You all better catch up. We've set up a primer for hip-hop. There are different flavors of hip-hop music in the world, but truthfully -- can you really call yourself a fan if you know nothing about A Tribe Called Quest? c'mon!
The top 10 is below. Afterwards, drop some comments and let us know what you think.
Previously:
The 30 Greatest A Tribe Called Quest Songs Part 1
The 30 Greatest A Tribe Called Quest Songs Part 2
#10 Verses From The Abstract (The Low End Theory, 1991)
Verses From The Abstract just may be one of the smoothest songs from the questers (along with Bonita Applebum, but I'll get to that later) with the cool bass licks from Ron Carter. I've always loved Tip's rhymes on this and Vinia Mojica's singing on the hook brought everything together so lovely. I wonder if she knew she'd be singing hip hop hooks for the next 15 years.
#9 Stressed Out (Beats, Rhymes and Life, 1996)
The first single from Tribe's fourth album featured guest vocals from newcomer, Consequence (who I thought was a new member at the time) and Faith Evans. This was another track that was pretty much loved by everyone and had the familiar smooth, jazzy vibe but 'Quence's rhymes seemed to spark a new sense of energy in it. I wasn't listening to much R&B back in the mid-90s but I have always been a fan of Faith Evans' voice and her Anita Baker inspired hook served as the perfect accent.
#8 Scenerio Remix (Scenerio single, 1992)
This is a totally different song than the original "Scenerio" so it deserves its own spot in my top 30. This one doesn't quite have the same hip hop mosh-pit effect of the original but it's pretty much as close as you can get. Again, you have Leaders Of The New School providing guest vocals and again you have Busta Rhymes totally spazzing at the end. If I ever meet Dinco, I think the first thing I'll ask him is why he felt it necessary to say 'yamaha' backwards.
#7 Award Tour (Midnight Marauders, 1993)
The classic single from their classic and arguably their best album. I've said many times that Midnight Marauders (along with Illmatic) was the perfect hip hop album but truth be told, when this dropped it took a while before I could really appreciate it. I wanted another Low End Theory but the album cover was and still is my favorite hip hop cover. This joint is a perfect example of Tribe's smooth, jazzy vibe with Q-Tip and Phife's complementary rhymes and De La Soul's Trugoy providing the Malcom Mclaren inspired hook. The thing that made Tribe so ill, other than Tip's insane production, was the contrasting styles between him and Phife. Q-Tip's rhymes were so smooth and he'd slide a jewel in here and there that you may not initially catch while Phife was more of a hardcore b-boy that made sure you knew how dope he was. "So next time that you think you won something here. Make something dope or take that garbage to St. Elsewhere."
#6 Can I Kick It (People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm, 1990)
Now this track was my favorite when I first heard it in the fall of 1990. The second single released from their first album gave my friends and I a great excuse to kick each other in the ass by just singing along with the hook. This joint is one of the VERY few appearances from Phife but he definitely made it count. I remember his part was the part I always wanted when my brother and I would rap along to the cassette. Once again, the drums on this joint were so dope and hard hitting and they contrasted perfectly with the quirky Lou Reed riff. The "Spirits" remix is also dope but I feel like I'd be cheating to list it as well.
#5 Electric Relaxation (Midnight Marauders, 1993)
The questers revisit the "Bonita Applebum" formula and gives us the classic (sorry, you're going to hear that word a lot when it comes to Midnight Marauders) ode to boning. Once again, it's a smooth bassline sampled from one of my favorite jazz songs, "Mystic Brew" by Ronnie Foster supplying the groove and the two emcees trade bars with plenty of memorable lines. Til this day I have been unsuccessful at attracting a woman by telling her "I wanna pound the poontang until it stinks." I've listened to this songs millions of times and I still have no clue what the end of the chorus says. I've always thought it was "Relax yourself, girl. Peace and come here" but that can't be right...can it?
#4 Check The Rhime (The Low End Theory, 1991)
This beginning of this song is one of my favorite intros. You just know it's going to be something sick when you hear Q-Tip vibing over that kick drum. Then the horns and chorus builds up and after that...smoothness. Phife and Tip flowed all over this beat, kicking rhymes that remind me of Double Trouble's "Stoop Rap" from Wild Style.
#3 Bonita Applebum (People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm, 1990)
I'm willing to bet money that this is one of Tribe's most known songs. Hell, even my mom loved this song when she first heard it. This was the first single from ATCQ and also one of the smoothest hip hop joints ever. It achieved a rare feat at the time in that it was loved by both the ladies and the fellas. The album liner notes list the whole group as producers but we all know that Tip is nice on the boards. RAMP's song "Daylight" is the sample that provided the smoothness for this song but what does it for me are those drums, courtesy the bluesy rock band Little Feat. There's a couple of other samples in this classic but honestly, I don't feel going through them all. Ahh, the days when producers used more than one record to sample from.
#2 Scenerio (The Low End Theory, 1991)
I dare you to play this song around a group of 30 somethings; you will see a reinactment of the Chappelle Show skit "White People Dancing." I don't believe there is a soul on this Urf who can hear this song and not go bonkers. If you know me then you know I can not resist a posse cut and this along with Marley Marl's "Symphony" are the epitome of posse cuts. Everybody goes for broke on this track (yes, even Dinco D) but clearly the MVP of this is Busta Rhymes, who would go on for the next few years demolishing posse tracks.
#1 Lyrics To Go (Midnight Marauders, 1993)
Maaaaan lemme tell you something. I STILL go berzerk every time I hear this track. The rhyme style Tip and Phife use on this is just in-frickin-sane and the Minnie Ripperton sample...wooooo! If you can't tell, this is another one of my all-time favorite ATCQ songs and it was really a toss up between this and "Scenerio" for the top spot. Hell, it's one of my all-time favorites period. It's physically impossible for me to listen to this just one time. I've always loved how simple the chorus was until I listened a little closer and noticed the layering and panning of the vocals. Then I loved it even more. The Tumblin' Dice remix of this joint is type sick as well.
That's all folks! So what did you think of the 30 Greatest A Tribe Called Quest Songs? What would you have changed? What did we omit? BTW, Wu-Tang Appreciation day on monday! Wu-Tang Clan & affiliates music and videos all day.
The 30 Greatest A Tribe Called Quest Songs Part 1
The 30 Greatest A Tribe Called Quest Songs Part 2
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