People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

Unexpectedly perfect.

Tribe är en av mina getter och det här är kaaaaanske deras bästa album.

Underbara beats med smakfulla samplingar. Samma känsla som jag fick av beastie boys pauls boutique, men mer smooth. Lou reed-samplingen i ”can i kick it” är väl en av hiphop-historiens mest eleganta? Älskar när det är så här arkeologisk och man sitter och försöker gissa sig till var de mindre uppenbara bitarna knyckts ifrån. Härligt att tänka på de omsorgsfulla skivaffärsbesöken i slutet på 80-talet. Otroligt svag för conscious rap-rörelsen. Så organiskt, svängigt och musikaliskt. Blir varm av Q-tips lena stämma. Påminner om kendricks laid-back-läge.

So chill and hypnotic, a pleasure to attest. A loungeful experience, of calm and rest. Nocturnal animals, of great charisma. Lyrical spirits, of wisdom and rythm. Its such a good album that you can see how influential was. Despite the years its such a specific subset of Hip-Hop, that its not common to listen to something like this in the mainstream. And for that reason, is refreshing, invigorating. The lyrics are something hilarious in how despite being in a flow so old and kinda 80s generic, are so capable of illustrating and constructing complex and interesting narratives. Narratives that are funny and varied in a way that feels like a novel. It baffles me how this album flows, from song to song, from story to story. I liked it a lot.

Me gustó MUCHO este album. No soy de escuchar este tipo de música y disfruté mucho de este cambio, es música que te hace sentir cool 😎 Me gusta muchísimo que se incorporen tantos elementos, cada canción es muy compleja y tiene como varias capas. Se siente como si se fuera construyendo la canción con cada minuto que pasa. Mis canciones favoritas fueron: - Push it Along - Can I Kick It? - Footprints - Bonita Applebum Me compraría un vinilo 100%

Parece que el sonido es re viejo, además TANTOS instrumentos vas a tener? Muy bueno, alto groove, me parece algo bizarro pero muy bien logrado, me hace acordar a De La Soul.

Another banger from the boys in the tribe. 5

I'm pretty bummed to be done with the Tribe albums on the list so soon, because they've been one of the most consistently great artists on the list. It's also album number 250 for me(which is hilarious because the other Tribe album was 150). This marks my last outing by Tribe, including the Q-Tip solo album. And what an outing it is! Their excellent lyricism, funky flows, and top-shelf sampling are all present in full force here. It's hard not to love the laid-back, positive, and all-around enjoyable vibes of this album, especially with the violent and aggressive gangster rap coming out in this time period. The interplays and flows are top notch, and the lyrics are both political and somewhat relatable. It's just a great album from a great band.

Une autre excellent Tribe. Je préfère low end theory qui me semble plus jazzy mais celui-ci a quand même son lot de classiques.

Absolutely phenomenal!!! If you have ears. Treat them with this gem!💎

Now this, I really liked. Proper old school hip hop, utterly classic, not a moment wasted, and I want more. Bangers all the way down. 5/5.

An absolute classic, Tribe are hip-hop Mount Rushmore for me

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Musikaliskt, coolt, funkigt, jazzigt och uppfriskande positivt. Jämnt album utan några bottennapp, får därför en 5a men en svag. Bäst är Push it along, I left my wallet in El Segundo, Bonita Applebum, Can I kick it?, Mr. Muhammed, Ham 'n' eggs, Go ahead in the rain

its a masterclass in creative sampling and relaxed, intelligent storytelling What stands out to me is how it moved away from the harder sounds of the early 90s to create a vibe that is incredibly smooth and jazz-heavy Tracks like 'Can I Kick It?' and 'Bonita Applebum' show a level of artistry that feels both nostalgic and timeless. For me, this album represents a turning point in hip-hop where the genre became more experimental and laid-back, proving that a project can be both sophisticated and easy to listen to at the same time

This was an absolutely delightful album. I had 0 expectations going in and enjoyed it a lot

Brilliant album top to bottom. Incredible and inventive beats perfectly matching Q-Tip and Phife Dawg.

Great

NADA QUE DECIR 20/10

yesss. cant believe this was 1990!

God Tier

Masterpiece.

Love the cheap rhymes

Loooove tribe called quest always

Old but gold.

What an amazing album! Incredible flow and sick beats.

After Hours is a mood. It definitely feels like listening to a piece of history, but in a good way. The sampling of Stevie Wonder in Footprints was delightful. I like Mr. Muhammad quite a bit. I think there's definitely something about New York based hip-hop that definitely grabs me more than other regions.

I should have known this would be good and it really really is

A réécouter en entier ( pas la version 25ans)

Jazzy and chill

I love Tribe Called Quest so much. I don't really have many notes for this one. It isn't quite the front-to-back masterpiece that The Low End Theory is, but it's not terribly far off. And for a debut record, it's really great. Everything on it just works for me. 9/10

Prime prime prime

moving forward with more hip hop, this is a tribe called quest's debut album. get ready for some jazzy and intelligent hip hop tracks. really there's a lot of stuff that i've probably said about the last tribe album i've listen to that i said here. i think it's a meme, "of course white guys love a tribe called quest". would you rather me listen to some guy recording himself playing with a cheap drum machine in a warehouse going "hip hip hop hop hippity hippity hop to the corner shop"? these guys know what they're doing, their lyrics aren't cliché and their beats are so funky and jazzy.

Love some jazz rap. What a smooth album

Nice

epic

unmatchable flow. unmatchable beats. no notes.

I love this album and haven’t (FULLY) listened to it in over 10 years. It was fun to revisit the music that helped shape my musical journey and what I enjoy now because of it. 10/10, no notes, absolutely enjoy ATCQ

Ingenting å sette fingeren på. Tribe er gull!

Hørt på jobb. Hater egentlig hip hop, men denne plata er faktisk helt rå. Fantastisk lydbilde. Veldig lugn. Masterclass i sampling.

One of my absolute favorites. Amazing.

Tribe is exactly what I need for today. They've been a favorite of mine for a long time. Not a single bad album.

So ahead of their time. RIP to Bob Power

Bonita, Bonita, Bonita…

First song kind of lost me but the album just kept getting better and better. I wasn't the biggest fan of the lyrics, but the rhythm and flow of the lyrics were amazing. After listening for a while I couldn't help but pick out some of the bars that just caught me so off guard. "I ordered enchiladas and ate them" "Asparagus tips look yummy, yummy, yummy. Candied yams inside my tummy" Overall, pretty good but now I'm hungry. Honestly, I can't find any reason to not give 5 stars. I had a great time listening to this and would listen to it again.

Sensational

Fantastic old-school hip hop album. A favorite. 5/5

Didn't know there was such a thing as classic rap, all instruments no digital or MIDI. Bars were so clean as well, a pure classic and I can understand why.

Great

Amazing album. I absolutely hated the opening of the baby crying. Once I got past that jarring start I loved the rest of the album. I always liked Can I Kick It, but the rest of the album has amazing sampling, jazz vibes, bossanova in the background... I just really loved the whole thing.

largo pero guay y no repititivojqioj

I think im a Tribe fan

Uma das melhores estréias da história do gênero. Acho que a única outra estreia que bate de frente é The College Dropout, do Kanye. E ambos discos possuem uma vibe tremendamente semelhante – Nunca foi mistério o quanto Ye se inspirou em Tribe. Batidas animadas, versos divertidos e flows melífluos. O resultado é um álbum que derrete nos ouvidos, melhora o dia de qualquer pessoa, estampa um sorriso no rosto do ouvinte. Um daqueles discos que eu não me importaria se durassem para sempre. A produção dele é tão fantástica, ilustre e deliciosa. Além disso, há aqui um traço de experimentação bem interessante, em faixas como Mr. Muhammad. Claro que o grande destaque do disco é o liricismo e flow de Phife e Q-Tip. Os dois estão em uma liga apenas deles, não consigo pensar em ninguém que consiga se comparar. Enfim, é difícil escrever muito em extenso sobre este disco, ou sobre o grupo em si. Aos meus ouvidos, isso é a perfeição do Rap. E acredito que todos os álbuns deles sejam igualmente ótimos. 5/5

amazing amazing amzing

Hip Hop en haute voltige. 4.5 étoiles

YES YOU MAY KICK IT

2/20/26 - Listened during "work". This was great, I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would have. Really enjoyed the vibes and all of the samples. I feel like I will play this again to really dig into each song. Five stars! Top Song - Bonita Applebaum

honestly still think this is better than low end theory, maybe my fav tribe album overall but its a toss-up between this and midnight marauders.

There was not a moment of listening to this album that I was not enjoying myself

great album

Such a unique album, it feels so fresh even though it's from 1990. Despite the 1hr runtime it feels light and not a chore to get through at all. The rap is clear, catchy and so fun and interesting to listen to. It flows so smoothly.

A masterpiece, so well crafted, timeless. 5 - a near-perfect album

This album is just good. It's just so much fun to listen to. The mix is great, it hits with the lyrics so damn well. They are great storytellers and each track is a story that they excel with. It's SUCH a fun listen. I've listened to it twice and the easy flow is great, it's just such a great album. I could go on about the historical context and why it matters, I could post about everyone that worked on it, you all can read the wiki. Just know this is a huge piece of hip hop history and it still holds up, it still has value. Great album.

Very good! Loved bonita applebum can I kick it. Very nice.

pretty sure i could listen to Q Tip and Phife Dawg rap a cook book and i would be enthralled. not every song has to be about a serious topic. not everything has to be the greatest of all time. this album, embraces silliness and comedy, while also touching on some hard topics. this is an album i can bop to, where the beats are super fun, the lyricism is on point, and everyone involved is just having a good time. ATCQ is, in my humble opinion, is probably my favorite rap group to come out of the 90's.

Incredibly fun, I’m so down for anything that does the kind of storytelling of ‘Left My Wallet in El Segundo’ or ‘Description of a Fool’ and ‘Can I Kick It?’ is the greatest grilling and seven beers song of all time.

это ахуенно

0 songs added to my favorites. Will listen again, regularly.

Really liked it

I love this album. I already had half of the songs saved. It’s immediately going onto my “can listen to this whole album straight through“ list. It still holds up so many years later.

makes me want to move while cooking or something

Damn. These guys put the 'hip' on hip hop. Great sampling. The lyrics can be a little corny, but what the hell. I prefer this style over nowadays rap music.

No notes, 10/10

Production is beautiful and jazzy, a lot of depth in the production. Delivery of the raps is very soulful. Lyrical content obviously top notch and the sound is cohesive but feels fresh the whole way through.

Открытие 1001 альбома началось с открытия этой группы. Неожиданно хорошо, в принципе как и все афроамерикнцы в музыке.

9/10

Perfect album for …. Well …. Anything. Love the flow of this album. Music. Lyrics. All in perfection

Loved it, great and an OG hip hop group

This is hip hop. Clever lyrics, dope beats, and with something to say!

amazing and classic and still resonates

All A tribe called quest albums are 5 star .

causes uncontrollable rhythmic spasms throughout the body

Uses a lot of samples of older songs. Incorporates a lot of elements of R&B. Overall, a very good rap album. Very essential rap album.

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️ Was reading people’s reviews on this album on this website and people are saying this ISNT EVEN THEIR BEST ALBUM??? excited to see what they could possibly mean because this is an incredible album, i love the heavy instrumental beat and the radical lyrics so good to jam out to. Never rate things 5 stars unless I really vibe heavy wit it, this is completely deserving of it. Buying everything they’ve ever done now 🤞 Favourite Song: After Hours, Footprints, Rhythm, Ham ‘N’ Eggs, Description of a Fool Least Favourite: THERE ARE NONE BRO!⭐️

I love this album. Tribe is a lot of fun.

A great album. I loved the fusion of different styles of music.

Always great

Yeah another good one

Obelix the true hip hop albums. It still sounds so good after 36 years.

This.Is epic. One of. the best hip hop records I have ever listened to. So cool, so tight, so fun, so good. More please!

Can I kick it favorite song

Great album. Great feel to it.

blown away, easy 5/5

I don’t think there is a single bad Tribe Called Quest album or even song.

Pinnacle of hip hop.

Enjoyed listening to Tribe in the 90’s, appreciated the chill hip hop beats even more now. Great album.

one of the most important albums out there.

A rad debut, whole new sound, and basically invented a new genre of rap. Can I Kick It? YES YOU CAN.

Chill af

A hip hop classic that features not a single bad song on it. It just hits so nicely. Smooth flows and beats all the way through. Of course I gotta say, RIP Phife

ultimate legendary

Neįtikėtina, kiek daug girdėjau kažkokių frazių ar ištraukų, kurias kartoja dabartiniai reperiai. Iš esmės norėčiau nuimti balą dėl tos dainos apie vegetarus, bet whatever lol

Fell in love with this album so deeply. Incredible production, sometimes a little in awe of what was achieved by q-tip here.

Love

Love!!! Great music to have on in the background

Really fun listen. I loved this one

My favorite project of theirs by far

EXCELLENT!

Listened

This album is perfect. Way better than The Black Album.

absolutely spectacular

I love 90s hip hop that tells stories. This is a prime example of how good that can be.

I don’t often listen to rap but goddddd this was smooth

One of my favorite all time albums.

Once of the best. The chemistry between tip & phife is unreal.

I am not a hip hop person at all but this one is amazing

How did they do this THREE times??

Repeat

Not my usual style, but I enjoyed listening to this one. Good grooves.

Considered this an album I really liked but not my favourite of theirs. Maybe I was wrong because on re-listen I adore this. Some songs are more fun than good but it's mostly bangers. The mixes are amazing.

can I kick it?

Jungle brother founds his de la soul to a tribe called quest

impeccable

I’m no rap buff but this just seems like a seminal album in rap and hip hop and it’s easy to tell why (if I’m right). Fun use of samples, and a casual coolness that permeates the album.

I’ve always enjoyed any songs I’ve heard of theirs in passing, so sitting down and listening to a full album was very exciting and I was not let down. Great album with great sampling, choruses that get stuck in your head, memorable lyrics. I would 100% return to this album again 5/5 would recommend

i love it!!! has beautiful percussion and extremely smooth flow, each song is excellent in its own way

Forgot

I find it absolutely fascinating how fresh this album sounds - and it is so old by now! Yet here it stands at the beginning of the golden age of Hip Hop in the 1990s and shines with great abstract lyrics, a good mixture of samples and keyboards, and a great production quality where people really sat down and thought how all of this would be received by the listeners.

Even though the album isn't in my usual genre, it felt like I was coming home to join in making music with some great (and talented) friends. Super inviting, just silly enough, and over all wonderful

Just so cool. I listened to a lot of hip hop from this era when I was a kid and it always sits right with me.

Excellent.

I don't know what you were doing at age nineteen; I definitely wasn't making a masterpiece that combines the extant history of popular music (Beatles, Lou Reed, Stevie, P-Funk, and Cannonball Adderley among others sampled) and pure rapturous verbosity into a solid hour of bliss. The album begins with the sound of a baby crying and contains the joy of being young and alive on every track. Life-affirming.

My favorite ATCQ album.

Great album.

I love A Tribe Called Quest. Haven’t listened to this in full for such a long time, but it holds up. Easy 5/5

One of my all-time favs, it's soooo chill and cheerful and fun! The duo Bonita Applebum/Can I Kick It may be the hilight of the album, but the whole run is incredibly consistent and still feels fresh and creative even 35 years after the release.

I listened to Tribe's following two albums an unreal amount of times in my late teens to early 20s. This first album I always really liked and appreciated, but I saw it as a lesser project, rough around the edges, and scattershot. Most of that is still true for the most part, but going back and listening as a grown man change my perspective. Instinctive Travels is rough and scattershot, but not to its detriment. There is a raw, youthful energy that emanates through every song. It's an experience that make me nostalgic, not for the memories I made listening to it, but for my own youth. Those good times Hanging With The Boys, acting silly, goofing around, and having the whole world in front of you. *Heard before

This has been a gem and a pleasure. My faves are the flowless, purposefully mid raps about losing wallets and shi. One of the besr hiphop albums of it's era, easy.

this was unreal. genuinely loved it. never usually listen to this kind of thing, but always enjoy it when i do

4.5 - Great

Classic 90s rap, first time listening to quest, I will be listening to more.

excellent album

Tribe is my go to 90s hip hop

Yes lads. Yes.

This is I think the first album I saved in full on my Spotify, like a decade ago. It's so groovy and political and sexy and fun. On this listen, Bonita Applebum and El Segundo stood out.

If it were released today the fellas would have been clowned for being too corney. Luckily that smooth good guy lyrisism comes across as wholesome. The production (and Mc skills) on tracks like "footprints" and "Mr. Muhammad" are so solid and ahead of there time they coukd exists in any era as classics.

Exceptionally funky. Impossible not to groove into it.

This is my 3rd favorite Tribe record, and its still a 5.

Classic

No matter what is going on, this album always makes me feel better. What a rare thing.

An album and group I’m very familiar with, so I was very happy to see this was today’s album. Classic smooth early 90’s rap with creative rhymes, great flow, and catchy beats. One of my favorite artists and a well deserved 5.

Absolute banger! 5

A Tribe Called Quest make such enjoyable laid back hip hop. They blend laid back beats and samples effortlessly. Whilst Can I kick it it? Is far from their best song it is probably their catchiest and best known and will always bring a smile to my face. Overall just a great album

When I say I don't like jazz but I do like jazzy, this is what I mean. This takes a lot of what I really like from this era of rap/hiphop and replaces the parts I don't like with something more interesting. The songs aren't all about crime, misogyny and the rapper's ego and so are instantly more attractive to me. The samples and loops on this album are fantastic, creating such a funky backdrop. Plus it has Can I Kick It? on it. A genuinely inventive, fun and interesting record. Probably a 4.5 for me on first listen, but I think I'd enjoy this even more with repeated listens so 5/5

This was great. I have never listened to A Tribe Called Quest before any thought they were amazing. It was like a nerdy social commentary version of old school hip hop

Holy shit this is good. Smooth rap all-time high, bumps along jazz-like and quirky, playful, self-aware. Sick production, warm, right amount of grit. This is above all really fun to listen to (e.g. frog sounds?? <3) . Feels like you are living your best life

Album 964, and I finally get one of the two albums from A Tribe Called Quest. I’m about 95% sure that I’ve listened to one of their albums at some point, but I think it was The Low End Theory (this is why I log everything I listen to these days). I seem to remember think that it was a good album, but that it just wasn’t really to my liking. I’m not quite sure what to expect out of this album, but most of the hip-hop on this list has been really good, so I have high hopes that I’ll enjoy this. PIT&POR (I’m way too lazy to type this album’s full title out) wasn’t totally up my alley, but I still thought it was a really good album, and well worth a listen. The rapping was great, regardless of who was performing. I thought that all of the guys in Tribe had an excellent flow, their rapping was crisp yet relaxed, and they all seemed to work together incredibly well. I really love when someone has a distinct voice when it comes to rapping, and I felt like that was missing on this album, but the sum of all the members was better than the individual voices. The production was simple, but the beats were solid, and Tribe’s way of using samples is incredibly unique. I don’t know this album particularly well, but there were so many parts of it that my ears immediately recognized from their use in other songs. PIT&POR flows seamlessly from one track to the next, crafting a really cohesive sound. My favorite songs on the album were “After Hours,” “Footprints,” “Can I Kick It,” “Youthful Expression,” “Rhythm,” and “Mr. Muhammad.” All of these songs were really unique, with great rapping, wonderful beats and samples, and excellent production. I was going to give this album four stars, mostly because it’s just not what I gravitate towards in hip-hop music, but after listening to it, parts of it were playing in my head over and over again, and I found myself being drawn in to listen to it again. On my second time through it, I was really hooked, and I could easily imagine myself listening to this album again and again. I had a lot of fun with this album, and I’m looking forward to reviewing The Low End Theory.

Discovered A Tribe Called Quest through Midnight Marauder and The Low End Theory earlier this week, so this is a very fun happenstance. This album is solid, especially for a first album. I still think MM and LET are better, but this is a solid entry. 5/5.

This is a great album you can play front to back without skipping a track. There are some real standouts like “Luck of Lucien,” “After Hours,” and of course “Can I Kick It.” I’m not sure it quite hits a perfect 5/5, but it’s definitely a strong 4.5/5.

Such a stunning debut…it has so much personality and its own distinct sound. Not my favorite Tribe album but this was a pivotal one in my education. The samples themselves are a library into entire musical worlds. “Get the force like Wan Kenobi.”

A hip hop album you can bring home to mother…. Big rhymes, boogie beats, and moving butts! So many classics. I didn’t know if this would be a 4 or 5, been about a decade since it’s gotten a full listen. I won’t let so much time pass between listens ever again.

This was great! I can see why it's on this list. Nice to hear Can I Kick It? with the context of the full album.

Amazing album, top to bottom. I'll never pass up an excuse to listen to this Favorite Songs: Can I Kick It?, Ham N' Eggs

A breath of fresh air in rap music 1990. Sound is retro and forward-looking at same time; completely innovative. Contains many iconic tracks, overlooked gems, never loses momentum. Sense of humor and fun-loving spirit evident throughout. As an extra the remixes are dope.

Dope.

This deserves at least 7 stars!

Never listened to this before - this is a vibe. Their voices come in and out seamlessly and every song is like a cipher. Really neat production with crispy drums and great samples. I can tell Lin-Manuel Miranda is a huge fan of A Tribe Called Quest. Embarrassing, but my biggest through-line to this is Hamilton! It's really cool how the outro of one song leads right into the next one, it's a true mixtape. All in all this just a great album, fun to listen to and not a dull minute on it.

Nice, creative rap

It’s not as good as low end theory, but still perfect….how were tribe ever real???

Just undeniable

I always love them what can I say

très cool

It's so joyful and occasionally jazzy - and Q-Tip has got crazy prophylactics. What's not to love?

A masterpiece that’s fun and repeat friendly is a rarity. So much to love on every track. Favourite track: After Hours

A classic! A time and a place! Thank you to Philadelphia and the people I am lucky enough to call my friends.

Tribe was one of the most influential original rap groups and this album still stands up today easily. What sets Tribe apart is their beats almost have this loFi, African, hypnotic chill vibe. It's not overly aggressive, especially when you compare with the rap albums that gained a lot of attention in the 80's/90's. QTip made a lot of these beats as a high school kid, experimenting with sampling other songs, which you can hear clearly in some of the songs like Can I Kick It? There are some beats that don't "work" or a bit off, but overall they are fun beats like you would make for your friends, which is what original rap was all about. Hanging with your friends, trying some rhymes and talking about just the little things in a young kids life. No drugs, drive-bys; just chilling with your friends.

5 out of 5 One of the best. Every song is incredible.

Just incredible!

Absolutely one of my all time favourite bands and albums

fire

Great album. Q-tip is always great to listen to. Wyatt seemed to enjoy it.

Was familiar with Can I Kick it , but gladly discover the rest of their discography, I can dig it!

Q-tip шикарен

However people tried to define A Tribe Called Quest when this came out, alternative hip-hop, progressive rap, jazz rap, whatever--it's clear this record is near perfection.

Amazing early hip-hop record.

There's an alternate reality where the foundation of popular hip-hop culture sprouted from A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, instead of N.W.A., and I wish I lived there.

Vibes

Great album!

Best album I've heard in the past week. Favoriting this one for later. Great rhythm, solid narrative without being to much in a direction of explicit or silly, and great individual songs. I can get lost in this album.

This was just such a fun listen. It’s funky, it’s funny, and the beats are so cool. I love A Tribe Called Quest

Бачиш трайбів - ставиш 5. Тут дуже проста логіка. Одна з найкращих дискографій в історії хіп-хопу (та й загалом мабуть теж). Купа бенгерів, супер круті семпли, неймовірний продакшн, класна динаміка між Q-Tip та Phife Dawg (останній все-таки більше почне розкриватися на наступному). Альбом який подобається тим, кому хіп-хоп взагалі не подобається

5/9

Bonita Applebum is seriously catchy I've listened to it like ten times in the last hour

Yeah so this is epic. So many styles of music blended into something that actually sounds awesome. Hip hop/rap isn’t my thing but this actually blew me away.

Loved it!

Another example of ATCQ being near perfection in every execution. When this album launched in 1990 hip-hop and rap were at a cross roads. East Coast / West Coast rivalries were being amped up and Q-Tip just slips in this masterpiece. 5/5

each song on this was a banger and i wasn’t bored through the over an hour runtime, low end theory is a classic and i never really thought of this record but this is absolute quality, would 100% listen again and get on vinyl

Such a great record. While it feels so much of its time, I love the vibe. 'Can I Kick It' all day long

- This was their debut? Man, what a good record. Somehow, I had not heard this one ..... so good. Fuck gangsta rap ..... -

I was only really familiar with The Low End Theory before but this is similarly top tier.

Ah, I forgot how much I love A Tribe Called Quest. This is a powerful, groovy, and impressive debut album. There's so many banger tracks before you even get to "Can I Kick It," and the great raps keep coming after that. Tribe is one of the greatest of all time, and this is a true gem of an album.

Classic for a reason. While I still prefer Low End Theory, Tribe's debut was a seismic moment for alternative hip-hop and you can feel the influence today. RIP Phife Dawg. 4.5/5

Some of the best lyricists eVeR!

thoughts: absolutely no skips. “bonita applebaum” is legit one of the most gorgeous songs. one of the most confident debut albums you’ll ever hear songs: “luck of lucien”, “footprints,” “bonita applebaum” rating: 9.6/10

First time listen. Very satisfying. Smooth, funky, and really tight. Also, some cool progressive elements and surprising samples. This really feels like a benchmark for hip-hop moving forward.

Smooth, great beats, thoughtful lyrics, political, a fusion of genres- I feel like this is when hip hop is at its absolute best.

I am definitely not peer or target consumer, and culturally this is all very remote from me. But this is the great thing with ATCQ: it is entertaining and educational, helps understand difference and identity, sameness and diversity, without being preachy or prescriptive. In short words: great storytelling, great musicianship, and that kind of hip-hop that I like listening to.

Well, here it is. A Tribe Called Quests debut. I first listened to Low End Theory a while ago, and I gotta say it is absolutely incredible. That album is for sure a 5. However, venturing from Tribes sophomore album to their debut, I was interested in what improvements, if any, they’d made or how consistent their discography would be. This album did only release a year before Low End Theory, after all, so I was expecting similar quality. And I was definitely not disappointed. The album, and really Tribes entire legacy, begins with Push It Along, a 7 and a half minute rap song. Like, for a rap song, let alone a 90s rap song, let alone the opening track to an album, let alone the opening track to their career, that’s pretty long. Tribe is really showing from the get-go that they are a force to be reckoned with, a group that doesn’t engage in the typical formula. Pair that with the lyrical ability in societal commentary and the oh so wonderful execution of jazz rap pervasive throughout the record, and you have a band making a statement, one they would hold onto for their entire career: this is the new hip-hop and it’s here to stay. They make sure to maintain some old-school rap group elements, however. They finish their opening track by introducing all the members of the group one by one, a style reminiscent of that 80s and early 90s staple. I’m looking at you, N.W.A, Beastie Boys. And I’m loving that reprise of the chorus at the end, more echo-y and all together a completely different vibe. Tribe is just flexing their flexibility at this point. So yeah, incredible opening to their discography and really setting the vibe for the record. Oh my god I have 13 more songs to talk about so I’ll have to pare some of this down a bit. Luck of Lucien offers a chill, rap vibe. The rhyming is immaculate and beautiful. The flow is perfect. Everything you could ask for from Tribe. But I do have something else to ask, is that All You Need Is Love? The sampling on this album is incredible, as also evident in the next track, After Hours. Taking a beat and immediately scratching the record, ooh! This album really is old-school hip hop at its best. On d again, the rhyming scheme on this song is impeccable and entrancing. It all kinda reminds me of Everything is Fair from Low End Theory, my favorite song off the record by far. And so this is probably my favorite song off of this album, at least as of current. Next song up is Footprints and… is that a Stevie Wonder sample?? They know me all too well with these samples man I swear. It’s like the Beatles sample on Beastie Boys’ The Sound Of Science. You also get some playful lyricism on this record like you with the Beastie Boys; they ask for a “level on the bass and on the treble” as such instruments come in. Peak. Every song on this album just proves further what Tribe is doing: hip-hop is still gaining popularity yet this group is already trying to flip it on its head. Change the game in the first inning, if you will. Reinvent the rules at the start of the first quarter. Ok I’ll cut it out. But really, they were way before their time. I don’t have much to say specifically about I Left My Wallet in El Sugundo, other than that the story telling is wonderful. It’s so clear and coherent. And of course the beat is just as beautiful. Now, I’m gonna be honest: I thought the song was called Public Enemy for almost all the time I was listening to it. It’s no doubt a play on words, but that was quite the surprise. Anyways, this song offers some of that more up-tempo, no breath songs that I love from Tribe. The story telling here is also just as amazing as in El Segundo. But… you know who’s the main prop master? Meeeeeeeeeee. So stupid. It was only really at Bonita Applebum that I realized how many of the songs lead into eachother, same with Rhythm into Mr. Muhammad. There’s an overarching story here that I can’t even begin to digest. Maybe later. Same with much of the lyricism and commentary that hip hop is known for. I didn’t live through the 90s and so I am not as tuned into the references as 90s kids would be. Still, I can recognize the poetry and lyrical mastery that Tribe has. Ok, after Bonita is Can I Kick It? the number one hit from this album and Tribes whole career. And probably for good reason cause it sums up their vibe so well. And man is it catchy. It kinda feels like a De La Soul hit with the chemistry between lead and background vocals. It’s also got some changing of the chorus in the same fashion that Push It Along did. But yeah, love this song. All I can say for Youthful Expression is: the bass and pen must have been on fire in the booth. I can’t tell which part I like more. The amount of entendres and play-on words here are too much to count. Everything means everything. To wrap this up, Mr Muhammad is funky as hell, Ham N Eggs has superb flow, and Description of a Fool has the cheekiness that I only wish to have a fraction of. Alright this is a pretty long review and took me a while to write so TLDR; this album is really good. God I didn’t even talk about the influences it had on so many modern day artists and Tribes career going forward! Another time!

Awesome and consistent flow

Growing up I usually gravitated towards Tribe's other albums like Midnight Marauders and Beats, Rhymes and Life, as it seemed to show a more polished style where Tip and Phife had perfected their beat making, flows etc. But this album is where it all began, and along with De La Soul's debut, heralded a new era in rap where you didn't have to be gangster. And the beat making is super on point and visionary. There are so many classic rap tracks on this album--Push it Along, Luck of Lucien, El Segundo, Bonita Applebum. A lot of these are just great artists having fun. Tip's flow and delivery are on point right from the beginning, though Phife doesn't begin to shine yet in this album--it'll be Tribe's second disk where he really comes into his own. Aside from the classics, the album is filled with many great sleeper tracks like Youthful Expression, the Art of Moving Butts and Description of a Fool. This is a complete album, and respresent the beginning of an epic run that inspired countless other rap albums in the future as well as spawning Busta's solo career, Mobb Deep and helping to propel J Dilla. Rap would not be what it was in its best points if it wasn't for Tribe. So Can I Kick it? Yes, I can.

All hail the algorithm! Two great hip-hop albums on consecutive days! Q-Tip is such a great lyricist. His flow is smooth like butter. The beats are so good here too. Top notch album all around.

frickin awesome for a debut! Incredibly influential and you can really hear the tonal shift in rap and hip hop coming from the 80's to the 90's. Lots of samples and a great variety of sounds here keeps it interesting, I love the tempo the album keeps throughout. This was great for a day walking through nature. Going in I only recognized Can I Kick It, but man it was so good to discover so many new (to me) songs. Great addition.

Favorites: After Hours, Footprints, I Left My Wallet in El Segundo, Public Enemy, Can I Kick It?, Ham 'N' Eggs, Go Ahead in the Rain, Description of a Fool

One of the best from the pinnacle of hip hop.

This record was such a breath of fresh air when it came out. It was funny, it had great beats, the content was very relevant to everyone... I particularly loved "Ham 'n' Eggs", "El Segundo" and the silly keyboard on the first track "Push It Along". It makes me feel a bit old to read about how historic and groundbreaking this record was LOL as it came out while I was in college. That said, we listened to it on and off more or less constantly for probably four months!

They didn't transfer my notes, so I guess no real review. Bob Power mixed/produced this album, is a total badass, and I owe him a good chunk of my career. So five stars!

One of the greatest hip hop albums, let alone greatest albums, of all time. Masterful lyrics and delivery, exceptional samples and mixing

Nearly Perfect Album

Hoewel de twee daaropvolgende albums nog beter zijn, is dit ook gewoon een vijfsterrenplaat.

Tribe is my favourite hiphop group ever. This was the third album that I bought of theirs and it took me a while for it click. I would run every day through London listening to it and eventually I loved it. Q tip talks about writing a lot of these songs when he was 14 and 15 on ‘pause tapes’ and you can tell - there’s a sample followed by another section etc because that’s how he sketched the song out on a tape recorder. Hard to state how anticipated this album was (I think they received the biggest advance ever for a hiphop group to record it). Some of the tracks are good but many are iconic and paved the way for their future sounds and inspired others. Love the playfulness and lightness of this album. Hard to believe these guys were 19 when it was released.

Favorite Track: Can I Kick It?

Love Q- Tip

first time full listen the production truly bangs

Tribe is one of my favorite hip hop acts ever, and easily my favorite hip hop group, so was psyched to get this one. I always have listened to Low End Theory and Midnight Maurauders more, but this is an insane debut. These guys just loved listening to music and making music, and its all so vibrant. The joy of creating this record shines through. The witty lyricism of Q Tip, unique flow of Phife Dawg, and production skills of Shaheed are on full display. Fun samples throughout the whole thing. Even on the goofier tracks like El Segundo and Ham N Eggs, the precision and skill is unmatched. Foundational album right here

I legit loved this album so much. It was so groovy and I enjoyed every song, even recognized a few. I'm definitely going to listen to this one again.

There was no option, I had to move my body when listening to this album. Great beats, great lyrics, positive social topics. Love it.

It’s a classic that defines my people and my childhood! Just makes you want to rhyme.

9/10 This was pretty perfect - and amazing it is as far back as 1990. Amazing production, terrific choice of samples. Great, fun raps. Best: Footprints

Always delightful, except for the moaning remix

One of my favorite artists ever. The impact Tribe has had in shaping hip hop as a sophisticated genre is undeniable. Their debut album was a sign of things to come: youthful energy, clever bars and great beats. Undoubtedly, they would take it to the next level in Low End Theory and even farther in Midnight Marauders, but People's Instinctive Travels is a very inspired first entry in the legendary group's discography. Absolute classic!

Highlights: Youthful Expression,Mr. Mohammed, Bonita Applebum, and Can I Kick It. I could listen to Can I Kick It on repeat for 24 hours. Great album. Dancey, good samples. I love an early hip hop album with no skits.

Genius

Tribe in the raw. I absolutely love this album, hit after hit after hit. Phife and Tip are young and hungry with so much contagious energy. The golden age of sampling for hip hop. This was an album that was a such a great continuation of what the fun in hip hop was/is supposed to be. Their next 2 albums blow this one out of the water though. This is great, but they are still finding themselves and their voices. 8.9/10 #67/1001

Love ATCQ, knew most of the songs and loved hearing new things I hadn’t heard yet.

“Earth to your brain, is anyone home?” Love the lyricism, the way it flows over the beats, the samples, the occasional scratching. It all fits so seamlessly. I went into this knowing that bare minimum I can tolerate ATCQ but I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. Loved the jazzy feel to the beats and rhythms. The lyrics are great, tell stories poke fun at stereotypes and are otherwise just worlds apart from the asinine gangsta rap that would come to so heavily influence hip hop and rap. Really wish it had been this album and others like it that had a greater influence. Despite it being over an hour I did not mind in the slightest which is rare for any hip hop/rap album. “Description of a Fool” was a great track to end on and perfectly encapsulates what I love about this album and hate about gangsta rap.

Low End Theory hænger en smule bedre sammen men det er sgu svært at slå energien på det her album

Hot take (?) De La Soul kravlede så Tribe kunne gå. Elsker den her plade, vildt fede beats, fjollet på en lidt Malk de Koijn agtig måde. De leger og de er afsindigt gode til det. Can I Kick It er måske den bedste brug af Walk on the Wild Side inkl originalen

god i love a tribe called quest. they took hiphop and jazz and put them back together. so incredibly talented and i will forever love them

One of my favourite albums of all time.. perfection. So much hip hop, and beyond, would not exist if it weren't for this album and group. But it isn't just a nostalgia hit, it is timeless and masterful. Effortless rhymes, the coolest of beats. Love love love it

i mean name better

Of course this one gets me out of the woodwork. Dope samples + amiable, goofy rhyming = a good time, every time.

perfect soundtrack for a sunny Memorial Day in NYC

Incredible album. As someone with a CD copy of The Low End Theory I wouldn’t have thought I’d love their earlier album so much, maybe even more than that one. It is just so full and rich with wonderful sounding beats, samples, and rhymes. The sense of bounce and fresh style is palpable and fun. Pure artistic intent plus vibrant life. Must-listen #145.

I mean…. A TRIBE CALLED QUEST. that’s all that needs to be said. REST IN POWER PHIFE DAWG 🕊️

Didn’t expect to love a hip hop album with a title longer than most IKEA receipts.

Can I Kick it? Bonita Applebum? ⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️

Great summer vibes

Great

Bring back fun rap.

Love it, funkiest beats around. This is the kinda 90s rap that I love. Make sure to wipe your feet real good on the rhythm rug.

Great album through and through. Love the lyricism & range of samples. 5/5 every time all day..

Effortlessly cool.

Flip this is mint

Lo habia escuchado. Ya conocia varias canciones, varias clasicas, pero nunca le di la atención que debia al album completo. Joya.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD

I really enjoyed this album. Excellent record on a Friday. Wolf

My favorite rap album of all time

5 Absolute belter of an album and essential listening

Solid classic

Amazing, prescient, seminal, infectious, joyous, essential

Used to listen to this all the time in middle school. Easy 5.

I got Low End Theory a few days ago and gave that a 4. This is perfect though. My favorite Tribe Called Quest record, and after this one Midnight Marauders, which would also be a 5 if it was on the list. Just still so fucking good and hasn't aged a day.

Not the best tribe album but still really excellent. Great beat selection and fun bars, absolute classic

No skips, what an awesome first album

THIS STUFF IS MAGNIFICENT, HOLY FUCKING AIRBALLS

Oh, hell yes.

stasera ci ho fatto sopra una dormita pazzesca con Anita.."mostly happy hip-hop, featuring gently humorous, casual, conversational raps"

don't finish but it's good song

Love Tribe. Love this album. The first rap group I ever really fell in love with and still a great listen whenever I go to them to this day. 4.5/5

This is their debut and it absolutely slays. What a momentous debut!

Classic 90s hip hop with true jazz samples. No gansta just beats and life and rhythms.

Pretty good

Absolutely loved this one

One of my favorite hip hop albums ever. I totally see why ATCQ are as influential as they are.

Fantastic rhymes very fun. Very dense topics but light lyrics. Great groove. Fun samples 10/10

The Low End Theory was my first Tribe album, so while songs from this album (certainly Can I Kick It) led me to purchase Low End, I had never listened to this one completely… until now. I miss the 90’s.

Wow. I usually don't like or listen to rap, however this hits hard. It blends in jazz through samples and that really appeals to me. I hope there is other rap out there like this because it's great. Ham n' eggs is great. That horn riff will be stuck in my head for a while now ngl

Love this album so much. It's just so cool and smooth. It makes me feel cooler just for having listened to it.

One of my favorite records by one of my favorite groups! Feels like a love letter to 16 year old me. Only outdone by The Lowend Theory, this is as strong a debut album as any on this list. Tribe is something special in the rap world, even among the Native Tongues collective. Creative rhymes delivered with a laid back flow full of youthful charm over clever, jazzy beats that act like a tour of the pop culture my generation grew up with. 5⭐️

Can I dig it? Well it's another one of those where I can appreciate how good it is but it's not for me. Polymath

favs

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

I'm kind of embarrassed that I wasn't more familiar with ATCQ before starting this, both albums I've listened to so far have been absolutely fantastic, and if they pop up on the list again I'm going to be excited to listen to more.

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.