The Low End Theory - Tribe Called Quest (A) (CD 1991)

Every once and a while an album comes along that has a VERY unique feel and changes your view on music. One of these is the first two LPs from the classic group led by emcee Q-Tip called A Tribe Called Quest. After exploding on the scene with their hit single Scenario, everybody wanted more of this unique team.

One of the most influential albums of all time has to be A Tribe Called Quest's Low End Theory. Now, the discussion as to whether this, or Midnight Marrauders is the better album has been going on for a while, and i cant judge because i have not ever heard the latter, but i will very soon. But this is my review for Low End Theory.

In 1991, this album was released and it made household names out of Q-Tip and Phife. The album is pretty flawless. From its amazing production featuring basic Jazz and Funk beats, with a lot of strummed guitars, and very little pianos, its already unique. Its lyrics are simple, yet complicated. Their deliveries hit hard and both emcees say some pretty intelligent subject matter and tell great stories on this album. The album has it all. It has stories, battle rhymes, poetry, social-consciousness, and great subject matter overall.

Since i have nothing else to say, now im gonna break down Low End Theory...


1 - Excursions (4 1/2 Stars)
Q-Tip begins to storytell over a very low piano chello, followed by a simple bassline, and African Drum beat, which makes a tight instrumental. Not to mentiont his includes some vocal samples from Time is Running Out by the Last Poets. Q-Tip begins his tight old-school flow on his thoughts about hip hop music as a whole. Q-Tip says some very intelligent stuff on this opening track. Sample:

Back in the days when I was a teenager
Before I had status and before I had a pager
You could find the Abstract listening to hip hop
My pops used to say, it reminded him of be-bop
I said, well daddy don't you know that things go in cycles
The way that Bobby Brown is just ampin like Michael
Its all expected, things are for the lookin
If you got the money, Quest is for the bookin
Come on everybody, let's get with the fly modes
Still got room on the truck, load the back boom
Listen to the rhyme, to get a mental picture
of this black man, through black woman victim

2 - Buggin' Out (4 1/2 Stars)
Phife joins Q-Tip here on this duet track. This is a basic braggadiocio old school track, with some battle raps. Phife does the first and third verses, while Q-Tip does the second and fourth. The instrumental uses a low funkish guitar with a hard bassline, hi-hat drum loop, and some cymbals at the end. Sample:

Yo when you bug out, you usually have a reason for the action
Sometimes you don't it's just for mere satisfaction
People be houndin, always surroundin
Pulsin, just like a migraine poundin
You don't really fret, you stay in your sense
?Comafied? your feeling, of absolute tense
You soar off to another world, deep in your mind
But people seem to take that, as being unkind

3 - Rap Promoter (4 1/2 Stars)
On this track, Q-Tip takes some shots at the rap industry about how many people sell-out, and how it is beginning to become commercialized. An eerie prelude of what would come at the end of the century. Q-Tip spits two tight verses with some very clever lyrics, about this subject matter, over a very funky instrumental. The beat has some recurring cymbals and a hi-hat loop.

To the effect of nothing, effective fronting
is what I don't allow so let me tell you something
I am a bon-a-fide
Not too modest and not a lot of pride
Soon to have a ride and a home to reside
if my momma is sick I'm by her beside
Used to watch the show on channel 4 called Riptide

4 - Butter (5 Stars)
Basically, this is a solo Phife Dawg track, but Q-Tip comes in to do the chorus. The instrumental uses a hi-hat bassline, some guitar bass, and a tiny bit of violins. The interesting thing about this track is that he meets a woman named "Flo" and raps about her. When i first heard this, i kind of figured it as a little prelude to Common's I Used to Love H.E.R., where he compared music to a woman. However, this wasnt the case, but he does describe this woman very well. Classic Track.

1988 Senior Year, Garvey High
Where all the guys were corny but the girls were mad fly
Loungin with the Tipster, Coolin with Sha
Scopin out the honeys - they know who they are
I was the b-ball playin fly rhyme sayin
Fly girl gettin but never was I sweatin
Cause when it came to honeys I would go on a stroll
Until I met my match - her name was Flo

5 - Verses from the Abstract (4 1/2 Stars)
Q-Tip solo track, but now he isnt alone. Vinia Mojica comes in to do the hook of the track, though she is uncredited. Q-Tip comes on the mic with very intelligent, old school lyrics. Here, he touches a variety of subjects including his childhood love affairs, the state of hip hop, and also represents his crew. The instrumental uses some bass guitar, a hi-hat loop, and a soft clap.

I still understand the (uh!) cuz that's what I met her for
I'm hooked on the swings, so just call me the music wh*re
Women love the voice, brothas dig the lyrics
Quest the people's choice, we thrive it for the spirit
If you can't hear it, then get the wax utensils
Write my rhymes straight up, don't get with no fancy stensils

6 - Show Business f/ Diamond D, Lord Jamar and Sadat X (5 Stars)
The pace is sped up drastically from what the first 5 tracks showed. Tribe Called Quest is joined by three other emcees, who all drop tight verses. Diamond D, Lord Jamar, and Sadat X blaze the mic on here on what appears to be a freestyle. Basically, all of these artists flow about the current state of hip hop and touch on a variety of subjects including commercialism, bootlegging, and no-talent rappers getting deals. Tight Track.

Aw....shucks, look what the cat hauled in
It's Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest, let me begin
Like Chuck D, I got so much trouble on my mind
'bout these no-talent artists gettin' signed, they can't rhyme
And if that ain't bad, you got bootleggers
Goin' out like suckers, motherf*ckers
Feel it's time that I let loose the lion
And if not that then I'll commence to head flyin'
Seems in '91 everybody want a rhyme
And then you go and sell my tape for only $5.99?

7 - Vibes and Stuff (4 1/2 Stars)
Very Jazzy Track using a seemingly non-existant bassline, with a VERY simple drum loop. This is as stripped down as the song gets. On this track, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg rap socially conscious lyrics about the state of hip hop, and the entire world. Q-Tip speaks of his fears of selling out, and both emcees talk about uniting Hip Hop together for a good cause. They also pay tribute to some of their fellow rappers who have passed away.

The name is Q-Tip (Tip), The Midnight Marauder
Give enough respect ('spect) to Afrika Bambaataa
As a man in the world (world), I must do my job
Take care of Mama Duke (Duke), I won't resort to rob
Bob you'll get your dough (dough), Mase is my witness
Obsessed with the rap (rap), for its the mental fitness
Like shootin cee-lo (lo), and always gettin headcracks
The industry is luck (luck), winning with the fake raps

8 - The Infamous Date Rape (5 Stars)
PURE CLASSIC!!!! One of my all time favorite songs on this CD is this one. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg flow very well written, storytelling raps about a date rape. They storytell it to YOU, and do it in the second person, but its still a story. They very descriptively describe a night of date rape, and keep it socially-conscious. Classic track. The beat is very deep and dark, using low bass guitars and a simple drum loop.

If you're in the wrong season, that means you gotta break
Especially if a squad tries to cry out rape
You be all vexed cuz she got it goin on
You don't wanna fight cuz you know that you're wrong
So instead you rest your head on the arm of the couch
Envision in your head of a great sex bout
Worthy opponent, all you wanna do is bone it
You ask can you kick it, she says you can't stick
This is the case, the situation is sticky
Should you try to kiss or head for a hickey

9 - Check the Rhime (5 Stars)
Pure Braggadiocio rap. But both emcees spit tight flows using cleverly written lyrics, metaphors, similes, and a very well done delivery. Both Q-Tip and Phife equally share the microphone here. This is a very tight battle rap. As for the beat, it uses some soft guitar plucks, with a background clap and some saxophones in the breakdown.

Now here's a funky introduction of how nice I am
Tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram
I'm like an energizer 'cause, you see, I last long
My crew is never ever wack because we stand strong
Now if you say my style is wack that's where you're dead wrong
I slayed that body in El Segundo then Push it Along
You'd be a fool to reply that Phife is not the man
'cause you know and I know that you know who I am
A special shot of peace goes out to all my pals, you see
And a middle finger goes for all you punk MC's
'Cause I love it when you wack MC's despise me

10 - Everything is Fair (5 Stars)
This track samples the Funkadelic's Lets take it to the People, specifically the George Clinton part Everthing is fair when you're livin in the city. Basically, Q-Tip comes on here solo and raps about the dangers of street life and urban living. Basically, Q-Tip storytells the entire track. On the first verse, its about a woman who cant find a job and is living it rough, so she turns to a life of crime and ends up dying. Very Tight Track. The Instrumental uses some jazz, low bass guitars, a hi-hat loop, and some synthesized noises.

She's not a big kahuna, wish I met her sooner
Instead, I met her later, my love is much greater
Put me on her roster, to rid her of imposters
And to sell the buddah for the sexy drug ruler
Love is my motive, now I'm drug promotive
Plus I needed duckets to fill up my buckets
Supplied me with the squeezy to make my life easy
Now I'm missing action for this fatal attraction

11 - Jazz (We've Got) (4 1/2 Stars)
Q-Tip and Phife both come on this track with their braggadiocio raps, and rap about the melody. Typical old school track found on here. The Instrumental is PURE Jazz and just a track to jam to.

The jazz, the what? The jazz can move that a**
Cuz the Tribe originates that feelin' of pizzazz
It's the universal sound, best to brothers underground
In the one-six below, ya didn't have to go
Some say that I'm a sinner cuz I once had an orgy
And sometimes for breakfast I eat grits and porgies
If this is a stinker, then call me a stink, I ask
"What? What? What?" - now check it out

12 - Skypager (4 1/2 Stars)
Q-Tip and Phife trade unique verses about the situations they get into with their skypagers. Very Unique Track. The instrumental is a hi-hat drum loop with some bass guitar, and its funny because in the song they insert a bunch of bleeps and phone sounds, along with operator samples. Pretty Strange song.

If you get your then high, mine is next
The 'S' in skypage really stands for sex
Beeper's goin off like Don Trump gets checks
Keep my bases loaded like the New York Mets
At times I miss the pager so you don't get vex
Havin bad days like a voodu hex
Conceptually, a pager is so complex
Cuz I be standin by the phone ready to flex

13 - What? (5 Stars)
The very funky track What? is next. Incredible tight solo Q-Tip track where he asks questions about everything and puts What at the start of nearly every sentence. He uses clever metaphors and similes, along with pretty clever lyrics. Classic track.

What's America without greed and glamour?
What's an MC if he doesn't have stamina?
What's music fractured without Mr. Walt?
What's Trugoy without a phrase called torte?
What's Kris Lighty if he wasn't such a baby?
What is a woman if she didn't say maybe?
Baby laid down, I removed the frown
What would be my penal cord if it wasn't brown?
What is a paper without a president?
What is a compound without a element?
What is a jam if you don't spike the punch?
Was it Bruce Lee if you don't like brunch?

14 - Scenario f/ Leaders of the New School (5 Stars)
The Famous track that began the Tribe Called Quests fame, and put a JUMPING start to the careers of Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes. Busta, Tip, along with Charlie Brown, Dinco D, and Phife do the braggadiocio flow. Each emcee gets a tight verse. This is one of those tracks that never gets old. The two best lyricists on here are Busta and Tip, which spit PURE FIRE. Busta drops his unique fast style, and its the first song that I myself have ever heard Busta on. PURE CLASSIC.

Sample of the last two verses:

Q-Tip:

It's the leader Quest mission and we got the goods here (here!)
Never on the left cause my right's my good ear (ear!)
I could give a damn about a ill subliminal
Stay away from crime cause I ain't no CRIMINAL
I love my young nation, groovy sensation
No time for hibernation, only elation
Don't ever try to test, the water little kid
Yo Mr. Busta Rhymes, tell him what I did

Busta Rhymes:

I heard you rushed and rushed, AND ATTACKED
Then baby puked then you had TO SMACK
Causin rambunction, throughout the sphere
Raise the levels of the boom, inside the ear

Q-Tip:

You know I did it
So don't violate or you get violated
The hip-hop sound is well agitated
Won't ever waste no time on the played out ego
So here's Busta Rhymes with the, Scenario

Busta Rhymes:

Watch, as I combine all the juice from the mind
Heel up, wheel up, bring it back, come rewind
Powerful impact BOOM! from the cannon
Not braggin, try to read my mind just imagine
Vo-cab-u-lary's necessary
When diggin into my library
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!
Eating ayea toadstool like the one Peter Tosh-a
Uh, uh uhh, all over with the track man
Uh, pardon me, uhh, as I come back
As I did it yo I heard you beg your pardon
When I travel to the Sun I roll with the squadron
RRRRRROAW RRRRRRROAW like a dungeon dragon
Change your little drawers cause your pants are saggin
Try to step to this, I will, fits you in a turban
And had you smellin ripe, like some old stale urine
Checkady-choco, the chocolate chicken
The rear cock diesel, buttcheeks they were kickin
Yo, bustin out before the Busta bust a nut the rhyme
the rhythm is in sync (UHH!) the rhymes are on time (TIME!)
Rippin up this dance just like a radio
Observe the vibe and check out the scenario!!

CLASSIC.

In Conclusion, this album is classic. There are no skits, no filler, no skippable songs at all. Just pop it into your CD player and push play. As for Midnight Marrauders, i havent heard that album yet, but i definetely will, and then decide whether the sophomore, or freshman release is better. But for now, i can tell you this, pick up Low End Theory if your a fan of true old school hip hop music.

5 Stars by Big D