCQ na duge kvalitetne staze hip hop, jak debitanski album sa par klasika i neotkrivenih dragulja. Iako mi je njihov Midnight Marauders u top 3 hip hop albuma ikad, nikad nisam slušao ovaj naslov. Misleći to što imaju dva jako kvalitetna albuma iza ovoga da će ovaj biti neki slabiji trud, naravno sam promijenio mišljenje nakon slušanja. Za 1990. godinu, beatovi su friški, groovie i mog reć u neku ruku za tancanje dok se spremaš na posao (što je u mom slučaju bilo) pa se ujedno sklopilo sa lijepim vremenom i tako stvorilo pozitivnu vibru. Razlikuje se od prethodna dva albuma u tome što nije toliko jazz inspiriran/sempliran. Tldr; kvalitetna grupa kao što su ATCQ - nerazočarava! (4/5)

Helt okej för att vara hiphop. Tre.

Having found ATCQ's next album, Low End Theory, to be extremely dull and dated, I was surprised to actually quite like this. Fun, catchy and laid back hip hop with a good balance of instrumentation and samples from a range of genres. Can/do I kick/like it? Yes you/I can/do. 3/5.

Smooth, joyous melodies, with a mix of serous and light-hearted lyrics covering a wide range of themes. Musically, this is trippy and laid back, but full of crisp and tasteful compositions, slickly produced but seeming almost like an extended jam session. A testament to the confidence of the group. Top tracks: footprints, public enemy, can I kick it?

Hip Hop und Rap... was kann das schon werden? Witzig! Und überraschend! Kein Schimpfen oder schlüpfriger Lobgesang an eine „thicc biatch“. Dafür eine witzige Geschichte, wie er seinen Geldbeutel in einem Restaurant vergisst. Relatable! Der Beat ist entspannend und wenn ich wollte, konnte ich den Rap überhören. Teilweise gab es sogar groovy Melodien. Quasi das beste, was man aus Rap rausholen kann.

yupp

Very happy to see this on here

Let’s goooooo - Tribe is a group I love, but I haven’t ever really dug into this debut record. It was (shocker!) an incredible first outing for the group who already had a rock-solid foundation to build and riff off of. There’s something really special about this era of hip-hop that groups like ATCQ perfected, and the albums are as timeless as ever all these decades later as a result. Wanna give this a 9/10 but again, no half stars, so this is gonna snag the often-wanted, rarely-achieved 5/5 from me.

Like a breezy summer day in the nyc of my youth. With some of the most musically creative use of samples ever.

classic 90s hip hop - SOLID ALBUM

Really really enjoyed this

High 4 because it drags a little bit in the back half, but man the beats are so good, the flow is so distinctive (even if a little one note) that this is just a good album you can put on so it's a 5.

I mean they're just such a vibbbeeee

A funky smooth flow Over drum heavy, chill beats Is electric cool

QUE MARAVILLA TOP ÁLBUMES FAVORITOS

Q-Tip was splicing these tapes together by hand. Genius.

<offers a silent prayer to the list-making gods that this unusual run of great albums continue> <quietly acknowledges that it's probably a 2 hour heavy metal album tomorrow> <allows that thought to pass, and puts A Tribe Called Quest on for one more playthrough>

shout out to Daniel L, who played this album for me in a walkman at a cross country meet in high school. This was my gateway album to hip-hop as a 14-year-old, who only listened to commercial radio at the time.

Fun and clever and good rhythm. One I'm gonna come back to for sure.

While the title of this album is a mouthful, this whole thing is groovy. It's impossible to not have some body part moving rhythmically while this is playing. Sidenote; it's nice to see all the positive 5 star reviews for this record.

Head-bobbing, light hearted, groove-infused. Hard to believe this isn't even their best album (but it's damn good).

Before tribe went jazz they went boom bap. This album highlights the wide range of sound that the tribe has experimented with while not losing their biting wordplay and meaningful lyrics

I mean, it’s not as good as The Low End Theory, but not many hip hop albums are. The beats are fun, the rhymes are fun. Just a very colorful album. Can I Kick It? Yes you can!

Fantastic album by one of the best groups to ever do it. When I decided I was done with yesterday’s album I literally listened to this instead. Life, uh, uh, finds a way.

I love this album. Luck of Lucien crept into the favs this time.

Smash Hits 1991 was probably the first music thing I spent my own money on. I must have been 10/11? 'Do the Bartman' was probably the biggest draw at the time. Although the gatefold double vinyl was filled with absolute dross there were a couple of traks that left an indelible mark on my music tastes. 'Can I Kick It' was one of those. (Charly by the Prodigy was the other). I didn't understand it. But I knew I liked it. Have I ever actually listened to this album as an album? It was one of those that I was constantly trying to Napster/Limewire/Torrent ... but I'm not sure I managed to catch them all. Anyway ... it's better than I remember and pretty peerless. A stone cold 5. Q-tip is an undeniable all time great.

A Tribe Called Quest proving again they are one of the best groups on this list. The rapping is great along side expert use of sampling. I especially like the "Sir Duke" sample in Footprints. Overall one of the best on this list. Favorite songs: Footprints, Bonita Applebum, Can I Kick It, Ham 'N' Eggs

Extraordinario album. Una banda esencial del Hip Hop. Una influencia capital en la música urbana. Elegancia, buenas melodías, un uso delicado de los samples (Lou Reed, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Funkadelic...). Este podría ser uno de los mejores discos de la historia del Hip Hop. Afrocentrismo sin estridencias, native Tongues, finales de los 80- principios de los 90, Nueva York... Luck of Lucien es mi canción favorita de ellos, pero tienen temas buenos de principio a fin (y una discografía que es la envidia del resto de artistas). Sin duda 5/5

Playful, fun rhyming to infectious beats.

I loved this one. Almost as good as the Low End Theory. I think this is their second best and I really have no complaints about this one. Low 5

Really fun, loved el secundo and rhythm. But fan of the sampling and production.

Very chill, old school 90s rap. Heard a lot of bits I've heard referenced in other songs (Beastie Boys, Fugees)

Groundbreaking and awesome

Banger

very nice groove sounds, relaxing for a Saturday night

I was once a rap/hiphop naysayer - I never had any exposure in my formative years and adopted an anti-rap tribalism. I could often be heard saying things like "it's just bad offensive poetry behind worse music." That was until a coworker at a burger shop I worked with was flabbergasted that I wasn't open to hearing any of rap music and insisted that I listen to this Tribe Called Quest album among others. The mixture of those albums (and lets be honest, the adult swim bumps dropping MF DOOM, etc. at this time) opened my eyes and made me realize that writing off a whole genre of music is an ignorant take. I enjoy the simplistic "Boom Bap" samples that come off crisp and timeless. "Can I Kick It?" is such a classic. Take a walk on the wild side.

love it

Excellent album. The samples are terrific and lyrics and flows make every song a must listen.

I've been listening to a lot of music, of all types and forms, in the last few months. Between this list, RYM, and recommendations from friends, there's no shortage of wonderful music. I'm starting to realise that my music taste is evolving and I'm slowly starting to appreciate music that I hadn't before. This album is one of them. In the past, I would have struggled to get through the entire thing. Now, I'm looking forward to going through A Tribe Called Quest's discography afresh. Will they ever reach the near-perfection of this debut album? I doubt it honestly. But hopefully I'm wrong. Awesome stuff. Also learnt that Lou Reed was a bit of an arsehole, only clearing the Kick It sample in return for 100% of the royalties from the song. Oh well!

Just incredible. Loved all of it!

I love the tribe, but have not listened to their first album except for the hits. What an idiot I am. I would have had this on constant rotation. This was such a blast. Fantastic album! Maybe even better than their follow ups. Still a breath of fresh air. Amazing beats.

Great album! No skips and a true classic.

Fantastic album by one of the greatest hip hop groups = 5 stars.

Great front to back.

This might be the perfect mix of jazz and hip hop. Q-Tip rhymes so smooth "like butter," as he says on a future album! This is so much fun - easily makes you move and smile while you're doing it. Liked Songs Added: Luck Of Lucien Footprints I Left My Wallet In El Segundo Bonita Applebaum Ham 'N' Eggs

Brilliant album. Not heard it in about 25 years. Forgot what I was missing

This is great and very close to what I expected from A Tribe Called Quest's more famous entry, \"Low End Theory\". That album suffered significantly (in my opinion) from a song about date rape. There's nothing so glaringly awful in \"People's Instinctive Travels\", despite some occasional womanizing. And man do I love this kind of hip hop. In their own words, they weren't trying to be tough, they just wanted to be. There is really skill in the use of samples here (some that would be impossible to clear now) and the marriage to the beats and lyrics. It's positive, it's self assured, it's funny, it's real. There's plenty more like this in the underground hip hop scene but this was a rare triumph in the mainstream.

I think the song title Youthful Expression defines the album as a whole. Sampled beats on loop with well informed long winded lyrics.

This is a very strong debut album, and it's their third best album for my money. The range of subjects, lyrics, samples, and music is fantastic, and feels effortless and refined. I don't think this album is perfect, and I do have some minor technical and musical quibbles, but it's so strong I find it difficult not to give 5 stars. And they only get better over the next two albums. Also Q-Tip is one of my favorite rappers ever, so I'm just not gonna be too objective here.

5 star. Classic hip hop

So fun and easygoing. Still sounds so fresh. Better than just about every hip hop album that came after.

I'm going to listen to this one several times in the 24 hr period. the timlessness of this album is so fucking sick. Can tell its their earliest album with weird songs like Ham N Eggs but still so so so good

Just a really fun album, definitely my taste in music

ATCQ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’ve always put De La Soul’s ‘3 Feet High’ on a pedestal as the greatest hip hop album of all time. With Q-Tip as the greatest rapper and ATCQ ‘only’ as a merely great singles bands. Listening to this album as a whole, I think this comes pretty close to being a perfect hip hop album and a rival to ‘3FH’. Q-Tip’s performance is the most effortlessly fluid, rhythmically perfect delivery you can imagine 🐐 . He is so well supported by Phife and some incredible beats, samples and production. I managed to see them live in 1990 and I cannot believe that I’ve not seen them since. Thought I never needed to hear ‘Can I kick it?’ ever again…. I was wrong. In the context of this album, it works so well. Makes me want to order the entire back catalogue in vinyl in one go!

My favourite album so far. I think this is probably my favourite hip-hop album of all time. It oozes a sense of loose, unconventional, laidback cool. Q-Tip’s conversational flow pairing perfectly with playful yet thoughtful lyrics. Great drum sound, crisp and organic.

One of the great debuts of all time; not only for the tremendous songwriting and production on display, but for how it was able to bring an entire genre to the next level of evolution. Tribe's effortless lyricism accompanying timeless beats leaves a lasting impact and influence that would stretch way beyond hiphop.

These tribe members rap with such absurd, effortless intelligence that listening to their flows feels like witnessing rhythmic conjuration disguised as everyday conversation.

Amazing debut. Meticulously produced, great use of samples, interesting lyrics, at times funny and charming. Just a perfect classic hip hop album.

Hip hop at its finest, from top tier sampling to meaningful lyrics

Great album, looking forward to getting more.

Has to be close to a top ten album now for me. Cannot describe.

Already listened to

After listening to Eminem, who has talent but is so angry and abrasive, this was a breath of fresh air. Almost the exact opposite - technique is good but not the best, but great jazzy beats and, most importantly, it’s fun! Could stand to be a little shorter, but I liked this one a lot.

This album is cool. It is a whole scene and you definitely want to be in it. The beats and sample are all time, the MCs are slick and the lyrics make you think. It's fun, there's meditations on life and it is an entire album to lean into. You want to be in the crew, from the round-robim tracks to the outtake laughing.

Really good, Luck of Lucian is one of my favourite songs of all time, so it was really nice to hear it on hear.

Yes! Yes! YEEEEEESSSSSSSS!

A classic from beginning to end. They had such a great sound that pushed the whole genre forward and has stood the test of time. From the blue note jazz samples and break beats to the flowing lyrics. Respect.

I got the Rhythm

This might be the perfect hip-hop album. It's so well produced and arranged. It's got dance songs, social justice songs, "chillin'" songs - even songs about eating healthy (Ham N'Eggs). This is one you can just turn on in the Summer and vibe to.

Laid back, jazzy, fun, great use of samples.

I'm not a big hip hop listener but A Tribe Called Quest never disappointed and this album is brilliant. From the lyrics to the instrumentas and samples the flow and feel of this album is amazing.

10/10 I usually find it funny that I started this journey for brand new experiences, but the albums I love the most are the ones from artists I already love. I, however, have never listened to a Tribe Called Quest album from start to end but yeah... Beautiful!

Goddamn this is close to perfect! Long runtime, but it flies by. The sampling is off the charts too.

You will have a hard time finding a more organic sounding hip hop record from this era than this. A Tribe Called Quest was an entirely different entity than the majority of their contemporaries. It’s a long record, but time flies by.

Wonderful.

Classic