December 26, 1996
With all the press received by the gangsta factions, it's no wonder hip-hop has such a deservedly poor reputation. Misogyny, violence and homophobia wear thin after about 30 seconds; however, there is an alternative. A Tribe Called Quest are not the only ambassadors of positivity in the hip hop arena, but their astonishing lyrical agility and amazing bass hooks make them the finest.
The Low End Theory is A Tribe Called Quest's finest moment, a front-to-back masterpiece that offers deeply satisfying grooves and raps which stand up to repeated listening. Masters of metaphor, A Tribe Called Quest write dense raps that border on spoken word poetry in their use of staggered and internal rhymes, assonance, alliteration and impeccable verbal timing.
The music itself isn't the angry, overdone in-your-face style of so much modern hip-hop; The Low End Theory rolls along in a deep and jazzy river of sound, with waves of samples from the Blue Note catalogue and even live instrumentation. Check out the brilliant melodicism of jazz bassist Ron Carter on "Verses From the Abstract" - improvising between the heavy beats, he is forced to recontextualize his jazz licks within a funky hip-hop framework, signaling a true fusion of the two styles.
The cool, shimmering organ on "Vibes and Stuff", the call-and-response of horns and rappers on "Check the Rhime" and the tension between the hard, bright skins and thick bass line of "Jazz (we've got)" all display the Tribe's intelligence, sharp cultural observations and visionary style. With Q-Tip's Godiva chocolate-smooth voice and laid back delivery, this is a finely crafted and perfectly executed jazzy hip hop peak that has not been equaled since. As one of the best albums of the genre, The Low End Theory is essential for anyone who wants to understand what rap is capable of.
- Jared O'Connor
A hip-hop watershed