| The Low End Theory | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by A Tribe Called Quest | ||||
| Released | September 24, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990-1991, Battery Studios, Greene Street Studios, Soundtrack Studios, and Jazzy Jay Studio. | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop, jazz rap | |||
| Length | 48:03 | |||
| Label | Jive/RCA Records 1418-J |
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| Producer | A Tribe Called Quest, Skeff Anselm, Pete Rock | |||
| A Tribe Called Quest chronology | ||||
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The Low End Theory is the second album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released on September 24, 1991 through Jive Records, the album produced three singles: "Check the Rhime," "Jazz (We've Got)," and "Scenario."
Contents |
After A Tribe Called Quest's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), Jarobi White left the group to study culinary art. Phife Dawg learned that he was diabetic a month after the album's release and after a discussion with fellow member Q-Tip, they agreed to increase his participation on their second album and to "step it up in general as a group."[1] Q-Tip credited N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton (1988) as an inspiration for the record.[2]
The group hired double bassist Ron Carter on the track "Verses from the Abstract". Q-Tip stated, "We wanted that straight bass sound, and Ron Carter is one of the premier bassists of the century."[3] Carter agreed to record tracks on the condition that the group avoid profanity, to which Q-tip assured they were addressing "real issues".[4]
When asked by critics and interviewers if he was afraid of a "sophomore failure", Q-Tip responded by saying "'Sophomore failure?' What the fuck does that mean? Fuck that, I'm doing Low End Theory."[5]
The Low End Theory was one of the first records to fuse hip hop with a laid-back jazz atmosphere. Ali Shaheed Muhammad along with Q-Tip and Phife Dawg showcase how rap was done before commercial success influenced many rappers' creativity.[6] The album's minimalist sound is "stripped to the essentials: vocals, drums, and bass."[7] The bass drum and vocals emphasize the downbeat on every track.[8]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [9] |
| BBC | Favorable[10] |
| Robert Christgau | [11] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B)[12] |
| PopMatters | Favorable[13] |
| RapReviews | (10/10)[14] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
| The Source | Favorable[16] |
| Spin | [17] |
| Yahoo! Music | Favorable[18] |
| The Source | [19] |
The Low End Theory helped shape alternative hip hop in the 1990s.[20][21] It established the musical, cultural, and historical link between hip hop and jazz.[22] The album was considered an instant classic with a 5 mics rating in The Source. Reviewer Reef lauded their "progressive sound" and "streetwise edge".[23] Writer Oliver Wang called the album "a consummate link between generations", which took the essence of jazz and hip hop, and "showing they originated from the same black center."[24] The group's "mellow innovations" helped jazz rap gain significant exposure from 1992 to 1993.[25] Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 154 in "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", stating that "people connected the dots between hip-hop and jazz -- both were revolutionary forms of black music based in improvisation and flow -- but A Tribe Called Quest's second album drew the entire picture."[26]
In Time magazine's "ALL-TIME 100" albums, Josh Tyrangiel called the record an exception to jazz rap often being "wishful thinking on the part of critics". He described the album as "socially conscious without being dull" and likened a few tracks to "smoky rooms where cool guys ... say cool things."[27]The Low End Theory was voted at number thirty-two in The Village Voice's 1991 Pazz & Jop critics poll.[28] Allmusic writer John Bush, who declared it "the most consistent and flowing hip-hop album ever recorded",[29] summed up the record as "an unqualified success, the perfect marriage of intelligent, flowing raps to nuanced, groove-centered productions."[30] On February 1, 1995, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album platinum.[31] In 2005, comedian Chris Rock ranked it ninth on his Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums. Electronica artist James Lavelle cited The Low End Theory as one of his favorite albums.[32]
All songs produced by A Tribe Called Quest, except "Show Business" and "Everything Is Fair", produced by Skeff Anselm and co-produced by A Tribe Called Quest.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Excursions" | Jonathan Davis | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Buggin' Out" | Davis, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Malik Taylor | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Rap Promoter" | Davis, Muhammad | 2:13 |
| 4. | "Butter" | Davis, Muhammad, Taylor | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Verses from the Abstract" (featuring Vinia Mojica and Ron Carter on double bass) | Davis | 3:59 |
| 6. | "Show Business" (featuring Diamond D, Lord Jamar and Sadat X) | Skeff Anselm, Davis, Lorenzo Dechalus, Joseph Kirkland, Muhammad, Derrick Murphy, Taylor | 3:53 |
| 7. | "Vibes and Stuff" | Davis, Taylor | 4:18 |
| 8. | "The Infamous Date Rape" | Davis, Muhammad, Taylor | 2:54 |
| 9. | "Check the Rhime" | Davis, Muhammad, Taylor | 3:36 |
| 10. | "Everything Is Fair" | Anselm, Davis, Muhammad, Taylor | 2:58 |
| 11. | "Jazz (We've Got)" | Davis, Muhammad, Taylor | 4:09 |
| 12. | "Skypager" | Davis, Muhammad, Taylor | 2:13 |
| 13. | "What?" | Davis | 2:29 |
| 14. | "Scenario" (featuring Busta Rhymes,Charlie Brown and Dinco D of Leaders of the New School) | Davis, Bryan Higgins, James Jackson, Muhammad, Trevor Smith, Taylor | 4:10 |
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| Charts (1991)[33][34][35] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 58 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 45 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 13 |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions[36] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
| 1991 | "Check the Rhime" | — | 60 | 1 | 28 |
| "Jazz (We've Got)" | — | — | 19 | — | |
| 1992 | "Scenario" | 57 | 42 | 6 | 34 |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Arizona Republic | U.S. | 8 Albums That VH1 Missed | 2001 | * |
| BigO | Singapore | The 100 Best Albums from 1975 to 1995 | 1995 | 78 |
| Blender Magazine | U.S. | The 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time | 2002 | 53 |
| Dance de Lux | Spain | The 25 Best Hip-Hop Records | 2001 | 10 |
| Ego Trip | U.S. | Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980-98 | 1999 | 2 |
| Fast 'n' Bulbous | U.S. | The 500 Best Albums Since 1965 | * | |
| Juice | Australia | The 100 (+34) Greatest Albums of the 90s | 1999 | 61 |
| Kitsap Sun | U.S. | Top 200 Albums of the Last 40 Years | 2005 | 151 |
| LostAtSea | U.S. | 90 Albums of the 90's | 2000 | 72 |
| Mojo | U.K. | The Mojo Collection, Third Edition | 2003 | * |
| Music Underwater | U.S. | Top 100 Albums 1990-2003 | 2004 | 53 |
| Paul Morley | UK | Words and Music, 5 x 100 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | * |
| Pitchfork Media | U.S. | Top 100 Favorite Records of the 1990s | 2003 | 56 |
| Robert Dimery | U.S. | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die | 2005 | * |
| Rock de Lux | Spain | The 150 Best Albums from the 90s | 2000 | 128 |
| Rolling Stone (guest article by Chris Rock) |
USA | Top 25 Hip- Hop Albums [1] | 2005 | 9 |
| Rolling Stone | U.S. | 100 Best Albums of the 90s[37] | 2010 | 36 |
| Rolling Stone | U.S. | The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | 154 |
| Rolling Stone | U.S. | The Essential Recordings of the 90's | 1999 | * |
| Spex | Germany | The 100 Albums of the Century | 1999 | 10 |
| Spin | U.S. | 100 Alternative Albums | 1995 | 87 |
| Spin | U.S. | Top 100 (+5) Albums of the Last 20 Years | 2005 | 38 |
| Spin | U.S. | Top 90 Albums of the 90's | 1999 | 32 |
| Stereophile | U.S. | Top 40 (+94) Essential Albums | 2002 | * |
| The Source | U.S. | The Source 100 best Hip-Hop Albums of All Time | 1998 | * |
| TIME | U.S. | The All-TIME 100 Albums | 2006 | * |
| Vibe | U.S. | 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century | 1999 | * |
| Vibe | U.S. | 51 Albums Representing a Generation, a Sound and a Movement | 2004 | * |
| Zundfunk | Germany | The Best Albums of the 90's | 2000 | 16 |
Information taken from Allmusic.[38]
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