When's the last time you heard a funky diabetic?

One of the things I insinuated with my blog is that I will usually be writing about slightly lesser-known albums, albums that I think a large part of my audience might not have heard.  If we are referring to the prevalence of an album in mainstream culture, the previous Q-Tip album breaks that code a tiny bit -- and this album completely shatters it.

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991)

The Low End Theory is often considered by critics for their lists of the top albums of all time -- of any genre.  Some people will argue that the next album Midnight Marauders is the pinnacle of Tribe, but the truth is that both them are incredible albums who's existence prove the legendary status of the group.  As the second album, The Low End Theory was particularly interest in context with all the doubt it was facing -- their first album was good and critically acclaimed, but a bunch of hook-based raps like Can I Kick It would be difficult to still sell as ground-breaking.  They definitely grew.

The album starts off with what I feel to be Tribe's best song of all time.  Excursionshas an amazing beat, and lyrics that allude to exactly why tribe is so groundbreaking -- they closely tie hip-hop to one of it's strong roots in historical black culture, jazz.  And the entire time, Q-Tip and the music itself...they exude this confidence that says Tribe knows it has fully realized the music they were seeking to create when they first put together the group in High School.  The rest of the album continues to shine and radiates this same confidence; listening to it has been a large factor in why I have been on an insatiable hip-hop craze for the past month or so.  Maybe something will break it soon, but if it doesn't, you'll probably be reading about more old-school hip hop in the near future.

Standout Track(s):
Excursions

See above.

Check the Rhime 

Q-tip and Phife Dawg repeat the playful banter of "You're on point..." a few albums later... but it doesn't really stick like it does on this album.

Interesting Fact(s):
The documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (named in reference to their fourth album) came out this year, and it documents Tribes entire quest from inception to modern time.  It's fairly incendiary, heh... you should check it out.  It's got a great sound-track.

Also... 1991 was a pretty awesome year for music.  This album, Nirvana's Nevermind, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless.... Proud to be born then.