The Low End Theory
Album by A Tribe Called Quest
Released	September 24, 1991
Recorded	1991
Genre	Alternative hip hop
Length	48:03
Label	Jive Records
Producer(s)	A Tribe Called Quest, Skeff Anselm, Diamond D
Professional reviews
All Music Guide (5/5) link
A Tribe Called Quest chronology
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)	The Low End Theory (1991)	Midnight Marauders (1993)

The Low End Theory is the critically acclaimed alternative hip hop second album by A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991 (see 1991 in music) on Jive Records. With the pairing of Q-Tip and Phife Dawg's lyrics, at turns socially charged, abstract and concretely grounded in reality, with groovy jazz samples, the album includes guests Brand Nubian, Diamond D. and Leaders of the New School. The beats are widely different from the-then about-to-explode G funk sound being pioneered on the West Coast, and shares more of an influence with East Coast artists like Public Enemy. With dominant basslines and sampled jazz horn solos, The Low End Theory has a distinctive sound that met the high expectations after their critically acclaimed debut People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. The Low End Theory includes instrumental work from several pioneering musicians, including upright bassist Ron Carter ("Verses from the Abstract"). Cover of the A Tribe Called Quest album The Low End Theory. ... An album is a collection of related audio tracks, released together commercially in an audio format to the public. ... A Tribe Called Quest was an influential rap group of the 1990s. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Alternative hip hop or Underground rap is a style of hip hop music distinguished by artists who either chose or are simply not able to break into the commercial hip hop scene. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Jive Records is an American record label that specializes in producing and releasing pop and hip hop music. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A Tribe Called Quest was an influential rap group of the 1990s. ... Diamond D (real name, Joseph Kirkland) is a hip-hop record producer and remixer from The Bronx, New York City. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... A Tribe Called Quest was an influential rap group of the 1990s. ... Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is the debut alternative hip hop album by A Tribe Called Quest, released on April 17, 1990 (see 1990 in music). ... Midnight Marauders is an alternative hip hop album by A Tribe Called Quest, released on November 9, 1993 (see 1993 in music). ... Alternative hip hop or Underground rap is a style of hip hop music distinguished by artists who either chose or are simply not able to break into the commercial hip hop scene. ... A Tribe Called Quest was an influential rap group of the 1990s. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1990 in music, other events of 1991, 1992 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music // Events 1991 was the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. ... Jive Records is an American record label that specializes in producing and releasing pop and hip hop music. ... Q-Tip (born Jonathan Davis on April 10, 1970 in New York City), is an American rapper, actor, and hip hop producer, and is the former leader of the group A Tribe Called Quest. ... Phife Dawg (born Malik Taylor on April 20, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper who was a member of the acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. ... In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion of one sound recording, the sample, and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording. ... Brand Nubian is a hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York. ... The Leaders of the New School were an American hip hop crew composed of Long Island, New York natives Charlie Brown, Dinco D, Busta Rhymes and Cut Monitor Milo. ... G-funk (Gangsta-funk or Ghetto-funk) is a type of hip hop music that emerged from West Coast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. ... In the 1980s, hip hop music began to break into the mainstream of the United States. ... In the early 1990s, two styles of hip hop were popular. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a seminal hip hop group known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. ... In a symphony orchestra the horn section is the group of musicians who play the horn (sometimes referred to as the French horn). ... Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is the debut alternative hip hop album by A Tribe Called Quest, released on April 17, 1990 (see 1990 in music). ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Ron Carter (born May 4, 1937, Ferndale, Michigan) is an American jazz bassist. ...

Topics include the music industry's exploitation of musicians ("Rap Promoter", "Show Business"), music ("Excursions"), date rape ("The Infamous Date Rape"), violence in hip hop ("Vibes and Stuff") and the beauty of jazz ("Jazz (We've Got)"). The title Date Rape is a very general term which has come to represent some very different situations. ... Violence refers to acts of aggression and abuse which causes or intends to cause criminal injury or harm to persons, and (to a lesser extent) animals and property. ... Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. ...

Critical Reception & Influence

The Low End Theory ranked #154 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, ranked #32 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s", and was the album of the year for Spex magazine (also #10 on the 100 Albums of the Century). more awards. It also made it onto the unordered Top 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time (The Source), 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century (Vibe magazine) and Essential Recordings of the 90s (Rolling Stone). // History John Lennon - RS 1 (November 9, 1967)How I Won the War Film Still Founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason, Rolling Stone was initially identified with and reported on the hippie counterculture of the... The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003. ... Spin is a music magazine that reports on all the music that rocks. Founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. ... Spex may refer to: An abbreviation of specifications, more commonly spelled as specs. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For the Pontiac brand car Vibe, see Pontiac Vibe. ... This article is about the music magazine. ...

The Low End Theory became a watershed album in the history of hip hop. The album established alternative rap as a definable genre, distinguished by aware, often abstract or political lyrics, and a light-hearted sense of humor, along with jazz and other unusual sampling sources. The Low End Theory transformed alternative hip hop, leading the way from the jazzy pioneers like De La Soul towards future artists like Common and The Roots. The song "Scenario" helped break future hip hop star Busta Rhymes into the mainstream, partially as a result of its popular music video on MTV. Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music. ... De La Soul is a massively influential hip hop group, hailing from Long Island, New York. ... Common (formerly Common Sense, born Rashid Lynn on March 13, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Chicago-based hip hop artist known for lyrics that focus on love and spirituality. ... The Roots, also known as The Legend/The Legendary, The Fifth Dynasty and The Foundation, are an influential, Grammy winning Philadelphia-based hip hop group, famed for innovative lyrics and live instrumentation. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A music video (also promo) is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... MTV: Music Television is a young adult cable television network headquartered in New York City. ...

Accolades

• Blender Magazine - The 100 Greatest American Albums of All time (2002) 53#

• Ego Trip - Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980-98 (1999) 2#

• Kitsap Sun - Top 200 Albums of the Last 40 Years (2005) 151#

• LostAtSea - 90 Albums of the 90s (2000) 72#

• Music Underwater - Top 100 Albums 1990-2003 (2004) 53#

• Nude as the News - The 100 Most Compelling Albums of the 90s (1999) 21#

• Pitchfork - Top 100 Favorite Records of the 1990s (2003) 56#

• Spin - 100 Alternative Albums (1995) 87#

• Spin - Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years (2005) 38#

• Spin - Top 90 Albums of the 90s (1999) 32#

Track listing

1. Excursions (Q Tip) - 3:53
2. Buggin' Out (Muhammed/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 3:38
3. Rap Promoter (Muhammed/Q Tip) - 2:13
4. Butter (Muhammad/Q Tip) - 3:39
5. Verses from the Abstract (Q Tip) (featuring Vinia Mojica) - 3:59
6. Show Business (Ali/Anselm/Dechalus/Kirkland/Murphy/Q Tip) (featuring Diamond D, Lord Jamar and Sadat X) - 3:53
7. Vibes and Stuff (Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 4:18
8. The Infamous Date Rape (Muhammad/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 2:54
9. Check the Rhime (Ali/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 3:36
10. Everything Is Fair (Ali/Anselm/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 2:59
11. Jazz (We've Got) (Ali/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 4:09
12. Skypager (Ali/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 2:13
13. What? (Q Tip) - 2:29
14. Scenario (Busta Rhymes/Higgins/Jackson/Muhammad/Phife Dawg/Q Tip/Smith) (featuring Leaders of the New School)- 4:10

Jazz (Weve Got) was the second single off of A Tribe Called Quests second album The Low End Theory. ... Vinia Mojica is a female recording artist who began her professional career singing on Hip Hop albums in the early 90s. ... Diamond D (real name, Joseph Kirkland) is a hip-hop record producer and remixer from The Bronx, New York City. ... Check the Rhime was the first single from A Tribe Called Quests second album The Low End Theory. ... Jazz (Weve Got) was the second single off of A Tribe Called Quests second album The Low End Theory. ... Scenario was the third single from A Tribe Called Quests second album The Low End Theory. ... The Leaders of the New School were an American hip hop crew composed of Long Island, New York natives Charlie Brown, Dinco D, Busta Rhymes and Cut Monitor Milo. ...

Music samples

Image File history File links Wegotthejazz. ... What?.oggsound sample of A Tribe Called Quests What? This work is copyrighted. ...

Personnel

• Ron Carter - Bass
• A Tribe Called Quest - Arranger, Producer, Mixing
• Skeff Anselm - Producer
• Charlie Brown
• Busta Rhymes
• Pete Christensen - Engineer
• Diamond D
• Eric Gast - Engineer
• Joe Grant - Photography
• Rod Hui - Engineer
• Gerard Julien - Engineer
• Tim Latham - Engineer
• Ali Shaheed Muhammad - DJ
• Bob Power - Engineer, Mixing
• Q-Tip (rapper) - Vocals
• Anthony Saunders - Engineer
• Jamey Staub - Engineer
• Sadat X
• Lord Jamar
• Vinia Mojica
• Tom Coyne - Mastering
• Jim Kvoriac - Engineer
• Dan Wood - Engineer
• Dinco D.
• Marc Singleton - Engineer
• Zombart JK - Design
• Phife Dawg - Vocals
• Christopher Shaw - Engineer

Ron Carter (born May 4, 1937, Ferndale, Michigan) is an American jazz bassist. ... A Tribe Called Quest was an influential rap group of the 1990s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Diamond D (real name, Joseph Kirkland) is a hip-hop record producer and remixer from The Bronx, New York City. ... Biography Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is a hip-hop DJ who enjoyed moderate fame as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. ... Q-Tip (born Jonathan Davis on April 10, 1970 in New York City), is an American rapper, actor, and hip hop producer, and is the former leader of the group A Tribe Called Quest. ... Vinia Mojica is a female recording artist who began her professional career singing on Hip Hop albums in the early 90s. ... Phife Dawg (born Malik Taylor on April 20, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper who was a member of the acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest. ...

Samples

1. Excursions

• The Last Poets - Time
• The Last Poets - Tribute to Obabi
• Shades of Brown - The Soil I Tilled For You
• Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - A Chant for Bu

2. Buggin' Out The Last Poets are a group of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African American civil rights movements black nationalist thread. ... The Last Poets are a group of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African American civil rights movements black nationalist thread. ... The Jazz Messengers were a jazz ensemble founded by Art Blakey and Horace Silver in 1955. ...

• Jack Direction Dejohnette's - Minya's the Mooch
• Lonnie Smith - Spinning Wheel
• Michael Urbaniak - Ekim

3. Rap Promoter Lonnie Smith is an U.S. baseball player born December 22, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois. ...

• Eric Mercury - Long Way Down
• New Birth - Keep On Doin' It
• Sly and the Family Stone - Stand

4. Butter The New Birth is how John Wesley and Methodism have traditionally referred to the born again experience. ... Sly & The Family Stone, circa 1969. ...

• Eighties Ladies - Turned on to You
• Chuck Jackson - I Like Everything About You
• Gary Bartz - Gentle Smiles
• Weather Report - Young and Fine

5. Verses From the Abstract Chuck Jackson (1937 - ) is an R&B singer who was one of the first artists to successfully record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. ... Gary Bartz (born in 1940) is an American alto and soprano saxophonist. ... Weather Report was an influential jazz fusion band of the 1970s and 1980s. ...

• Heatwave - Star of the Story
• Joe Farrel - Upon This Rock

6. Show Business Heatwave may refer to: Heat_wave - an unseasonal and potentially destructive period of hot weather Heatwave (magazine), a short-lived 1960s anarchist magazine produced in London by Charles Radcliffe. ...

• James Brown - Funky President
• The Fatback Band - Wicky Wacky
• Martin Denny - Midnight Cowboy
• Ferrante & Teicher - Midnight Cowboy

7. Vibes and Stuff James Joseph Brown (born May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina) is an American entertainer recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century music. ... The Fatback Band (later, Fatback) were a 1970s and 80s American funk band. ... Martin Denny (April 10, 1911 - March 2, 2005) is universally known as the founder and reigning king of exotica music, a type of big band music with Latin rhythms and overtones of Pacific Ocean culture that is largely scorned by critics but was extremely popular in the 1950s and 1960s. ... Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 film written by Waldo Salt based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy, and directed by John Schlesinger. ... Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 film written by Waldo Salt based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy, and directed by John Schlesinger. ...

• Grant Green - Down Here on the Ground

8. The Infamous Date Rape Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935, St. ...

• Jackie Jackson - Is it Him or Me?
• Cannonball Adderly Quintet - The Steam Drill
• Les McCann - North Carolina

9. Check the Rhyme Be The One cover Jackie Jackson (born Sigmund Esco Jackson on May 4, 1951 in Gary, Indiana) is an African-American singer and musician, formerly member of The Jackson 5, and is the oldest son in the Jackson family that includes American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. ... Les McCann (September 23, 1935, Lexington, KY) is jazzman who saw a great of success as a crossover artist. ...

• Average White Band - Love Your Life
• Minnie Riperton - Baby, This Love I Have
• Grover Washington Jr. - Hydra
• Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle

10. Everything Is Fair The Average White Band (also AWB) is a Scottish funk and R&B band. ... Minnie Riperton (1947-1979) Cover of her best selling album, Perfect Angel, which contains Lovin You Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8, 1947 - July 12, 1979) was a soul singer from Chicago, Illinois, most noted for her abilities in the whistle register and her 1975 hit single Lovin You. Having possessed... Grover Washington, Jr. ... Steve Miller is a blues and rock and roll guitarist and performer. ...

• Bobby Byrd - Hot Pants... I'm Coming, I'm Coming, I'm Coming
• Funkadelic - Lets Take it to the People
• Harlem Underground Band - Aint No Sunshine
• Willis Jackson - Aint No Sunshine

11. Jazz (We've Got) Bobby Byrd is an African American funk/soul/R&B/gospel musician, best known as James Browns longtime sideman and co-vocalist. ... Funkadelic was originally the backing band for the doo wop group, The Parliaments. ... Willis Gator Jackson (25 April 1932 - 25 October 1987) was an American jazz saxophonist. ...

• Five Stairsteps - Dont Change Your Love
• Sly and the Family Stone - Sing a Simple Song
• Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay
• Lucky Thompson - Green Dolphin Street
• Mountain - Long Red

12. Skypager Sly & The Family Stone, circa 1969. ... Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (born April 7, 1938) is an American jazz trumpeter. ... Eli (Lucky) Thompson (born in 1924) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist. ... Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska (USA) has the largest visible base-to-summit elevation difference on Earth. ...

13. What?

• Paul Humphrey and the Cool-Aid Chemists - Uncle Willie's Dream

14. Scenario

• Emotions - Blind Alley
• Kool and the Gang - Give It Up
• Kool and the Gang - Soul Vibrations
• Ohio Players - Ecstasy
• Brother Jack McDuff - Oblighetto
• Jimi Hendrix - Little Miss Lover

In psychology and common terminology, emotion is the language of a persons internal state of being, normally based in or tied to their internal (physical) and external (social) sensory feeling. ... Kool & The Gang Kool & the Gang was a massively successful rhythm and blues and disco group. ... Kool & The Gang Kool & the Gang was a massively successful rhythm and blues and disco group. ... The Ohio Players are a funk and R&B band whose heyday was in the mid- to late 1970s. ... Brother Jack McDuff (17 September 1926 - 23 January 2001) was a jazz organist and bandleader prominent during the soul jazz era of the 1960s. ... James Marshall Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, innovator, and cultural icon. ...

Chart positions

Billboard Music Charts - albums

 1991 The Billboard 200 No. 45 1991 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums No. 13 

Billboard (North America) - singles

 1991 Check The Rhime Hot Rap Singles No. 1 1991 Check The Rhime Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 59 1991 Check The Rhime Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 28 1992 Scenario The Billboard Hot 100 No. 57 1992 Jazz (We ve Got) Hot Rap Singles No. 19 1992 Scenario Hot Rap Singles No. 6 1992 Scenario Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Trackd No. 42 1997 Scenario Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 34 

External links

• Lyrics