The 30 Greatest A Tribe Called Quest Songs Part I

@supastar77: I remember I met Phife at a McDonald's in DC. I ran around telling everyone. No one knew him. It felt like I was in The Twilight Zone.

Y'all know what this is. Woody brought you the 30 Best Little Brother jams. And now it's ATCQ's turn. Guest blogger Mallz, like the rest of us, a huge A Tribe Called Quest fan. I asked him could he breakdown the 30 Greatest A Tribe Called Quest Songs EVER. It should be a slam dunk because he and I have (hell hip-hop has) had this conversation MANY MANY MANY times before. But I've looked the list over, and I see a difference, and that's still a good thing. We have lots to talk about. So I hope you enjoy it, leave some comments. And reminisce with us over the chapters of songs from one of the greatest groups of all time.

Previously: The BEST 10 R&B And Or Soul Albums Of 2010 So Far

#30 If The Papes Come ("Can I Kick It" single, 1990)
Hooray for B-sides! When you think of great Quest joints this one rarely comes to mind but please go back and give it a listen. The smooth and subtle bass line sets this track off for me as Q-Tip spits simple yet inspired rhymes along with its minimalist chorus which was the norm in the late 80s and early 90s.


#29 The Pressure (Beats, Rhymes and Life, 1996)
Man, do you hear how hard that snare cracks? It's a thing of beauty, I tell ya. The Abstract and Phife Diggy spit one verse a piece on the subject of new rappers projecting a negative image that isn't entirely true. Hmm, the more things change, the more they stay the same.


#28 1nce Again (Beats, Rhymes and Life, 1996)
Usually I'm not a fan of rappers revisiting their own classics in any capacity but when it's done in a totally new and fresh way such as this new age "Check The Rhime" it gets a pass. Once again, the production formula is simple: smooth melody, grooving bassline and drums with a snare that just pops wonderfully. Featured vocals on this track are courtesy of Tammy Lucas, mostly known for the 1992 New Jack Swing joint, "Is It Good To You." Oh, and don't think we didn't catch you making up words, Tip. "Raper"...really, dude?



#27 Get A Hold (Beats, Rhymes and Life, 1996)
Tribes first three albums listed production credit as 'A Tribe Called Quest' (read: Q-Tip) but 1996 brought The Ummah. The production crew that consisted of Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and the late, great J. Dilla (then, Jay Dee) carved out a whole new ATCQ sound...again. Although the production credit is listed under The Ummah, you can definitely hear the Dilla sound throughout and "Get A Hold" is a perfect example.


#26 Keeping It Moving (Beats, Rhymes and Life, 1996)
What we have here is a funky guitar loop, neck snapping drums and The Abstract putting in his opinion on the east coast/west coast beef that was at a fever pitch at the time. Specifically, it was an answer to Westside Connection's "Cross Em Out And Put A K" where WC called him out in a way that only he can. Instead of firing back, Tip taook the high road and did exactly what the song title suggests but remember, another thing he's not "is a damn ass kisser." He even shouts out several west coast artists that are down with Tribe and Native Tongues at the end.


#25 Steppin' It Up (The Love Movement, 1998)
One of my favorite joints from Tribe's last album featured verses from Busta Rhymes and Redman, who in my opinion stole the show on this track. The beat is pretty simple, a bassline and some boom bap but the drums are so crisp you can't help but do the figure-eight headnod. It's so weird for Busta Rhymes to have the first verse when he's a featured rapper but he set it off nicely in a way that only he can, "You know I plastered the little bastard and mastered the real way you smack the bitchest niggas backwards. Uh oh, ayo." However even 'til this day you can catch me randomly quoting Redman, "...I'm even hard to be touched by a masseuse. WOOT WOOOOO!" I have no clue why...I'm pretty strange. *shrugs*


#24 Rock Rock Y'all (The Love Movement, 1998)
This song instantly stuck out as a favorite when I first heard The Love Movement. It was so b-boy from the dirty drums to the old school chorus and also introduced me to Punchline, Wordsworth and Jane Doe. It was also one of the early appearances by Mos Def, who I think was the newest member of Native Tongues at the time.


#23 Hot Sex ("Boomerang" soundtrack, 1992)
This beat goes extra hard (word to Little Brother) and it sounds like nothing that they have done previously. Hot Sex was a track that was originally on the Eddie Murphy classic, "Boomerang" soundtrack but it also resurfaced as one of the bonus tracks on The Love Movement album in 1998. Despite the blunt title of the song, Tip and Phife seemed more inclined to spit fierce, boastful rhymes. There may have been only three actual references to sex on the whole track but who cares, dope is dope.



#22 What Really Goes On (Beats, Rhymes and Life, 1996)
Tribe has never been known for being super lyrical but damn if Q-Tip wasn't spitting on this solo joint. The ATCQ production formula grew a little bit more complex with the addition of Jay Dee on the beats but this track kept it fairly simple with the Ohio Players' sample and crisp drums. What Tip spit in this song is what the young whipper snappers call 'real talk.' For example, "We living in a time when mad fools talk shit. Representing their crews or their east/west cliques. Let me tell everybody about from coast to coast about the lands we boast but we don't own jack." Chuuuurch.


#21 Busta's Lament (The Love Movement, 1998)
How can you not bob your head to this track, especially with Phife and Tip flowing on it seamlessly? This is one of my faves from this album because of the flow and smooth bounce of Jay Dee's production. Plus it features one of the most random features from Bay Lloyd of the little known group Tribe attempted to put on, Know Naim.


Part 2 coming...