Diggin in the Cassettes: The Love Movement

Tribe's last album (until recently!) is probably their weakest, but it is still endlessly playable and better than the majority of rappers' entire discographies.

Prof Thug's Diggin in the Cassettes Vol. 5

A Tribe Called Quest - The Love Movement

Released on September 29, 1998, this was one of the last cassettes I ever purchased.

This album continued their sonic evolution; it is most similar in sound to their last album, again featuring the laid-back, jazz-oriented beats of The Ummah, but it was not as gloomy in tone and message. It is a return to their lighter, more playful themes and lyrics. As the title implies, the focus is on love and positivity.

Unfortunately, there was a serious tension just underneath the surface. In the documentary about the group, they discuss how Q-Tip and Phife's friendship was falling apart. At one point Tip claims about their last album: "How we gonna name it The Love Movement when there was no love anymore?"
I thought I would be able to pick up on that fractured relationship while listening to it now, but on wax, their chemistry was still intact. It's true that something was definitely off about this album, but there is no noticeable friction between the two, and it is still an excellent album. The songs aren't as memorable as previous efforts, but as always, the beats and lyrics provide high quality hip hop. There's more guests than usual, Consequence has disappeared, and the music is a little more traditional boom bap rather than the jazzier, groovier jams of their earlier albums, but those aren't bad things. They just make it feel less like a "pure" Tribe album. However, if this was a debut, it would be undoubtedly labeled a classic. And looking back, it is a remarkable closing act.



One issue that shouldn't affect the album but undoubtedly does is the album art. Gone are the red, black, and green characters and creative art. It's a simple white cover with plain, grey lettering and what look like small zodiac symbols at the bottom.

The inside is gray with white lettering.

Super bland. Now let's take a closer look at that inside cover:

Yup. That's the group doing their best Kobe in LA Times Magazine impressions. Tip is barefoot. Ali Shaheed seems to be wrapped in a towel and wearing sandals. Phife looks like he's staring at Ali's sandals, about to roast him (WHAT ARE THOOOOOOSE?!) but then he remembered that he's wearing white jeans. This looks like some New Age, adult contemporary shit.

I'm being a little harsh, but this was a marked departure for the group. On the other hand, this was right after the start of the "Jiggy era." with the shiny suits and ultra commercialism. So in a sense, they still bucked the trends of the modern music scene, they just did it in a mature, adult way. That's not as much fun, sure, but it's real, and that is pure Tribe.

Their musical themes similarly grew; their focus on love is understandable and commendable. They lost the aggressiveness of the last album, maybe because they, like many of us, were heartbroken at the deaths in rap. Or maybe they got a better record deal. Or maybe they knew this was their last album (until now!) and they were relieved. Whatever the case, this has a much more positive outlook than Beats, Rhymes and Life.

I was devastated when I learned this would be their last album, but it did encourage me to see them on their "farewell tour" at the Palladium in Worcester. Slum Village even opened for them! I had just heard about them; they were being called the torchbearers for the Native Tongue sound. Sadly, two of their members (Dilla and Baatin) have since died, along with Phife of course. It was an incredible show and I'm glad I got the chance to see them all.

Let's get into the movement!

We could all use a little more love these days. And Crown.

Start It Up


Terrific opener, but what else did you expect on a Tribe album? It opens with a quiet, spooky voice saying I hope yall ready...are yall ready? Then the bass and drums kick in. It's a serious head nodder and a great adrenaline boost. Q-Tip's verse has a staccato flow that emphasizes the first word of each bar on the drum kick. It's definitely a different vibe. Maybe it's his off-kilter flow or the off-kilter drum pattern? The drums hit you in the chest, and combined with Tip's emphatic jabs (get it off your chest, say it "Tribe Called Quest!") it makes me want to get up and throw elbows. Besides maybe Scenario, I never really felt that with Tribe music.

Tip introduces the movement for love and encourages people to get off your ass and let's start.

An important message that resonates today.


Find A Way


This is the album's lead single and lone video. It has a light, airy organ (or maybe harp?) sample playing throughout over Dilla's deep bass and drum kicks. The chorus has a great melody and it's easy to sing along with. Now you caught my heart for the evening, kissed my cheek moved in you confused things. It's real playful and pop-ish, like an updated Bonita Applebum.

This set the tone of the album. As the album art suggested, it's kind of adult contemporary rap, but not nearly as corny as Father MC or PM Dawn.

Phife and Tip each take a turn with the chorus at different parts of the song, and they deliver verses with typically great wordplay. It was an excellent lead single and apparently accomplished its goal, considering the album reached gold status a month after its release.

Da Booty


Tip starts off with a silly riddle about, well, booty. The chorus is simply Da booty, da da booty, da boot Ta ay with Tip shouting in the background. 

There's all types of drums knocking: kicks, snares, bass. Definitely a huge Dilla influence.

Much like the last song, this is a good representation of the album as a whole: great drums, mellowed out samples, and playful raps.

Da booty...if you is a crook then you taking it!

The biggest difference on the album are the beats. They are a little more skittish, less of the straight grooves of the first 3 albums; instead of the feeling of constantly pushing forward, many of the beats feel like they are constantly starting and stopping. They push forward then pull back. It's also evident in their flows; they are more staccato than usual. Again, still really good, just different.

Steppin' It Up feat. Busta Rhymes, Redman


I said this for every album so far, but damn, the sequencing and transitions are ridiculously good. The first note of this song comes in right after the last note of the previous song, so it's a seamless continuation, like a different movement of the same symphony.

This is another hard knocking, deep bass, jittery drum gem. Busta Rhymes and Tribe is a hall of fame connection on its own, plus they throw Redman in there? My favorite rapper ever? Just unfair. Excessive. I wasn't ready for this collabo when it came out and I forgot how incredible it was.

This is undoubtedly a classic, but it has more of a typical Golden Era/Dilla vibe than a Tribe vibe, per se. That's one of the only drawbacks of the album: it has a less distinctive Tribe sound. That's where the disconnect is, and why it's not as memorable as their previous efforts.

Still, Redman ends the song with:

Whoo-whoo! Funk Doc gets the money, 
And best believe I went through more trees than Sonny
Me, Kamal, Busta Bus, Phife Dawg
Shittin, pussy niggas get Lysol!

...so it still has its share of memorable moments.

Like It like That


This is a solid jam for this album, but would have been average on previous albums..

It has a similar drum pattern as the last couple songs, but with a crazy reverberating sample on top. Tip kills it from the get go. Phife helps out with the chorus, a simple Do you like it? Then Tip responds, say yeah if you like it like that!

At times there's a cool echo effect on Tip's voice, which works well with the reverberating sample. The whole song has a psychedelic vibe. It has really good energy and Tip is on point for his two verses.

Common Ground (Get It Goin' On)


What you doin here...get from my face Tip raps while a kazoo sound effect plays in the background. This is a mediocre beat, with a somewhat annoying organ/keyboard groove throughout. The stuttering drums on this and some of the other tracks are not the greatest fit, either.

For the first verse, Tip raps a bar, then a group of voices reply on the next bar. When Phife does his verse, he uses the same flow, but instead of a group of voices replying, the kazoo replies. It's also somewhat annoying. The chorus is lackluster, too.

I still like it, but this might be my least favorite Tribe song.


Give Me feat. N.O.R.E.


Did I speak too soon? This is an interesting song. I didn't like it when I first heard it, mostly because of the chorus. Tip reinterprets I-Level and Boyz II Men, singing off-key Give Me...just Give Me... Nore Phife Dawg and Abstract. Tip sounds like he's the lead in a community theater musical. Plus, the chorus doesn't even really make sense.

But that's also kinda what makes it great? Like, a few glasses of Crown and I'm crooning right along with him, no cares in the world.

This was long before horrible singing was the wave in rap (Fetty Wap, Drake, Lil Yachty, Drake).  I was always a little thrown off by Tip's singing on the chorus, but it had an undeniable charm, too. It was inspiring: if he wasn't afraid to sing and sound like that, I could sing, too. Hello, future parody music video career.

Not to mention, Nore is always a top tier guest rapper, and he spits two verses here! Love Movement no doubt. 

There is cool scratching at the beginning and end, and everyone does their thing on the verses. Overall, it isn't the best song on the album, and it has a sound that's very distinct from their usual vibe, but it's one of the more memorable songs.


4 Moms feat. Spanky


I still dont know who the hell Spanky is, but this is a cool,  mellow, funky groove to play out side one of the cassette. On the first album, they'd let the end of songs play out for a while. It was a cool way to build atmosphere and create transitions. This serves a similar purpose but it is the first time they had a track that was strictly instrumental. I wish they did more of this, but I also kinda wish they rapped on this. They would've rode this groove beautifully; plus there's a great electric guitar sample near the end that could've come in real nice on the hook. But I digress.

Flip the tape!

His Name Is Mutty Ranks

Phife starts off side two in his infamous patois Live and direct! Live and direct! Do you know what live and direct mean?!?!

The beat has that dope little keyboard boop boop ba doop ba doop doop badoop da doop doop thing over classic hip hop drums. There's also that scratchy, almost echo-like effect on Phife's voice as he raps, making it sound like it's a live recording at the park.

After a typically great verse, he sings for a bit at the end say you not ready for this yet boy and it's over. A short and sweet, hard-hitting Phife solo. This was one of my faves for sure.

Pad & Pen feat D-Life


D-Life acts as the host, a la DJ Red Alert, and does the introduction and adlibs throughout. It continues with that live block party feel that was established on the last song. There's a reverberating, seemingly downbeat keyboard note played throughout, over a funky, upbeat groove. It makes for an interesting mix.

Phife and Tip go back and forth on their verses then handle the chorus together. The song is an ode to the art of hip hop and the importance of friendship.  My pad and my pen, the beat and the blend, the party won't end, so Keep gettin ends, Building with friends. It's hard to believe they were in turmoil.

As Phife says, though, Comedy can quickly turn to tragedy. Ain't that the truth.

Busta's Lament


This has a great start with the horns and drums, cutting in and out before the beat actually starts. It does that a few times throughout the song to emphasize a lyric or hook. The beat is really centered on that horn. It's a mellow head-nodder.

Phife and Tip have great verses, but the best part of the song are the several breakdowns.
After Phife's verse, the guys do a mini hook (Just) get it together, get it together (just) get it together. Then Tip does the chorus and there's another breakdown with the Busta yo yo yo yo sample. At the very end, rapper Know Naim (more like Horrible Name) gives a shoutout to the woooorrlld. It all comes together for a cool, laid-back jam.

Hot 4 U


This is another mediocre song. The rhymes are subpar; they are mostly just talking about girls and their own talents on the mic or in bed. Basically, it's just another day with Phife, anyway, although, to be fair, I'd give up a lot for just another day with Phife.

At certain parts, especially the chorus, there's this rising high pitched sound that keeps building and eventually peaks, then starts to come back down. It's kind of like a teakettle (making the song hot for you). There's also a cool xylophone sound during the chorus. Again, even the mediocre songs have many highlights.

Against the World


Back at you, right back at you.

This is dope. Me and you girl we go against the world. Yea the world.

This is another staccato beat. It makes you bop rather than groove. There's all sorts of sounds: the brush drum shooka shooka shook shooka, the little keyboard (?) doot doot at the end of each bar, the female voice responding to the guys on the chorus, Tip speaking French.

This is a great example of their still potent chemistry. Tip and Phife exchange lyrics, often going back and forth on the same bar. Tip: Prominent. Phife: Dominant. Sometimes they even finish each other's sentences.

There's also the cool effect when they say Slow you doowwwwwwwwwn...and the whole song slows to a full stop, then starts back up when they say pick you up! Even on their most "mature" album, they were always willing to experiment with sounds and styles.

The Love


Tip talks to us at the beginning So many people right now motivated to do some bullshit for some bullshit ass reasons. But we bout to put it into a love perspective.

Then the chorus starts We do it all for the love yall! Whether white, black, spanish, aint a thug yall! Tip proves again that he's very much underrated when it comes to rap choruses.

This has a ultra-positive vibe and it's impossible not to at least somewhat enjoy a song like this. It's another laid back beat with more straightforward drums and a light, jazzy sample; some might even call it pretty. On the verses, Tip shouts out some adlibs and often doubles up on the lyrics, so it's like two Tips rhyming. It's a cool effect but it leads to the question: where's Phife? Maybe he felt it would be hypocritical to appear on a song about "doing it all for the love"? Or maybe I'm reading too much into it? There's always a few Q-Tip solos on every album, so I don't really know.

Regardless, this is one of those timeless Tribe album cuts that could have easily been a single.

Rock Rock Y'all feat Punchline, Jane Doe, Wordsworth, Mos Def


This has a cool guitar sample over the drums. It's mellow, but funky enough to be enjoyable for the entirety of the song, unlike many posse cut beats.

Rock rock yall freak freak yall to the beat yall it's unique yall.

It's no Scenario, but it's a cool posse cut and album closer, so there are definite similarities.

Punchline has a good opening verse with some solid...punchlines. Jane Doe is above average and spits a quick "lyrical miracle" type verse. Wordsworth is next, and he does this interesting rising octave to falling octave in his bars. He's got some funny lines as well. Tip follows up with a typically solid verse, and then the closer: MOS DEF! This was one of the first times I heard him and I was an immediate fan.

They chant the chorus again and the song fades out. The song, and especially the chorus, is a throwback to block parties and the early Golden Era of rap. As usual, it seems simple on the surface, but there are a lot of layers to peel back. They are referencing old school rap while introducing the new school of rappers, closing out their careers by repping the history and passing the torch. Beautfiul.

Then there's 6 minutes of silence to preserve continuity. Cassette technology, baby!

If you had the CD, on the other hand, your lucky, keep-up-with-modern-techonology ass got all these bonus tracks:

Scenario Remix (feat Kid Hood and Leaders of the New School) 

Money Maker

Hot Sex

Oh My God [Remix] 

Jazz (We've Got) (Re-Recording Radio) 

One Two Shit (feat Busta Rhymes)

Look at that! You think I wasn't pissed when my friend put in his CD and a damn Scenario Remix started playing?! I DIDN'T KNOW THE SCENARIO REMIX EXISTED UNTIL 1998! I was clueless about a remix to my favorite song ever for 7 years! That is my greatest fault as a hip hop fan.  This really forced me to reconsider my preferred media. I had no choice at this point. I got my first CDs and CD player later that year for Christmas. ATCQ and the cassette era were both over.

Damn. Really solid way to go out though.


4 THUGS out of 5


Alas, the era of the mp3 is here and a new ATCQ album has arrived! Rejoice!

I Love You All...Class Dismissed. 

Diggin in the Cassettes: Beats, Rhymes, and Life

I love this album. Released on July 30, 1996, it was A Tribe Called Quest's 4th album overall, and their 3rd best in my opinion. Their sound and content had increasingly gotten a little darker, but also more commercial in some cases. It reached #1 on Billboard, attained platinum status, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Album.

Prof Thug's Diggin in the Cassettes Vol. 4

A Tribe Called Quest - Beats, Rhymes, and Life

The album cover made it clear that this would be darker than previous albums. 

It is far from a perfect album, but the title is perfect for Tribe, and I personally consider it a classic.

The album was their first to feature work from The Ummah, a production group made of Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jay Dee aka J Dilla. Once again, Tribe's sound was able to evolve without losing the overall Tribe essence and feel.

I was in high school at the time, so the darker, more aggressive vibe worked well for me. The industry continued to dampen their spirits, and a grittier sound was more en vogue at the time, with artists like Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang, and 2Pac dominating the soundscape. Not to mention, this was released during the (largely exaggerated, but commercially profitable) East Coast vs West Coast feud. Songs about leaving your wallet in a diner just weren't gonna cut it.

There was still a sense of playfulness, especially on songs like Word Play and The Hop, but a lot of the joyfulness from the previous albums was nonexistent. A major theme of the album is pressure (The Pressure, Stressed Out); pressure from the music industry, pressure from their relationships, pressure from society in general.  It had been 3 years since their last album and things were different. Hearing that their relationship started to fall apart during this era made sense. Phife moved to Atlanta. Q-Tip's cousin was brought into the fold. It was a different vibe.

But it was still Tribe, and Tribe is always great.


Phony Rappers (featuring Consequence)

Another. Great. Opening. Song.

I'm pretty sure I used this as an opening song for one of my legendary HAYO mixtapes (if ya don't know, ya better assssk).

It has great energy. Tip starts talking about running into people who want to challenge him as an MC. It seems there's a sanitation yard full of trash talkers. Phife tells a similar story. Money please I get loose off of orange juice. They are showing their superior skills on the mic compared to all other rappers, but this is a much harder approach that they've ever taken. The beat is a little more aggressive than ever before, too.

The chorus comes in over those crazy, almost discordant keys. Phony rappers who do not write, phony rappers, who do not excite. phony rappers you know they type.phony rappers.

On the last verse Phife goes back and forth with this new cat. His voice is a bit high, raspy, and a little mush-mouthed. He can rap and it's a dope verse, but...who is he? Why is he here? It turns out he's Q-Tip's cousin, Consequence. Ok, cool. Adding another voice definitely altered the vibe a little, though.

At the end of the song there's a sampled voice that comes in with aclosing statement:

This feeling of embarrassment..This shyness and bashfulness…
If you take that out of the people then these people will do whatever they want to do
And that is the very definition of America. A people who have no shame and therefore do whatever they want to do.

Man, if that doesn't sum up America right now, I don't know what does....


Get a Hold


Drifting drifting drifting drifting....drifting back. suddenly. 

And then this song comes in to offer us hope...or maybe current events have cause me to imbue new meaning into the song. Either way, it's a great song with some great insight:

Your lust for the riches make a nigga feel sick
Down to his zealots, upchuck and then spit
Denouncing my beliefs, well then your wig get split

It's a really laid back, zoned out beat. Q-Tip is on his grown man shit. Respect me for that and let me do my thing...We all got faults don't ever front try to think that your perfect. 

He also mentions my record company be on some true jerk shit, and says We hitting, yo bust how we too strong to be broken, Occasional malfunction pressure time, we ain't joking.

Tip acknowledges that things have changed (in society, with the group) but that they are too strong to let it get them down. To deal with stress and pressure, they must take control. That feeling hangs heavy over this album.


Motivators

This is a more uptempo, upbeat song. Definitely more playful than the first two songs. Tip, Phife, and Consequences trade bars back and forth. They all join in on the chorus we be the number one motivators over a jazzy sample.

Q-Tip: Will yall fall off?
Phife: Will Laura fuck Urkel?

So yeah, they're never too serious, thankfully.

Consequence also has a great pop culture reference While you be frogging like Bud-wei-ser and later shouts out Queens and various famous athletes, proving that he really did fit with the Tribe vibe. 


Jam (featuring Consequence)


As always, there's fantastic sequencing on the album. The last song flows perfectly into this, another uptempo, funky beat.

There's a little phone call introduction, with 2 girls talking about what they are doing that night. Then the guys start in and tell a story about their day and a night spent partying. At the end of the song/night, they see a bunch of people about to get into a fight. They decide to exit the party when the cops show up. The song ends with the guys drunkenly talking and getting in their car to leave.

This lives up to its name. It has a great vibe. There's no chorus or hook, just a jazzy little breakdown between verses. It's real simple and mellow, but it makes me happy, and that's what a good "jam" should do.

Crew


This beat has a very J Dilla vibe to it. Q-Tip talks about beef between good friends (foreshadowing?).

It's just one verse of him confronting a friend who slept with his wife. At the end a scene plays out with Tip yelling at the guy and friends trying to hold him back. Tip keeps screaming and threatening the guy, then shots ring out.

To say this is a tad darker than previous Tribe songs is an understatement.


The Pressure


This is probably my favorite song on the album. It starts with some scratching and a simple bass line Dun dun dun. Dun dun dun. Dun. Then a bunch of samples start up, layered on top of each other. Such a banger.

Tip starts off with a typically great verse. Then Phife comes in every dog has its day but fuck that its my year. Wooo they kill this song! They didn't miss a step lyrically on this album. Listening to it now is so refreshing. So damn good.

We feeling pressures in here, you know we feelin pressure.

Just look at the album cover. It was the Tribe trying to find their place in a world of chaos. They were dealing with fame and success and adulthood and a changing music industry, trying to navigate through it all successfully.


1nce Again 

This was the first single. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo/Group. I was very excited about the album when I first heard the single. It was incredible. It starts off with a little remix of their infamous Check the Rhime back-and-forth hook: ya on point Phife, once again Tip, watch me bust they shit. The same thing with a little more edge.

Then comes the ooooooh ya did to me once again my friend by Tammy Lucas. She handles the chorus later as well.

Phife kills a verse then Tip kills a verse then its back to the chorus. Then Phife kills a verse, Tip kills a verse, then they do the back and forth call again, then it ends on the chorus. Terrific song structure.

It's definitely a little more commercial than the typical Tribe song, but it never lost the Tribe feel. It had more singing than usual but they had singing before (Vinia Mojica). It also had dope rapping, scratches, great drums, and a couple samples, so it was just plain ol' good hip hop. It wasn't quite as good as previous singles, and it's a shame the Grammy's took so long to give them credit, but this is an undeniable classic.

Mind Power (featuring Consequence)


So funky....mmmmmm...so funky....said mmmmmmm.

There are many great sounds on this song, especially that great main horn sample. And I  love how the various horn samples come in and out through the song.

This is somewhat fast paced and all three have some great lines. Phife has a particularly hilarious verse here. He references the Berenstain Bears. He gives a shoutout to Linden Blvd and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Oh, and just because the album is a little harder than previous ventures, they are not trying to portray a fake tough guy image. Phife claims:

Now, all that Glock totin' trash you talk will not prevail
It's stale, you'll either be dead or in jail
I keeps it realer than the logo on milk
Denouncin tough guy wannabes that look smoother than silk

It ends with Tip repeating Uh uh Mind power! then he states Kickin willy is good all throughout your whole hood but we gotta start with the spirit first yall.

As usual, Tribe was never overly religious or spiritual, but the idea of a spirit (that funk,that rhythm) that lives through their music is always a key theme. That spirit is always apparent in their lyrics, in their voices. It is the spirit that lives through their beats, rhymes, and lives.

The Hop


Damn this song is good. Another great transition. It starts with the deep bass boom boom boom boom and Tip exclaiming Yeah, move your body, inside the party, We 'bout to bring it to you kid like we never ever did.

Tip then starts his verse Inside the ghetto or in a sunny meadow I'ma make ya move whether women or fellow. 

You can't deny the rhythm, the spirit of the Tribe.

Tip handles the chorus You gotta do the hop, you move to the beat, you don't stop, Now everybody here, you do the hop. The groove can not be stopped dammit! Tip has some of the greatest rapped choruses in history.

Phife once again murders his verse, stabbing up the track like his name is OJ Simpson. You? You're freeloading like Kato Kaelin. He gives props to Das Efx, Method Man, and Megadeth. Word is bond I am the baddest. With verses like this, he was, man. He really was.

Its the hottest thang thang thang!

Keeping It Moving


Something for your ear hole so you can clean them shits out. From Q-Tip. Ha.

Tip addresses some people who thought he dissed the West Coast (I think it was Westside Connection, that awful Ice Cube side group that instigated most of the Coastal beef). I don't know what the exact reference is but Tip assures people that he's no west coast disser or damn ass kisser.

Tip exclaims Hip Hop...a way of life. On later versions, it says hip hop could never be a way of life. I always wondered why they added that, or if it was intended to be there originally. Anyways, Tip is essentially saying there is more to life than just rap, in an attempt to ease tensions between coasts. Positivity is the key in the lock, Put your hand on it, turn it to the right, ak. But he also reminds people that they are not to be messed with on the mic: Figure 4 your ass like Greg the Hammer. His references here are on par with Phife's best references.

He ends by giving shoutouts to other rappers, many from the West Coast. Pharcyde ya know we do it up. Hiero ya kow we do it up. 

He also says I aint got no time for shuckin and jivin, basically saying let's stop this song and dance/beef bullshit that the industry takes so much pleasure in. It's a powerful reference to black entertainers from the past who had to shuck and jive to please their bosses and white audiences.  

Baby Phife's Return


This is a very late-90s J Dilla sounding beat. There are lots of samples layered throughout the song. It was never my favorite; it's nothing too special as far as Tribe songs go, but it's good.

Consequence handles the chorus while Phife handles the lyrics.

Crushin MCs as if my name was Sargent Slaughter (how great is that?!)
Keep shit hotter...than a sauna
Or better yet, the hormones on your Christian daughter
Hey, I tried to warn her

An average Tribe song, so still better than most.


Separate/Together

The beats have started to get a little lackluster, but this is still a great song.

Tip starts off with some bars about wack rappers (another common theme on the album) and addresses male-female relations: So brothers hold your heads high when you get down, Don't violate these women cuz we need them around, It's all of us together, not the one without the other. He follows that with the chorus we got to do our do, not separate together, then sings a little melody about sticking together through hard times.

A short but sweet little jam.

What Really Goes On


A great, jazzy, mellow beat with the bump the bump the bump bump yall. This is another Q-Tip solo. With no Phife, or Consequence for that matter, combined with a similar beat as the preceding songs, there is a slight lull in the album. All of the songs are good, but it gets a little monotonous.

Now when I say the beats are a little lackluster, or the songs are monotonous. I only mean that in comparison to their previous albums. Honestly, this song (and the few songs before it) are better than most on their debut; however, immediately prior to this album, they had 2 of my favorite albums ever back to back, so it's a little hard to maintain that level. Plus, I was into a much bigger variety of hip hop at that time. It was hard to stand out in hip hop in 1996.

But I want to stress (ha get it!) that it's still a great song and album.

Word Play (featuring Consequence)


This was another of my favorites on the album. It reflects the changes from their prior albums (featuring Consequence, a little darker beat, more aggressive, battle-type rhymes) but it did those things better here than on most songs.

They address wack rappers, big themselves up, talk about how to properly rap, and rap the chorus together. It still manages to be a little more moody, so it's not all fun and games, but it's a return to the more playful tone they always did so well.

Consequence definitely adds a youthful vibe; maybe they felt they had lost a step and needed a shot of youthful vigor, or maybe they needed a third wheel to take some tension off their relationship. It just feels like they don't have the same chemistry as before. It's a little more serious.

Stressed Out (featuring Consequence & Faith Evans)

And this is the most serious of all. They address stressful situations they've been through and/or are going through, and Faith Evans sings the chorus.

The music industry had officially gotten to them, in a couple ways. I'm sure the label pushed for the R&B collaboration, and their years of dealing with the label at least partially inspired the theme of the song and album.

The album version has a lot of Consequence. The video version had Phife as well. Needless to say, I was a little upset when I watched the video and saw Phife spit a classic verse: Dunn-da-lie, dunn-da-lo, dunn-da-lie, dunn-da-lee, Me no look for trouble but trouble done follow me. Eventually I found a DJ Clue mixtape that featured the video version, so all was well with the world.

Faith sings us out as the beat plays on. I think "airy" describes it best. There's even what sounds like an organ playing throughout, so it's rather spiritual. The lyrics evoke that sense of spirituality as well we gonna make it, ya know we gonna make it.

Really good song but a definite departure from their previous work, on many levels. It had an obvious commercial appeal, featuring a popular R&B singer on the chorus, and a breezy, radio-friendly beat, while addressing serious issues like mental health.

As far as sequencing goes, though, it's a great way to end the album.


On it's own, this album is a definite classic. In the Tribe's discography, it's only their 3rd or 4th best. I can still enjoy it immensely, and it's superior to soooo much music out there, but their two previous albums set an incomparable standard. Regardless, I highly recommend giving this album your time.

4.5 THUGS out of 5

I Love You All...Class Dismissed.

Diggin in the Cassettes: Midnight Marauders

Two short years after releasing their masterpiece, and only 3 years after their debut, A Tribe Called Quest managed to somehow craft another perfect album.

Prof Thug's Diggin in the Cassettes Vol. 3

A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders 

Possibly the greatest hip hop album cover of all time.

This came out when I was in 8th grade. It really solidified hip hop as my favorite genre of music. Although there wasn't a song I liked as much as Scenario, and it didn't have the same momentous impact that The Low End Theory did on my life, it was an instant classic and it remains one of my all time favorites.

That's right: auto reverse AND bass boost.

I remember bringing this tape to school and listening during recess. We'd try to name all of the rappers featured on the cover.

This album went platinum a little over a year after its release. It actually went platinum before The Low End Theory did. It also featured their most successful single of their careers, Award Tour. Somehow it only managed to get 4.5 Mics in The Source magazine, probably because they didn't want to give them 5 Mics for three albums in a row.


Once again, the guys rap about the things they do and see in their everyday lives. They are neighborhood journalists. For the most part they focused on positive events and promoting positivity, and when they do discuss negative events, there's often a tongue-in-cheek tone, like in 8 Million Stories. However, they definitely gave commentary on societal issues they dealt with in their neighborhood and in the African American community. They just managed to do it without being corny or preachy.

Remember these things? Did anyone ever actually fill one of these out?

This album continued the evolution of their sound, while staying true to their roots and overall energy and atmosphere. This is a little bit more refined than their first two albums; it's also darker (maye even more mature) while remaining very jazzy, funky, and playful.


Midnight Marauders Tour Guide


Laurel Dann plays the robotic tour guide. It's a throwback to the interludes with Jarobi from the first album. They all feature a sample of the song Aquarius. It's very laid-back; it feels like you are on an elevator and she is escorting you to each level. She tells us a few fun facts, like the average bounce meter of the songs, and then she welcomes the listeners to the voyage: we hope that you find our presentation precise, bass heavy, and just right. Thanks.


Steve Biko (Stir It Up)


The triumphant horns start in and Phife begins: Linden Boulevard represent represent. A Tribe Called Quest represent represent.

Another great intro song. Both Phife and Tip flow perfectly with some great rhymes. Q-Tip does the stir it up...stir it up...stir it UP! Steve Biko hook.

For Phife's verse after the chorus, he starts New York City represent represent, paralleling his first verse. This parallel verse structure works so well here and exemplifies their attention to detail. They weren't simply saying words over a beat, there was a lot of effort to create the structures and flows that make songs memorable and timeless.

Plus, Phife's lyrics always showcased his personality. Here he starts by repping for his street, then his group, then his city. And no matter where he went around the world, he was always repping Queens. There's a reason Queens will soon have a street named after him.


Award Tour

The simple keys start up, then the drums come in and Trugoy from De La Soul raps we on a award tour with Muhammad my man goin each and every place with a mic in our hand. This was the first single released from the album and it is their highest charting single to date. It's not hard to understand why. There's so much undeniable, infectious energy in this song. It's so cool, yet so happy. This was at a time when Wu-Tang and Onyx were dominating the East Coast. You weren't supposed to be happy! But they made it work. 

They  somehow managed to improve their rapping with each album and their skills on the mic shine here. Plus, everything comes together so lovely on the chorus. Q-Tip repeating true... right...true...while Trugoy repeats the award tour mantra, stating different cities around the world as the song progresses. Then there's the echo effect on his voice. And the beat. It's a hip hop masterpiece.

Tip drops some knowledge regarding identity: You can be a black man and lose all your soul, You can be white and groove but don't crap the roll. He also skats a little bit during a segment of the song that all rap fans will spontaneously sing along with: Do dat do dat do do dat dat dat.

Phife also gives some memorable lines, like buddy buddy buddy all up in ya face! 

It's a simultaneous celebration of their success and a declaration that they are at the top of the world.

At the end of the song, the tour guide explains the title of the album 7 times out of 10 we listen to our music at night, thus spawned the title of this program. Maraud means to loot, in this case, we maraud for ears.


8 Million Stories


Another Skeff Anselm produced joint. 1 of 2 songs on the album not produced solely by the Tribe.

This is basically a Phife solo. He shares some stories about a day in his life over a deep bassline. Went to Carvel to get a milkshake. Who starts a rap song like that? He burns his shirt while trying to iron it. Kay-Bee isn't selling Barney and he needs it for his brother. A girl stands him up on a date to the Knicks, and to top it off Starks got ejected. It's very self-deprecating and down to earth. Phife was never the "rock star" rap star. He was the hometown hero who made it big.

Phife spits a little of his infamous patois, and at one point, he also says Who the hell you think I am Mr. Belvedere? so he will always be a legend in my eyes.

The chorus is simply him repeating problems problems problems. Q-Tip then repeats help me out yall help me out yall.

The beat is a simple drum pattern with a great bassline. This is a great album cut; Tribe had so many of those because all of their songs were good enough to be singles, some just worked better as an album track. There was no such thing as filler on a Tribe album.

The song ends with Tip saying help me help me as his voice mutates and slows down then spits out Muhammad! Gotta remember to shoutout the DJ.

Sucka Nigga


Hey sucka nigga whoever ya are.

Tip gives his perspective on the use of the word nigga. After the first verse and chorus, he repeats the same lyrics, with a slightly different inflection at times. I never really got why he used the same verse twice, besides to emphasize his words, but it works for some reason.

My History of Hip Hop professor at UConn (yes I took a Hip Hop history class at UConn) talked about this song. I always thought the song was interesting and that Tip makes some good points, but my professor said he thought it was a weak justification. When I thought about it deeper, it was hard to deny. Basically, Tip says black people reclaimed the N-word as their own a long time ago; it's a tradition in the black community, and he's not gonna stop using it. I get all that, but as my professor said, tradition should never be the sole justification to keep doing something. At one point Tip concludes with, yo I start to flinch as I try not to say it, my lips is like a oowop as I start to spray it. What does that even mean?

Still a great song, though.

Midnight (featuring Raphael Saadiq)

This is a really groovy song and another Q-Tip solo. It's a little darker beat than most Tribe songs, which makes sense considering the theme of the song and the album. Still, Tip's observations of his neighborhood depict a much less violent city than many of his peers described. The hook is Tip repeating The night is on the mind. Some guys in the background are shouting ya dont stop and yeah like there's a party going on.

Q-Tip describes a guy playing craps, scared money don't make none. then describes his journeys through the city at night. He meets a girl and tries to get with her. He hooks up with his boy for some weed. He gets harassed by the cops. A typical day for a black man in America in 2016 1993.

Tip has some great lines and really nails the delivery, as usual. Intensity, most rappers don't see it. Spirit wise, musically ya gotta be it. He can sum up the Tribe's entire ethos in just a few simple words. He's similar to Kurt Vonnegut in the way he uses simple phrases to capture deep meanings. No wonder it was my first favorite rap group.

The song fades and the guide tells us about the alarming rate of AIDs, a stark reminder of the consequences of night time actions. I'm telling you, rappers did more to stop AIDs than Reagan and Bush combined.


We Can Get Down

The song starts off with a great chorus.
Both: We can get down we can we can get down!

Tip: Its like that man its like that. 
Phife: Yes! 

Great verses by Phife and Tip (As Tip says later on the album, right there I sound redundant). The beat is a classic head nodder with great momentum. Always moving forward. Shaheed does some great scratching at the end. An all around great Tribe song.

We rap bout what we see, meaning reality. Again, Tip is able to capture their entire aesthetic in a few simple words.

The guide ends the song telling us the name of the four Tribe members. This was the first time I realized that Jarobi was actually part of the group. I never understood it because Jarobi wasn't on Low End Theory and he isn't on this album. I didn't know until I started this series that he left for culinary school after the first album. The guide compares him to the sometimes vowel/sometimes consonant Y, and that was a good enough explanation for me. He was part of the group but did his own thing, too. Cool. Moving on.

Electric Relaxation


The first song on side 2 (remember flipping a tape over?? or in this case, letting Auto Reverse flip it?) was their 2nd single from the album.

Tip opens the song with uh huh uh huh uh uh uh on each drum kick. Then the keys start in and the voice repeats relax yourself girl please settle down which I never understood until I had the internet years later. That's part of why the chorus is so great; everyone has their own interpretation.

It's an undeniably classic song that perfectly illustrates the Tribe's style. A smooth, funky laid-back beat with memorable lines all over the place. Ya coudnt relate...ya couldn't relate...ya couldn't relate. Phife and Tip go back and forth on both verses a few times, showing their natural chemistry. This song and album were the pinnacle of their musical (and personal) relationship.

This is a hip hop love/lust song. Phife drops the legendary bust off on ya couch now ya got Siemen's furniture. And Tip ends with shorty let me tell ya bout my only vice, its got to do with lots of lovin and it aint nothin nice...it aint nothin nice. 

The song proves how incredible a song can be even though it doesn't necessarily break any new ground. It's a very fundamental hip hop song (bass, samples, coherent lyrics, a rapped chorus) yet it is remarkable because every aspect is so on point.

Clap Your Hands

It starts with the interlude muzack, then the guide simply says keep bouncing and the beat kicks in. This was another darker, more grimy beat. Heavy bass, heavy scratching, the Nautilus sample echoing throughout, the sampled voice clap your hands now.

The beat calms down for the verses, relying on mostly just drums for the groove, letting the guys really shine. Then, during both verses, there's a breakdown with the Nautilus sample in the forefront. Again, a very commonly used sample is masterfully utilized to create something wholly original and amazing.

Phife murders his verse with crazy pop culture references and confidence: if I ever went solo my favorite emcee would be me.

The song ends with the guide saying Keep bouncing and the beat stops. The circle is complete.


Oh My God (featuring Busta Rhymes)

Q-Tip sets off the song with a whip sound wuh psh wuh psh psh, then the horns start in. There's a great bassline during the verses.

This was their 3rd single. It says "featuring Busta Rhymes" but I'm pretty sure that oh my god yes oh my god is a sample.

Confusingly, Phife says now the formula is this: me, Tip and Ali, for those who can't count it goes 1-2-3. So I was definitely a little confused about Jarobi's role in the group at times.

Whatever. It's another great song that has aged like fine wine and Halle Berry.


Keep It Rollin (featuring Large Professor)

At the end of the last song, the guide breaks down the meaning of the term "MC." Then this song starts and Phife comes in and gives us a perfect example of a true MC.

I already talked about Phife's incredible verse and the team chemistry on this song, so I won't go on about it too much, but this is a low key classic. It's a down tempo, funky song with endless quotables from 3 legendary MCs, including Large Professor, yeah yeah now check the method, who also produces the song. Just a great rap song.

Like basically every song in their discography up to this point, it is great on its own and it perfectly flows in the sequence of the album. Not easy to do.


The Chase, Part II


It starts with the chorus, the Biz Markie sample I'm boutta wreck ya body and say turn the party out.

Phife starts in with dem cant touch we no dem cant touch we. dem cant hold we no dem cant hold we.

Then Tip jumps in damn Phife u got fat! And Phife replies yeah i know it looks pathetic, Ali Shaheed Muhammad got me doing calisthenics then kicks his verse. It's bittersweet to listen to Phife rap, especially about his health, but it's so good to listen to them going back and forth like that, busting each other's balls. For so long, their connection seemed so genuine and full of love. They were so in tune with each other. That's why the breakup and documentary showing the tension between them was so painful; it was like two brothers falling out.

And that's why the news of a new album is so fantastic yet bittersweet. If only they had sought reconciliation years ago...

This song has more great verses and a great beat. One thing I'd say is it goes on a little long at the end with Tip shouting out various places around the world Everybody in Brooklyn, rock rock on. Everybody in Nigeria, rock rock on. Also, this was in a succession of 5 songs that sounded somewhat similar, starting with Oh My God and ending with God Lives Through. Those songs even use the same Busta Rhymes sample! That is the one complaint I ever had about the album; although, listening now, it doesn't bother me at all. The songs have a similar feel, but that's the point. It's meant to evoke a certain feeling, a certain atmosphere.

Much like Shook Ones Part 2, I didn't know what happened to The Chase part 1 for the longest time. Apparently, the original version uses the same beat, but instead of Phife and Tip rapping, it features Q-Tip's cousin Consequence, who becomes a large part of the group after this album. The song was featured as a b-side to Award Tour. Thanks Wikipedia!

There's another confusing moment when, at the end of the song, the guide says this concludes our Midnight Marauders program, yet there's 2 songs left. The song even feels like an outro when Tip is shouting out different parts of the world. The next 2 songs are great though, so no complaints.

Lyrics to Go

This is a little more uptempo. The chorus just repeats I got lyrics to go, and come on now, but the crazy guitar or keyboard or whatever it is that's sampled (seriously, I need music theory or music history or an Identifying Instruments class or something) comes in and makes it special.

As the title suggests, the guys have lyrics for days (#BARZ) and it also features one of Tip's greatest lines Wait...*sniff sniff* I think somebody shitted. Humor is very underrated in rap.

It ends with an extended instrumental that leads in to the great album closer...

God Lives Through


Phife really shines here on the opening verse:

There's a million MCs that claim they want some
But see I create sounds that make your ears go numb
Peace to Sayres Ave., yeah you know how we go
My best friend Steven at the Home Depot
Laurelton is in the house, I can't forget Southside
Walk past MCs like that girl did to Pharcyde
I'm labeled as the cat's meow, the MC with the know-how
Act like you know, not now but right now

There's slick wordplay, braggadocio, shoutouts to his neighborhood and his real life friends, and a reference to a pop culture; everything that makes a Phife verse great.

Tip does an awesome little crooning melody for the hook la la la laaaaa, shooby doo doo doo.

It's really mellow but funky. It's perfect for grooving with a lady, riding around with your boys after hours, vibing at a smoked out jazz club, or even studying.

At the end, Tip goes on to give a shoutout to all the NY boroughs and some cities that he likes. They do that quite a bit on the album. Their albums weren't necessarily concept albums, but they all had a distinct feel with overarching themes. Here the themes are the nighttime and traveling the world.

As the album closes, see I like to get down jack! it feels as if you've gone through a spiritual awakening. God lives through.

Even as an atheist, I appreciate the spiritual undertones of the song and album. They are never overtly spiritual or religious (if God wasn't in the title, you'd probably never even think about it) but their whole vibe is very spiritual. The funk, the rhythm, is a spirit that moves through all of us. Tribe identified and celebrated that spirit in all of their songs. And we, as listeners, were blessed to be a part of it.

Something I didn't find out until much later was that different countries had different versions of albums. The European Version of this album features the banger Hot Sex, featured in Eddie Murphy's Boomerang. Later it was released on the bonus disc of The Love Movement in 1998. I always loved this song and video; unfortunately I didn't have it in my possession until the Greatest Hits album came out.

Where ya at?!

There were also different versions of albums when CDs started to become the preferred media. Oftentimes they'd feature "CD bonus tracks" that weren't on cassettes. That pissed me off. It's ok though because now CDs are as obsolete as cassettes! Hahahaha we all lose! #Sad

Anyways, this has been a great start to my series so far! I almost forgot just how great these albums are. This gets another:

5 THUGS out of 5


See you soon for the last two albums of Tribe's discography. I should have them finished as the new album comes out. Synchronicity!

I Love You All...Class Dismissed. 

Diggin in the Cassettes: The Low End Theory

On September 24, 1991, A Tribe Called Quest released a perfect album. 25 years later, I take a look back at one of my favorite albums ever.

Prof Thug's Diggin in the Cassettes Vol. 2

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory 

Glorious.

I first discovered A Tribe Called Quest through their video for We Got the Jazz/Buggin Out. It was probably the first video I saw on BET's Rap City. I was soon addicted to the show, hoping they would play that video or Check the Rhime and of course Scenario. I soon purchased their sophomore album The Low End Theory. My musical world was never the same.

From the moment I purchased it at 11 years old, I listened to this tape constantly. I brought it with me everywhere; I even remember listening to it in England on a family vacation. I had my walkman and my favorite tape with me as we drove through the English countryside and the city of London. The album felt like home, and it still does.

I listened to this cassette more than any other. In fact, I listened to it so damn much it no longer works.

Dammit.

My whole friggin concept of listening to the albums on the actual cassettes shit the bed on the second post. Great.

Whatever. I'll listen on youtube. I could probably recite the whole album word for word from memory if I needed to.



The Tribe trio once again handle the beats and rhymes, with the exception of two songs produced by Skeff Anselm (he gets props too huh ha!). Phife is much more involved on the album, a conscious decision made by the group after Phife learned he was diabetic. Jarobi, the 4th Tribe member, is not on the album because he left to study culinary art after their debut. No offense to Jarobi, but these changes allowed Tribe to make a much more concise album than their debut.

On The Low End Theory, they perfected the sound they established the year before. The formula seems simple but their minimalist sound is still lush with different textures. They are pioneers of mixing hip hop and jazz (yeah thats here my hearts at); they did it so well that to me, it felt like something that had simply always existed. It was so natural. I felt the connection between hip hop and jazz before I even knew the history of the connection. Through their sound and samples, along with direct references in their rhymes, they expressed the historical link between jazz and hip hop, revolutionary forms of black music that sprang from oppression. The improvisational style of jazz also heavily influenced the style of hip hop. Over the course of this album, the Tribe expressed the link between hip hop and all forms of African American music.

A lot of people think I only listen to rap, and that was true for a long period of time. However, my love for all varieties of rap, in particular my love for A Tribe Called Quest, exposed me to so many types of music. Without realizing it, I was exposed to jazz, rock, r&b, soul, funk, disco, and all other forms of music that hip hop producers sampled from. Now I have an appreciation for all types of music (except country, obviously) and I credit Tribe for my eclectic tastes.

And they were just friggin kids!

Let's take this journey...

Excursions


The perfect album starter, It starts right in with a funky bassline. Q-Tip drops a legendary verse talking about the progression of music: I said well daddy dont you know that things go in cycles.
He has a lot of gems here. It's a noticeable upgrade of his rhyming on the debut album, but the themes are the same; the focus is on positivity, pro-Blackness, and music itself.

Q-Tip handles the two verses and the chorus: We gotta make moves, never ever ever could we fake moves. He is flawless here, as is the beat. The drums and bass and horns during the chorus all flow together seamlessly as usual. The sample of the Lost Poets (time is an inanimate object) is another perfect match, amplifying the theme of time running through Q-Tip's lyrics. The recorded voice repeating itself at the end time is running and passing and passing and running echoes Q-Tip repeating excursions excursions excursions. The voices and the beat cut off abruptly, and provide a perfect transition into...


Buggin' Out


The bass line starts in on its own. Then the drums and hi hats kick in when Phife says, YO!

It is a perfect song as a whole, and there are so many amazing individual moments within the song, too. Like at the end of Phife's verse, when Q-Tip starts doing the adlib (uh uh uh UH) then starts his own verse. At the same time, a little snare drum has started up. That leads to a cymbal crash. The same breakdown occurs the next time Phife's verse transitions to Q-Tip's. These little details are everywhere and they're easy to miss at first because there's so much going on and it all comes together so naturally. You can lose yourself in the whole, or you can lose yourself in each detail.

This song also perfectly exemplifies the amazing chemistry Q-Tip and Phife had, as well as how important Phife was to the recipe. His deeper voice, harder punch lines and more aggressive flow provide the perfect balance and weight to Q-Tip's airiness.  He destroys his verses here, with gem after gem (styles upon styles upon styles is what I have) yet Q-Tip is able to match him with the punchlines (minds get flooded...ejaculation, right on the 2-inch tape). They have both stepped their game up drastically.

This song is just so insane. The beat knocks, they kill their verses, the chorus is a perfect hip hop chorus (a sampled voice repeating a phrase) and the video was crazy. It was a 2 part video: it opened with Jazz (We Got) in black and white. then halfway through it cut to Phife in bright colors and huge fake white eyeballs. I couldn't get enough. I saw what could be done with music as all encompassing art. The visuals, the beat and melodies, the wordplay. I was hooked.

Rap Promoter


And this song made me never want to get into the business of music. Finally, after an album and 2 songs of positivity and lightheartedness, reality sets in for the guys. They give us an inside look into the seedy side of the industry.

Phife plays the part of the shady rap promoter, talking to the artists during the song's breakdown.

Q-Tip keeps his good nature though. He's a simple man with simple pleasures. I want chicken and orange juice, that's what's on my rider. He just wants to be taken care of, then they will do a fly song for you love check it out diggy dang diggy dangy dang a dang diggy diggy. 

Is that too much to ask, Mr. Rap Promoter?


Butter


Great beat. Great verses by Phife. Fantastic chorus by Q-Tip.

This is Phife bragging about his sexual conquests. "Locker room talk," some would call it, although there doesn't seem to be any issue about consent here.

Phife starts off talking about how many women he's been with. Then he meets Flo, a girl who not only equals his "playa" status, but surpasses it.

In the second verse, he spouts a little bit of respectability politics towards the ladies and even sounds a little bit like the Hoteps who exist on Twitter and Facebook posting about "fake bitches."

Your whole appearance is a lie and it could never be true
And if you really loved yourself then you would try and be you
If your hair and eyes were real, I wouldn't have dissed ya
But since it was bought, I had to dismiss ya

On the one hand, I get it. A famous musician probably meets more schemers than your average person. I'm sure he's dealt with a lot of people who do not have self love or an understanding of self. I'm not against promoting the idea that your true self is good enough, and as a kid it all made perfect sense to me because I never considered any other perspective (like the woman's). I just don't like the implication that wearing a weave or contacts means a person hates themselves.

Regardless, he's got some great lines and his flow is on point. Plus, the beat, the horn sample, and the chorus make up for any flaws in the lyrics.


Verses from the Abstract 


One thing that is lost when listening on youtube instead of a tape is the incredible sequencing. The songs merge into one another on this album better than any album I've ever heard. The damn ads on youtube or streaming site ruin that sensation, but all the songs stand on their own anyways.

Butter was essentially a Phife Dawg solo, the first of its kind, and this is a Q-Tip solo. Another great beat, with some assistance from the great Ron Carter on double bass, and the lovely Vinia Mojica singing background vocals.

Tip starts off shouting out his friends: Busta Rhymes in effect, Shaheed is in effect, Phife Didawg is in effect. He talks about using Coast in the morning to avoid the funky odor and his fetish for some booty. He's just talking shit and flowing effortlessly and it's amazing.

At the end, he shouts out some more of his favorite rappers and thanks Ron Carter. Then he says Goddamn it yes the Quest is on and we OUT! The beat stops, there's a moment of silence, then the first line of the next song hits...


Show Business featuring Diamond D, Lord Jamar and Sadat X


Let me tell you 'bout the snakes, the fakes, the lies
The highs at all of these industry shing-dings

This is a great posse cut that builds on the themes brought up in Rap Promoter. The guys really release their frustration at the music industry here. Yo I gotta speak about the cesspool. It's the rap industry and it aint that cool. This is like a public service announcement to aspiring rappers. Tip and Phife are joined by Sadat X and Lord Jamar from the legendary Brand Nubian, and rapper/producer Diamond D. So these guys speak from experience.

This is the first song to appear in their discography not produced by the group themselves. This maintains the same vibe established on the album, but it is produced by Skeff Anselm (co-produced by the Tribe). It samples James Brown and Aretha Franklin, two iconic artists who knew about getting screwed by the industry.

All of the verses work really well together. And I love the dahh-oo voice sample and the beat breakdown when the verses end.


Vibes and Stuff


The last song ends on the dahh-oo, and this starts with a bell ringing and a horn sample. Possibly the best transition on the album. This beat is crazy. It's got a chopped up sample that cuts in and out, the bell ringing and echoing at the start of each 4th bar, and the dusty drums. Then the breakdown with the jazzy horn sample while Tip names off different parts of the country that have the vibe.

I think I gotta
I think I gotta
I think i gotta SCREAM
Cuz thats how good it feels man

That accurately describes the feeling of listening to this song.

Tip ends the song with a special...special...a special dedication to all of the slain rappers...the fallen rappers. Another great album cut.


The Infamous Date Rape


Classic...classic...classic example of a...a date rape.

One of their hardest beats and one of the more interesting subject matters. Tip's first verse talks about a typical date and offers some very good advice. If the vibe ain't right, ya leavin. He wants to bone but not without consent. Yet and still, rappers get blamed for the moral degradation of society. You're obviously not listening to A Tribe Called Quest!

Phife then drops a verse about hooking up with a girl who cries "rape" after a night of consensual sex. Now I've never been the type to accuse women of false accusations, quite the opposite really, and it bothers me when women are not trusted. However, there are certainly a few cases in which a women has falsely accused someone. Fame and money add to that possibility, so I'm not gonna hate on this verse, especially snce the first verse is about not violating consent.

Tip's last verse clarifies and solidifies his stance on consent:

I won't cry over spilled milk
If you won't let me take you to the Hilt
I don't wanna bone you that much
That I would go for the unforbidden touch
I'm not the type that would go for that

Not all men, bro. #NotAllMen

Then he goes off on a tangent about women on their period that's a little odd but also kind of funny.

Check the Rhime


This song rocked my musical world. I couldn't get over what I was hearing. Tip starts in uh! uh! uh! uh! uh! then the drum kicks in while that horn sample plays. The back and forth before each verse. Ya on point, Phife? All the time, Tip. The verses themselves. If knowledge is the key well just show me the lock. Amazing.

This song was magic the first time I heard it and I've felt the same ever since. There is no time when I'm not in the mood to listen to this song. It is a perfect representation of Golden Era hip hop.

It's a real playful song, but Tip also drops the line Industry Rule number 4080, record company people are shadyyyy, so the business aspect of music was definitely a recurring theme on the album. It's what gives the album more edge than their debut, and what makes it better overall. Their anger pays off. Tip jokes that these music execs smoke crack. That's a much stronger diss than anything he said to Lucien. The joyfulness and the positivity and the hopefulness is still there, but reality has caused them to refine their more eccentric sensibilities and focus their music.

Everything Is Fair


This was another song produced by Skeff Anselm. Great vocal sample for the chorus. Everything is fair when ya livin in the citayyy.

I haven't said it before, but Q-Tip has one of the best voices in hip hop. It's deep yet nasally and he has such an effortless flow. He can even drop a little melody here and there. You don't have to say a worrrrd. Phife has a good voice, too, and the contrast between the two is what creates such a strong sound, but Tip can really hold his own, which he does here. He talks about a woman trying to make it in the big, dangerous city. He hooks up with her and starts selling drugs for her. It's a straight-forward, typical rap fantasy narrative (with gunshot sound effects and everything!) but with a Tribe flavor.

It's a good song, with some nice musical progressions and switch ups, but nothing ground-breaking. It ends with the music stopping and Tip repeating top...top..top..


Jazz (We've Got)


Another great transition into the guys chanting We got the jazz we got the jazz. This was some more other-wordly shit. Tip gives a perfect verse into the perfect chorus with the perfect horn sample and then Phife drops another perfect verse, which starts off with his infamous patois: Competition them Phifer come sideway. Competition they must come straight way.

The hip-hop/jazz mix seems so simple now. It really feels like it had to happen because of how natural it is. People couldn't have come up with this, it must have just been there all along. You look back and it might seem somewhat bland because it's been done so much now. But it's been done and copied so much because it was so good and it was so groundbreaking. That's how you know something is good. It created, or helped create, the defining sound of a beloved era of music.

Plus this video was just cool as shit. Putting the two songs together was genius. I totally forgot how, at the end, they come back to the original black and white video setting with Tip doing his verse acapella. Awesome.

Skypager


Do you know the importance of a sky pager?

This song screams early 90s. Beeper's going off like Don Trump gets checks. Keep my bases loaded like the New York Mets. Ok, so Phife wasn't always the best sidekick. I mean, Robin died a few times on Batman, so Phife can bomb a few times, right? Besides, the batteries I use are called Duracell, they last for three weeks so they do me well makes up for it in its utter absurdity.

The chorus is phone sounds, an automated voice saying welcome to the new skypager, then Tip going uhhhhh... so funky, while Ali Shaheed Muhammad scratches. It's a nice little rap ditty.

Side note: someone should do a collection of all the references to Donald Trump in rap music (pre-Presidential run). There's probably enough for a DJ Drama mixtape. It'd also be interesting to see a lot of rappers' political leanings. I bet many are basically conservatives (not the Tribe, necessarily, but a lot of rappers). Guns, capitalism, misogyny. Its the GOP platform!


What?


This is the closest song to filler on the album, and it's still great. It somehow manages to be the perfect transition to the best song on the album, so for that alone it's a classic. It's an uptempo beat with Tip saying some silliness then rapping in questions for the remainder of the song. He switches up the structure from "what is a ____ if_____"  to "what is a ____without the___"  to a few other "what" questions.

It's nothing special, until the end, when Tip raps:

ooh ooh, it's like that ya keep going
freak freak yall cuz you know that we showin
what tigga what tigga what tigga what tigga what tigga what tigga what tigga 
[group yelling] WHAT!



Scenario featuring Leaders of the New School


The bass and organ start in boom boom BOOM, boom boom BOOM. Then a bunch of guys yell out HERE WE GO YO, HERE WE GO YO! while the drums kick in.

As much as I loved Check the Rhime the first time I heard it, it still didn't compare to this.

Besides the amazing performance by each rapper (this was one of the earliest songs I could recite competely) it sampled Jimi Hendrix. They get credit for meshing jazz with rap, but they also merged rock, funk (Funkadelic on Everything is Fair) R&B (James Brown and Aretha Frankiln). Black music is utilized with love and care and turned into something entirely original and beautiful.

Phife will be forever loved because of his opening bar and nut inside ya eye, to show you where I come from. Busta Rhymes became my favorite rapper the second I heard his verse. Dinco D and Charlie Brown will always have free drinks around me because of their contributions. And Q-Tip showed his versatility by going back and forth with Busta.

This is the greatest rap song ever. I'll fight about it.

So that's the tape. What an ending!

It turns out that a song called Georgie Porgie was originally on the album, but was rejected by the label because of its hoophobia. The track was eventually rewritten as Show Business. I never heard it so I looked it up and just listened to it.

Man...I did not need to hear Phife and Q-tip spouting gay-bashing lyrics. But you can if you want. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, considering Lord Jamar, King of the Homophobes, is on the song, but it damn near broke my heart.

I'm so glad they kept it off the album. I'm sure they're happy, too. The omission of this atrocious song allows the album to maintain its perfection.This is probably the first and only case where a label actually made an album better. See, modern rappers? You don't need to release every single thing you do. Sometimes less is more. Get someone to tell you when your song sucks. I am available for hire.

I owe a lot to this album. It got me through much of my young life and opened my eyes to so much great music. I can listen to it at any time and it transports me to a place of comfort and peace. And the damn thing just knocks, even to this day.


5 THUGS out of 5

I Love You All...Class Dismissed.