"The Low End Theory" is the second studio album from hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. The album sticks to it's name as the muddy, bass-oriented concept of this album gets topped off with legendary bassist Ron Carter as a cherry on top. The messages are simple, the rhymes are quintessentially classic, and the tribe connects the dots between jazz and hip-hop to make one of the most influential albums that abstract/alternative hip-hop has ever seen.
If you enjoy anyone from De La Soul to Miles Davis; you can appreciate what the tribe did here with "The Low End Theory". The organic nature of this record really resonates well as hip hop is shown under a different light. Through sampling, and deep grooves that won't leave your brain, the tribe keeps their rhymes simple as they let their personality and creativity shine in a mellow type of way. A song that isn't so mellow is "Scenario". The iconic track features an excellent verse from Busta Rhymes that really adds substance to this classic.
But amidst all the feel-good tracks and smooth flows, misogynistic issues pop up unexpectedly on the tracks "Butter" and "Infamous Date Rape". The tracks dive into the world of being tricked into sticky situations with women and how the group interpreted those situations. But those issues don't shadow over the fact that this hip-hop-jazz fusion works perfectly as A Tribe Called Quest delivers their ambitious, out of the box effort in peanut-butter and jelly fashion.
Final Summary:
"The Low End Theory" resonated throughout hip-hop and inspired many artists in the process. The ingenious way that the tribe sequentially drills this bass overload into your brain gives you a sense of artistry and confirms the group as one of the pillars of the time. The album was inspired by N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton as you can see the band tackle some more racier issues, but they keep their cool with it; as the tribe cemented themselves in hip-hop history with this defining moment.
Rating: 9.1/10
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