A Tribe Called Quest

People's Instinctive Travels

Enter the Kings of hip-hop

Review Score:

(10/10)
This album is easily on the top 50 list of best rap albums of all time. The best thing about that is that it's not even Tribe's best album. The only better debut in hip-hop history is De La Soul's "3 Feet High and Rising".

The intro to the first track, "Push It Along", immediately lets the listener know that this is not your average rap album. It's also not your average Tribe album. This is the only record that has Tribe as a whole. Jarobi's interludes are the only evidence that A Tribe Called Quest actually has (had) four members. The interludes also add an extra and unique quality to the album. They make it seem to be somewhat of a "concept album".

Overall, the reason this album is so good is Q-Tip. He shines on every song. His flow is fantastic and his voice is at its most innocent. This album is also the best example of his and Tribe's good-naturedness and playfulness. From "Luck of Lucien" to "Ham and Eggs", the flat-out bizarre style of story-telling is a welcome addition to the hip-hop community.

Phife's contribution to this album is a lot smaller than it is on future releases, but, in a way, makes his parts better. "Can I Kick It" in particular shows how well he compliments the crew. The back-and-forth flow between him and Q-Tip on "Ham and Eggs" is also a good example of this.

Also a key feature to this album is Ali's scratching technique. Although some of his later productions are better, these are pretty damn good, and the inclusion of his scratching makes them better.

Included on this disc are two bonus tracks that are every bit as worthy of bein on this album as any of the other ones on it. "Go Ahead In the Rain" is one of Tip's best solos, and "Description of a Fool" shows off Ali's ability of combining several different samples to create a really great song.

Bottom line: This is a turning point in rap's history. If you don't already own this album, buy it now!

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