| A Tribe Called Quest - "The Love Movement" Jive | |
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The fifth and final album. After all these years, Tribe
are breaking up. Three classic albums, a new sound that
changed hip hop. The Native Tongues. Even pop-crossover
success that brought with it an influx of all kinds of
fans. The previous album "Beats, Rhymes and Life" wasn't
as popular as the first three, mainly due to the crew's
new direction and maturity. This resulted in R&B collaborations
with luminaries such as Tammy Lucas and Faith Evans. Long
time fans felt lost in this new aesthetic. But now the
fifth album is here, and as the title suggests, it is
based all around that forbidden four-letter word.
L-O-V-E.
Different aspects are explored, the obvious one being found in the first single "Find A Way", describing a crush on a girl. Q-Tip and Phife trade rhymes over the minimalist beat, being both catchy and witty at the same time. Throughout the album, the beats have been stripped down and laid bare. Jazzy in parts, harder in others. In some songs this approach is effective, in others it is their bane. Some sing-song hooks are employed, such as on "Give Me" with that Queens soldier Noreaga making yet another guest appearance. Where this hook is pleasant here, it's played out call and response version on "Like It Like That" is too familiar and detracts from the overall composition. A similar love for blessing the M-I-C is displayed impeccably on "The Love". "Steppin' It Up" unites Tribe with Busta Rhymes and Redman joins in the frolicks as they lay down the love for their boys. Despite featuring quite a few artists, both established and new, notably Mos Def on "Rock Rock Y'all", Tribe are never out-shone by their guests, holding it down and show their quality. Phife and Tip pass the mic like cats pass a joint. They have great chemistry (just check the single or "Against the World"), attesting to the years that they have been together. Most of the album features laid-back production, eschewing the hard-hitting sound of say, a "Scenario", which can get tiresome after a while, but most of the songs are short, the album clocking in at just under 50 minutes containing 15 tracks. The production has evolved since the first album, though many would say not for the better. But don't forget, this is their fifth album, and they've already laid their name in the annals of the Hip Hop Hall of Fame, so to speak, and cannot be expected to match perfection so many times. Three times lucky perhaps? Or just plain hard work. Either way, they have never dropped a wack album, and this one does grow on you. - Roni |
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