A Tribe Called Quest Songs Ranked
A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in St. Albans, Queens, New York in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ, and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. The group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip hop music. John Bush of AllMusic called them “the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s.” The Source gave the group’s debut album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), a perfect rating of five ‘mics,’ marking the first time that the magazine awarded the rating. In 2005, A Tribe Called Quest received the Founders Award at the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, and two years later, the group was honored at the 4th VH1 Hip Hop Honors. In 2017, the group was awarded the Brit Award for International Group. Here are all of A Tribe Called Quest songs ranked.
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20. After Hours (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, 1990)
“This album is like Jordan’s rookie year. You already know they’re gonna be legends, but there was still room for improvement; their pinnacle was yet to come and there were aspects that they fine-tuned later on. That being said, this album is still pretty decent, and you must listen.”
19. Verses from the Abstract (The Low End Theory, 1991)
“The great bassist Ron Carter is here on one track, “Verses from the Abstract”, but his work – mixed upfront with Tip while a guitar jangles very softly in the background – easily stands as the most ‘improvisatory’ thing on the album.”
18. Steve Biko (Stir It Up) (Midnight Marauders, 1993)
“The album starts with “Steve Biko (Stir It Up)”, a smooth jazz instrumental with incredible vocal flows over the top. It took exactly one track to see how many of the artists that I listen to on the regular pull their influences from the stylings of ATCQ. “
17. Stressed Out ( Beats, Rhymes and Life, 1996)
“Q-Tip is in conscious mode this time and covers many day-to-day issues, rather than just bragging about how dope he is. Especially on “Stressed Out” which is one of the best tracks on here, he talks about the problems of stress in life. Phife has less verses than Tip here, but he still does a damn good job in assisting the group.”
See more: A Tribe Called Quest Albums Ranked
16. The Space Program (We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service, 2016)
“The Space Program” – what an opener. “It’s coming down hard, we got to get our shit together.” And then they do. Those blippi keyboards opening so much space, and Q-Tip leaving no iota of space unused: “’Cause we never bore, responding to the ready crowd’s roar / And promoters try to hit us with the art of war / We about our business, we not quitters / Not bullshitters, we deliver — we go-get it / Don’t be bitter ‘cause we not just niggas.” That floored me the first time I heard it, and compare what he does there to debut People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm when he had some awkward phrasing of certain lines like “A thought crossed the mind, her, a bimbo” and “And what do you know, my wallet, I forget”, which were structured that way to fit the rhyme scheme.”
15. We the People (We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service, 2016)
“The high continues with a build-up and transition by way of a sample from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory into “We The People…” which lays down a synth bass that feels dark and ancient and lumbering, and a boom bat beat that hits so fuckin’ hard, it makes me wonder genuinely why trap rap continues to have a stronghold on the mainstream when we can occasionally get something like this.”
14. Oh My God (Midnight Marauders, 1993)
“Singles out of Midnight Marauders. Both are great tribe songs. “oh my God” features a great bassline and good rappin. The hook is funny but can get annoying. “Lyrics to go” is a great song which starts with a great guitar riff but then continues as a very smooth beat and amazing rappin. Love the scratching on this one. Overall great single by the tribe.”
13. Keeping It Moving (Beats, Rhymes and Life, 1996)
“Keeping It Moving was Tip’s retaliation to claims from the west coast rap group, Westside Connection. I don’t doubt that Tribe didn’t like the prominence of gangsta rap or the (then) current state of hip-hop and they took it upon themselves to voice their displeasure.”
12. Vibes and Stuff (The Low End Theory, 1991)
“”Vibes and Stuff” carries the most interesting atmosphere of the record; that vibraphone tone, ringing and recurring over two muffled, barely-there keyboard blips and drums that aren’t actually as loud as you might think at first, always makes me feel like I’m driving through summer city traffic with the windows rolled up tight and the air conditioning on, grooving in my own bubble.”
11. Jazz (We’ve Got) (The Low End Theory, 1991)
“Jazz” is the most mellow song on this LP, which is filled with mellow songs. The somber piano chords, slowed tempo compared to the rest of the album, and just chilled tone make this a nice track to just lay on the couch and listen to.”
10. 1nce Again (Beats, Rhymes and Life, 1996)
“It’s really A Tribe Called Quest on autopilot, but when the production is as great as this I barely can complain. Love the hard-hitting drum beats, it’s chilled back jazz beats and smooth wordplay. It features the best quality that the tribe is known for except that the beats and hooks, on the whole, are less memorable. “1nce again” is the definite highlight in an album whose biggest flaw is the lack of highlights.”
9. Buggin’ Out (The Low End Theory 1991)
“Buggin out” is similar to “Excursions” (to its benefit) but with a funkier baseline and a smooth sample to bridge sections. I consider this Phife’s best moment. I mean, what more could you want from a Tribe song?”
8. I Left My Wallet in El Segundo (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, 1990)
“This song is famous enough that even I know it. (Though I did watch the documentary…) But it’s title gives you a really good idea of how unconventional the lyrics are. And I must say that is super refreshing.”
7. Excursions (The Low End Theory, 1991)
“Excursions” is a perfect opener for the album. It seamlessly introduces you into The Low End Theory and Tribe as well. The track is super mellow, that bass line is killer (something you’ll hear me say for this entire album) and the horns add a nice flavour. But at the heart of this track, and the entire album is the smooth clean rapping and simple but effective drum pattern. Tribe is one of the most accessible rap groups, which is far from a bad thing.”
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6. Bonita Applebum (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, 1990)
“Bonita Applebum” is immensely overrated. I’ll admit the sound is sexy but Tip’s lines are corny. Hardly a rap song.”
5. Award Tour (Midnight Marauders, 1993)
“The first couple tracks are absolutely stunning. The two hit punch of Stir It Up and Award Tour are an amazing way to open up the album. They are positive and high energy. The production is what people talk about when they refer to perfect boom bap.”
4. Check the Rhime (The Low End Theory, 1991)
“Check the Rhyme” was the lead single of this album, and for good reason. The opening horn intro is great, and the plucked strings going down the scale throughout the song are a great example of “less is more”. Probably my favourite track off the album.”
3. Can I Kick It? (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, 1990)
“Can I Kick It” has the prototypical mellow vibe. I don’t know who comes in singing a long “ooh” sound followed by a faint “Can I kick it?” followed by another long “ooh” sound, but it’s one of the best moments on the album.”
2. Electric Relaxation (Midnight Marauders, 1993)
“Electric Relaxation” is a relaxed and laid-back rap about chicks that features a smooth beat and instrumental that accompanies perfectly the rapper’s voices. The chemistry between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg was amazing, and it shows when the track had 8 verses that were constantly evolving.”
1. Scenario (The Low End Theory, 1991)
” The final song “scenario” might seem like a samey track to end the album on, but the high energy of the track and group theme gives it a whole new meaning and adds a level of fun to the ending of the album. Great closer.