The Greatest 50 Hip-hop Albums Ever - #21...

[Twentytwofifty]

A Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm (1990) 


    One year after De la Soul re-drew the map for alternative rap, fellow Native Tongues brothers A Tribe Called Quest released their debut, the quiet beginning of a revolution in non-commercial hip-hop.  People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm floated a few familiar hooks, but it wasn't a sampladelic record. Rappers Q-Tip and Phife Dawg dropped a few clunky rhymes, but their lyrics were packed with ideas, while their flow and interplay were among the most original in hip-hop. From the beginning, Tribe focused on intelligent message tracks but rarely sounded over-serious about them.  This is one of the few albums in Hip-Hop history that offered something completely new and refreshing. It was almost a breath of fresh air as the political sounds of Ice Cube and Public Enemy were at their height. The Tribe’s originality and unique sound is what mostly drew the Hip-Hop world to the group. And at the time few could imagine the albums magnitude as ATCQ and Peoples Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm would help spawn many imitators and influence a generation to come.

    From beginning to end, Peoples Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm is filled with nothing but classic joints. “Bonita Applebum” is a perfect love song with a silky smooth serenade of lush vocals and mesmerizing production, “Bonita Applebum” provides a soothing atmosphere of tranquillity even to this day.  “I Left My Wallet In El Segundo” is the comical tale of Q-Tip and Ali Muhammad’s trip across the border. However, Tip forgets his wallet in the mists of a beautiful woman’s presence.
 
Pulled out the wallet and
I saw this wicked beautiful lady,
she was a waitress there.
Put the wallet down and stared and stared
To put me back into reality, here's Shaheed:
“Yo, Tip, man, you got what you need”
I checked for keys and started to step
What do you know, my wallet I forget

    The tale is a prime example of classic storytelling and vivid lyricism that can almost transport you to the scene Q-Tip describes. However, maybe their biggest hit on this album, “Can I Kick It” brings back the feel of Hip-Hop in the early 90’s. Every tribe fan can remember the first time hearing the tracks highly quoted and duplicated hook. “Can I kick it? Yes, you can! Well, I'm gone (Go on then!)”. If one track can represent the albums overall feel, than “Can I Kick It” is a perfect example.  With "Pubic Enemy," they put a humorous spin on the touchy subject of venereal disease (including a special award for the most inventive use of the classic "scratchin'" sample), and moved right into a love rap, "Description of a Fool" took to task those with violent tendencies, while "Youthful Expression" spoke wisely of the power yet growing responsibility of teenagers. Next to important message tracks with great productions, A Tribe Called Quest could also be deliciously playful (or frustratingly unserious, depending on your opinion).  "Ham 'n' Eggs" may be the oddest topic for a rap track ever heard up to that point "I don't eat no ham and eggs, cuz they're high in cholesterol". Contrary to the message in the track titles, the opener "Push It Along" and "Rhythm (Dedicated To The Art Of Moving Butts)" were fusions of atmospheric samples with tough beats, special attention being paid to a pair of later Tribe sample favorites, jazz guitar and '70s fusion synth.  Now to close out this review we have a special guest.



Let’s see what my man ?uestlove (of The Roots) has to say about this classic:

    The perfect little snack for you to much and chew on for a career in hip-hop.  Clocking in at well over an hour, it was laid back, yet hard.  Much of the sonic landscape seemed comprised of the natural background noises: child birth, frog swamps, Hawaiian string breezes, and what I thought was a bunch of Hare Krishna followers playing percussion (more like Cannonball Adderly live…oh well).  The key ingredient here is understanding that this album was highly influential to hip-hop, even though it initially sold less than 250,000 copies (Ahhhh, my numbers!  But since then it’s gone gold.)-a hard feat, ‘specially since Amerikkka’s Most Wanted was the soundtrack of 1990.

    By that time the Ultimate Beats and Breaks collection had found its way into every ghetto demo tape, making the task of “diggin’” an easy feat.  You no longer had to steal that Mandrill record from you unsuspecting aunt’s collection.  For $6.99 you could have that, plus 5 more, at the speed of sound.  That’s good and all for economical ease, but how live can your product be if everybody is using the “Engine #9” break from Wilson Picket?  Thinking like this separated Tribe from their peers.  There were no groundbreaking slew of samples coming out of nowhere (a la Bomb Squad).  No political heaviness, unless you count the vegan anthem “Ham And Eggs.”  Everything was simple.  Even the complex artists chosen for sampling-Jimi, Little Feat, the Rotary Connection, Lou Reed- got their easy sides exposed.  And they were placed with obscure artists we never heard before, like Rueben Wilson, Ramp and Les Mccan.  This debut was a welcome sigh of relief from the pile of shit that hip-hop would soon be force-fed.


50. Dr. Dre – 2001 (1999)
49. Outkast – Southernplayalisticaddicmuzik (1994)
48. Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt (1996)
47. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Wanted: Dead Or Alive (1990)
46. Redman – Whut? Thee Album (1992)
45. De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
44. Fugees – The Score (1996)
43. The D.O.C. – No One Can Do It Better (1989)
42. Common Sense - Resurrection (1994)
41. Makaveli - The Don Kiluminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
40. Public Enemy – Fear Of A Black Planet (1990)
39. Ice Cube – Death Certificate (1992)
38. Gza/Genius - Liquid Swords (1995)
37. N.W.A – Efil4zaggin (1991)
36. Main Source – Breaking Atoms (1991)
35. Geto Boys – Grip It! On That Other Level (1989)
34. Brand Nubian – One For All (1990)
33. Scarface – The Diary (1994)
32. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Road To The Riches (1989)
31. Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill (1986)
30. Ultramagnetic MC's – Critical Beatdown (1988)
29. LL Cool J – Radio (1985)
28. 2Pac – All Eyez On Me (1996)
27. Mobb Deep – The Infamous… (1995)
26. Eric B. & Rakim – Follow The Leader (1988)
25. Big Daddy Kane – It’s A Big Daddy (1989)
24. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth – Mecca And The Soul Brother (1992)
23. Black Moon – Enta Da Stage (1993)
22. Outkast – Aquemini (1998)
21. A Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm (1990)

[[sepehr]]

Very Good album, But Midnight Marauders > Low End Theory > PITATPOR

[Don Jacob]

^ i have a feeling that's how it's going to be , i expect to see at least 2 more albums by tribe

[white Boy]

i love thos a;bum

[Elevz]

ATCQ definately deserve to be way up in this list with a couple of albums - just waiting for The Low End Theory to pop up next. I gotta say, I love most of what they did back then. Solid classics.

[Thuglife]

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

[Twentytwofifty]

^^^ I hope you're being sarcastic.

[Thuglife]

cool...i dont give a fuck

[white Boy]

 dude, have you listened to this album? fuckin dope as shiiiiit...

[Minkaveli]

can't diss the Tribe.  I felt the albums sound was too old for me.  I like all the other ones.

[Diabolical]

Another for my "must buy" list

[eS El Duque]

great album! props man

[Don Seer]

great album.. top of my ATCQ tree.. but this is coz of the it came out i was in the 2nd to last year of school when it dropped

[Kill]

^^^ I hope you're being sarcastic.

you should know better than stiiiillll paying attention to this guy. his feelings are still hurt cause Kurupt ain´t popping up in your list and Dre is not no. 1&2. Great album however

[Thuglife]

Take it easy