What do we think of "The Low End Theory" by A Tribe Called Quest?

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C.L.A.S.S.I.C.

easily one of the 10 best rap albums in history.

― Regular John (Regular John), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:35 (twenty years ago)

No.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:36 (twenty years ago)

thanks for the recommendation :-D

― +-++--++, Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:36 (twenty years ago)

Did you know that Ali Shaheed Muhammed was in a band before Lucy Ford?

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:38 (twenty years ago)

it's a decent album, it's got a tune or two that aren't on the greatest hits and are worth owning, there's little that's bad and a few standouts, the vibe is nice but not totally unbroken, but it's got neither the amateur charm of the earlier stuff or the skills/hooks of the later stuff. the best song arguably doesn't fit in with the album. it's rare that I'll put it on.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:40 (twenty years ago)

I've been listening to this a lot the last 2 weeks, and yeah, it's quite genius.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:41 (twenty years ago)

it's their Check Your Head - seminal step out of adolescence, but not necessarily all that good

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:41 (twenty years ago)

Haven't listened to it in at least 10 years and not sure if I'm missing out.

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:41 (twenty years ago)

...uh, by which I mean Lucy Pearl. Sorry.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:42 (twenty years ago)

C.L.A.S.S.I.C. =
http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?Acronym=CLASSIC&Find=find&string=exact

― Martin Van Buren (Martin Van Buren), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:42 (twenty years ago)

that whole rap=the new jazz! thing never really went anywhere did it... (altho this record is great)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:46 (twenty years ago)

also, I gotta say, Phife really never did much for me early on

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:49 (twenty years ago)

"we" think it sucks

― Alex in Baghdad, Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:50 (twenty years ago)

"We" think it's marvelous and song for song their best album (although Midnight Marauders comes close).

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:50 (twenty years ago)

Phife is 100x better on this record than he is on the debut.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:51 (twenty years ago)

don't kiss and tell, gabbneb!!

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:51 (twenty years ago)

"Midnight marauders" is slightly better but it's the shit.

Some dope b sides before and after "low end.." like "if the papes come", "scenario" remix and "hot sex" too.

― Ron Passantino, Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:51 (twenty years ago)

it's aight, Tracey, he got my juices on down the road when he started slurring like a depressed Ma$e

my favorite song is, like, "vibes and stuff," and stuff

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:55 (twenty years ago)

we agree with alfred.

― deeej, Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:56 (twenty years ago)

its definitely their best (MM is good but I lose interest towards the end)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 20 April 2006 17:58 (twenty years ago)

Haven't heard Midnight Marauders so far? Is it good? Better than Theory?

― Regular John (Regular John), Thursday, 20 April 2006 18:38 (twenty years ago)

regular john, are you like 6 or 60?

― STRAIGHT FERN GULLY (jaxon), Thursday, 20 April 2006 18:42 (twenty years ago)

Midnight Marauders is better
better rhymes and better production
still it's a good album

― what whatw, Thursday, 20 April 2006 18:44 (twenty years ago)

midnight marauders always seemed better to me, but only because I heard it first and it's the one imprinted on my brain. but this one is good too

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 20 April 2006 19:12 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I like Midnight Maruarders a lot more. But Low End is still good. And I bought the first one on cassette when it first came out so I don't have the "first one I heard" thing going.

I guess I always thought that the consensus is that Low End is the undeniable classic and I was a pariah for thinking Mauraders is better but apparently I'm not.

― joygoat (joygoat), Thursday, 20 April 2006 19:19 (twenty years ago)

I gotta agree with Alfred. Fantastic album..

― Harrison Barr (Petar), Thursday, 20 April 2006 20:12 (twenty years ago)

it's fucking awesome, top to bottom. maybe it's in my top ten, maybe not. i dunno.

― gear (gear), Thursday, 20 April 2006 20:14 (twenty years ago)

Incredible album, front to back. It's probably in my top ten. It's so smooth.

― Harpal (harpal), Thursday, 20 April 2006 20:19 (twenty years ago)

TS: Low End Theory vs. Brand New Heavies "Heavy Rhyme Experience Vol 1"

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 20 April 2006 20:25 (twenty years ago)

"that whole rap=the new jazz! thing never really went anywhere did it."

Dj Premier, Evil Dee, Pete Rock, The Roots, Madlib, virtually all NYC rap for four or five years, west coast and east coast underground hip-hop for a half decade. I'm not saying that it isn't currently passe, or that it wasn't a bit limited as an aesthetic guiding light, but the idea has sprouted a lot of great hip-hop.

I'm hesitant to respond because I half-way think that you're joking. But even if you are joking, it's a point worth repeating in full I guess.

― s>c>, Thursday, 20 April 2006 22:19 (twenty years ago)

DIGABLE PLANETS

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 20 April 2006 22:20 (twenty years ago)

Digable Planets? Oof. Low End Theory sounded incredibly fresh when it came out (same week as Check Your Head, I believe). But to me, People's Instinctive Travels and Midnight Marauders have aged a bit better.

― sympathizer (sympathizer), Friday, 21 April 2006 00:00 (twenty years ago)

This was the soundtrack to my fifteenth year. At one point that year, my cd case was stolen, but I hardly cared, because I still had The Low End Theory. It was in my cd player. It rarely left my cd player. It was the only cd I really needed. And yeah, Digible Planets suck.

― Rodney's motives are beyond the comprehension of men (R. J. Greene), Friday, 21 April 2006 05:05 (twenty years ago)

Every bit as good as everyone says it is. Probably better.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 21 April 2006 05:10 (twenty years ago)

u guys are out of your minds wrt digable sucking. their second album is as good or better than anything tribe put out

― BROSAMA (jaxon), Friday, 21 April 2006 05:12 (twenty years ago)

I donno if I'd go that far but yeah digable planets def do not suck, both albums are good, the 2nd one is great.

― deeej, Friday, 21 April 2006 06:28 (twenty years ago)

deej OTM - Blowout Comb is a killer.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 21 April 2006 14:56 (twenty years ago)

DP's "Examination of What" has been a mix-tape staple for some five years or so...

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Friday, 21 April 2006 15:03 (twenty years ago)

Word to "blowout comb". All the other Digable stuff is pretty gay tho.

I never liked "what?" off "low end theory". Hate that song.

― Tim Passantino, Friday, 21 April 2006 15:07 (twenty years ago)

My stoner friends used to vouch for Blowout Comb, and the arrangements are great, but Reachin' is still miles better.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 21 April 2006 15:24 (twenty years ago)

"back in the days when i was a teenager" this album was blowing my mind. After a recent listen it doesn't hold up guite as well as Midnight Marauders. well, there I go agreeing with the common consensuses. damn..i actually thought i had something new to add this time...

― samski, Friday, 21 April 2006 21:09 (twenty years ago)

Reachin is uneven, "Rebirth of Slick" is pretty corny and I don't like it, with that goteed bearded white dude in the video? nasty. "Where I'm From" is dope though.

― deeej, Friday, 21 April 2006 21:14 (twenty years ago)

this is the perfect album to listen when you have a head cold.

― Christopher Costello (CGC), Friday, 21 April 2006 21:16 (twenty years ago)

the "Rebirth of Slick" video is ROFFLICIOUS. sure its the tune that made me buy it, but in retrospect no way is it even close to the best song on the album.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 21 April 2006 21:34 (twenty years ago)

utterly classic.

― arjun (arjun), Saturday, 22 April 2006 02:59 (twenty years ago)

I find most of the songs on MM that weren't singles boring, and can recite most of The Low End Theory verbatim, so Low End wins.

― Rodney's motives are beyond the comprehension of men (R. J. Greene), Saturday, 22 April 2006 04:57 (twenty years ago)

i'm listening to it right now - classic, definitely. "jazz (we've got)" is genious.

― Grand (grand), Friday, 5 May 2006 19:04 (twenty years ago)

This album is the best Tribe album by a good long way and is EASILY one of my favorite albums of all time; actually this album means almost as much to me as Loveless means to Ned.

― Dan (EXCURSIONS!) Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 5 May 2006 20:33 (twenty years ago)

Dan OTM. This album is one of my touchstones.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 5 May 2006 20:45 (twenty years ago)

It is my second favorite ATCQ behind Marauders but I love it very much.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 5 May 2006 20:47 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 53 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

can't we all just get along?

NO, WE NEED TO FUCKING TAKE PEOPLE THE FUCK APART BASED ON 5 WORD PHRASES THEY POSTED ON MESSAGE BOARDS.

― Richard Wood Johnson, Wednesday, 15 August 2007 16:51 (eighteen years ago)

Which 5 words?

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 15 August 2007 17:01 (eighteen years ago)

"B** H*** a** t** s*********"

― Alex in Baltimore, Wednesday, 15 August 2007 17:06 (eighteen years ago)

not as much as Redhead Kingpin & the FBI though

srsly you are the MAN

― HI DERE, Wednesday, 15 August 2007 17:18 (eighteen years ago)

Which 5 words?

i'm just saying that all the bullshit that goes on on message boards where people take one sentence that someone else says and then use it to deconstruct the fuck out of them to prove to everyone how they have deep rooted psychological issues, are racists, misogynists, hypocrites, have messianic complexes, and have altogether fucked up ways of looking at the world-- well, I just think that these pseudo-academic armchair psychological diagnoses are really lame. And they happen all the fucking time.

― Richard Wood Johnson, Wednesday, 15 August 2007 17:23 (eighteen years ago)

And hey, you did it with only 3 words, good for you.

― Alex in Baltimore, Wednesday, 15 August 2007 17:26 (eighteen years ago)

why is nude spock posting on a tribe called quest thread

― and what, Wednesday, 15 August 2007 17:35 (eighteen years ago)

waht

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 15 August 2007 17:35 (eighteen years ago)

three months pass...

amazing album.

"back in the days when I was a teenager, before I had status and before I had a pager...."

― Bo Jackson Overdrive, Thursday, 6 December 2007 00:39 (eighteen years ago)

seven months pass...

the pager is integral to his self assessment of his status level.

― res, Thursday, 10 July 2008 17:45 (seventeen years ago)

"never eat a pig cuz a pig is a cop"

dope album

― and what, Thursday, 10 July 2008 17:53 (seventeen years ago)

"everybody's rapping like it's a commercial / acting like life is a big commercial"

phife's lines are classic on this

― and what, Thursday, 10 July 2008 17:55 (seventeen years ago)

this thread was truly the apex of ringtone butthurt

― some dude, Thursday, 10 July 2008 17:56 (seventeen years ago)

i thought it was the apex of meaningless conversation

― deej, Thursday, 10 July 2008 18:15 (seventeen years ago)

no i'm sure that's one of the Plies/goons convos

― some dude, Thursday, 10 July 2008 18:17 (seventeen years ago)

goooons

― and what, Thursday, 10 July 2008 18:18 (seventeen years ago)

its definitely their best (MM is good but I lose interest towards the end)
-- Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, April 20, 2006 1:58 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Link

i love the last three songs

― carne asada, Thursday, 10 July 2008 18:25 (seventeen years ago)

when Q Tip says that line about "Meredith biggety-Baxter Bunry," Oh shit lookout

― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Thursday, 10 July 2008 18:31 (seventeen years ago)

welcome back richard wood johnson

― and what, Thursday, 10 July 2008 18:36 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

http://www.cocaineblunts.com/blunts/?p=4933

― steenpunk (The Reverend), Thursday, 19 November 2009 09:09 (sixteen years ago)

"everybody's rapping like it's a commercial / acting like life is a big commercial"

this is beastie boys not phife

anyway classic LP

― lukevalentine, Friday, 20 November 2009 23:52 (sixteen years ago)

No.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 20 April 2006 18:36 (3 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

finally sb this guy.

― a hoy hoy, Friday, 20 November 2009 23:53 (sixteen years ago)

also sb tribe for that homophobic shit. bloody hell!

― a hoy hoy, Saturday, 21 November 2009 00:00 (sixteen years ago)

tribe is homophobic? i got lost

― lukevalentine, Saturday, 21 November 2009 00:28 (sixteen years ago)

midnight marauders is probably a better rap album, and a better place to start for hip-hop listeners who are unfamiliar with ATCQ's oeuvre... Low End Theory is more jazzy/bop sounding and less commercial appeal "My pops used to say, it reminded him of be-bop"

although "scenario" is straight fire

― lukevalentine, Saturday, 21 November 2009 00:35 (sixteen years ago)

i don't really buy that tbh, Low End doesn't really have more jazz loops than a ton of other rap records from that era, it's just the one that has the words "FEATURING RON CARTER" in the liner notes and a song called "Jazz," and when you get down to it it's just a straight up rap album and a pretty damn commercial/accessible one

― dan me, perryhole (some dude), Saturday, 21 November 2009 00:41 (sixteen years ago)

midnight marauders is also full of jazz loops

― ice cr?m hand job (deej), Saturday, 21 November 2009 00:42 (sixteen years ago)

which a lot of times were also R&B/fusion/dance records as well

― ice cr?m hand job (deej), Saturday, 21 November 2009 00:43 (sixteen years ago)

luke: check the link I posted a couple days ago

― lyrically launched salvo on a plethora of esteemed artist (The Reverend), Saturday, 21 November 2009 01:24 (sixteen years ago)

this record is great & very accessible - people have to invent ways for great things to be less than great in order to keep life interesting

and buggin out doesn't get enough love

― a dimension you can only access through self-immolation (contenderizer), Saturday, 21 November 2009 01:47 (sixteen years ago)

That linked song is a major bummer. I've never heard a rap song, any kind of song really ENTIRELY dedicated to dissing a hypothetical friend because he's a faggot.

― Jenny-Bea Englishman (Whitey on the Moon), Saturday, 21 November 2009 01:55 (sixteen years ago)

And people were getting offended at MF Doom's "Batty Boyz" lol

― Jenny-Bea Englishman (Whitey on the Moon), Saturday, 21 November 2009 01:56 (sixteen years ago)

that song is so ridic

― ice cr?m hand job (deej), Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:02 (sixteen years ago)

missed the point of this revive in pursuit of logging my 2c

jesus that song's fucking horrible in every way

― a dimension you can only access through self-immolation (contenderizer), Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:03 (sixteen years ago)

“You can call me homophobic but I know it and you know it/ you’re filthy and funny to the utmost, never will I do that/ disrespect my mommy/so run and hide the salami”

― jØrdån (omar little), Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:04 (sixteen years ago)

whats (somewhat) funny about this is that 'show business' ended up being iconic as a hating-on-the-industry track ... like, reverberated throughout hip hop for ages ... & it was basically inspired by one of the better decisions a record label has probably ever made

― ice cr?m hand job (deej), Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:04 (sixteen years ago)

one for which they should thank god every damn day

― a dimension you can only access through self-immolation (contenderizer), Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:07 (sixteen years ago)

"positive rap" was a good disguise for them commercially speaking

― jØrdån (omar little), Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:08 (sixteen years ago)

for real. their fanbase is pretty wide, but with a high proportion of people who are real turned off by this kind of crap. They would be seen in a completely different light if that track came out on the album

― Jenny-Bea Englishman (Whitey on the Moon), Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:16 (sixteen years ago)

you guys have pretty well convinced me not to listen to something that could taint my view of possibly my favorite rap album of all time

― dan me, perryhole (some dude), Saturday, 21 November 2009 15:59 (sixteen years ago)

there is no 'could' about it -- this is the most explicitly homophobic rap song ive ever heard

― ice cr?m hand job (deej), Saturday, 21 November 2009 16:04 (sixteen years ago)

― 311 is a joek (s1ocki), Saturday, 21 November 2009 16:13 (sixteen years ago)

maggie gallagher's favorite hip-hop track, basically. buju banton's #1 quest track. etc

― jØrdån (omar little), Saturday, 21 November 2009 16:38 (sixteen years ago)

Didn't Q-Tip fuck Tom Cruise?

― Niles Crane (Niles Caulder), Saturday, 21 November 2009 16:49 (sixteen years ago)

waht

― Jenny-Bea Englishman (Whitey on the Moon), Sunday, 22 November 2009 01:13 (sixteen years ago)

If exchanging fluids via the body of Nicole Kidman counts

― President Keyes, Sunday, 22 November 2009 01:45 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

20 years old today

― sorry for party blogging (D-40), Saturday, 24 September 2011 19:18 (fourteen years ago)

awesome

― some dude, Saturday, 24 September 2011 19:24 (fourteen years ago)

back in the days when I was a teenager

― Euler, Saturday, 24 September 2011 19:52 (fourteen years ago)

one month passes...

phife dawg is gonna earn his red wings tonight.
590nanometers 8 hours ago

― The Reverend, Tuesday, 25 October 2011 06:32 (fourteen years ago)

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