A Tribe Called Quest

If you can't envision a brother who ain't dissin',
Slingin' this and that, 'cause this and that was missin'.
Instead, it's been injected, the Tribe has been perfected.
Oh yes, it's been selected, the art makes it protected.

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. 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, "Bonita Applebum," which alternated a sitar sample with the type of jazzy keys often heard on later Tribe tracks. "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). "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" describes a vacation gone hilariously wrong, while "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. Restless and ceaselessly imaginative, Tribe perhaps experimented too much on their debut, but they succeeded at much of it, certainly enough to show much promise as a new decade dawned.

--Review courtesy of AllMusic.com

Some essential hip hop for you today. This, along with Nation Of Millions and Licensed To Ill, is a masterpiece and a record you need to listen to before you pass judgement on the genre. If one more person says 'can't spell crap without rap lol!' I might just have to cut a bitch.

Go ye and listen.

Artist: A Tribe Called Quest

Album: People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
Genre: Hip-Hop, Alternative Hip-Hop
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/atribecalledquest

Track Listing:
1. "Push It Along" – 7:42
2. "Luck of Lucien" (featuring Lucien Revolucien) – 4:32
3. "After Hours" – 4:39
4. "Footprints" – 4:00
5. "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" – 4:06
6. "Pubic Enemy" (featuring DJ Red Alert) – 3:45
7. "Bonita Applebum" – 3:50
8. "Can I Kick It?" – 4:11
9. "Youthful Expression" – 4:52
10. "Rhythm (Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts)" – 4:01
11. "Mr. Muhammad" – 3:33
12. "Ham 'n' Eggs" – 5:27
13. "Go Ahead in the Rain" – 3:54
14. "Description of a Fool" – 5:41

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Apologies for the rapidshare, megaupload has been giving me shit lately.