The Low End Theory

by A Tribe Called Quest

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Continuing our celebration of 50 Years of Hip Hop, the 1991 groundbreaking second album by A Tribe Called Quest is an essential addition to any music fan's collection. With poetic lyrics and incredible instrumentals, The Low End Theory set itself apart from other hip hop albums of the time. "Scenario," the final track on the album, introduced a soon-to-be legend Busta Rhymes to the masses and is the perfect ending to a perfect album.

While most of the players in the jazz-rap movement never quite escaped the pasted-on qualities of their vintage samples, with The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest created one of the closest and most brilliant fusions of jazz atmosphere and hip-hop attitude ever recorded. The rapping by Q-Tip and Phife Dawg could be the smoothest of any rap record ever heard; the pair are so in tune with each other, they sound like flip sides of the same personality, fluidly trading off on rhymes, with the former earning his nickname (the Abstract) and Phife concerning himself with the more concrete issues of being young, gifted, and black. The trio also takes on the rap game with a pair of hard-hitting tracks: "Rap Promoter" and "Show Business," the latter a lyrical soundclash with Q-Tip and Phife plus Brand Nubian's Diamond D, Lord Jamar, and Sadat X. The woman problem gets investigated as well, on two realistic yet sensitive tracks, "Butter" and "The Infamous Date Rape." The productions behind these tracks aren't quite skeletal, but they're certainly not complex. Instead, Tribe weaves little more than a stand-up bass (sampled or, on one track, jazz luminary Ron Carter) and crisp, live-sounding drum programs with a few deftly placed samples or electric keyboards. It's a tribute to their unerring production sense that, with just those few tools, Tribe produced one of the best hip-hop albums in history, a record that sounds better with each listen. The Low End Theory is an unqualified success, the perfect marriage of intelligent, flowing raps to nuanced, groove-centered productions. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	11/08/2024
Label:	Jive / Sbme Europe
UPC:	0194399375419
Rank:	178066

Album Credits

Performance Credits

A Tribe Called Quest   Primary Artist,Co-Producer
Charlie Brown   Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Busta Rhymes   Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Brand Nubian   Guest Artist
Diamond D   Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Ron Carter   Guest Artist,Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Phife Dawg   Vocals
Dinco D.   Vocals,Featured Artist
Leaders of the New School   Vocals
Sadat X   Vocals,Featured Artist
Lord Jamar   Featured Artist
Q-Tip   Vocals
Ms. Vinia   Vocals
Lord Jammar   Vocals

Technical Credits

Alan Gorrie   Composer
Malik Taylor   Composer
Anthony Saunders   Engineer
Tim Latham   Engineer
Tom Coyne   Mastering
Skeff Anselm   Composer,Producer
Lorenzo Dechalus   Composer
Jonathan Davis   Composer
Skip Anselm   Composer
Steve Ferrone   Composer
Bob Power   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
B. Higgins   Composer
The Last Poets   Performer
J. Taylor   Composer
J. Kirkland   Composer
Christopher Shaw   Engineer
D. Murphy   Composer
Eric Gast   Engineer
Rod Hui   Engineer
Roger Ball   Composer
Q-Tip   Composer
Joe Grant   Photography
Ali Shaheed Muhammad   DJ,Composer
A Tribe Called Quest   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
A. Muhammad   Composer
P. Jackson   Composer
Owen McIntyre   Composer
Pete Christensen   Engineer
Jesse Kirkland   Composer
M. Taylor   Composer
Jamey Staub   Engineer
Malcolm Duncan   Composer
Gerard Julien   Engineer
Bryan Higgins   Composer
Zombart JK   Design
Marc Singleton   Engineer
Jim Kvoriac   Engineer
Dan Wood   Engineer
Jame Stuart   Composer
James Jackson   Composer
Trevor Smith   Composer