Soul Strut 100: # 15 - A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

RAJ

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May 5, 2025
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I will slowly be unveiling the Top 100 Soul Strut Related Records as Voted by the Strutters Themselves.

# 15 - A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

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The list so far:

# 100 - Jr. and His Soulettes - Psychodelic Sounds
# 99 - Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul
# 98 - Donny Hathaway - S/T (1971)
# 97 - Bernard Wright - ???Nard
# 96 - Tom Scott - Honeysuckle Breeze
# 95 - People Under the Stairs - Question in the Form of an Answer
# 94 - Harlem River Drive
# 93 - Black Moon - Enta Da Stage
# 92 - Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
# 91 - Muddy Waters - Electric Mud
# 90 - Les McCann - Layers
# 89 - Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
# 88 - Leroy Hutson - Hutson (1975)
# 87 - ESG - S/T (1981)
# 86 - Can - Tago Mago
# 85 - Bohannon - Stop & Go
# 84 - WILLIAM DEVAUGHN - Be Thankful For What You Got
# 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
# 82 - Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
# 81 - The J.B.???s - Doing It to Death
# 80 - Parliament - Osmium
# 79 - McNeal & Niles - Thrust
# 78 - The Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Malik
# 77 - Earth, Wind, and Fire (1971)
# 76 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic
# 75 - Black Sabbath (1970)
# 74 - Trap Door / An International Psychedelic Mystery Mix (2006)
# 73 - Bob James - One
# 72 - Matthew Larkin Cassell - Pieces
# 71 - The Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
# 70 - Big Bear - Doin??? Thangs
# 69 - Steely Dan - Aja
# 68 - Quasimoto - The Unseen
# 67 - Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! (1971)
# 66 - Al Green - Im still in love with you
# 65 - The Beatnuts - Street Level
# 64 - Archie Whitewater - Archie Whitewater (1970)
# 63 - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca & the Soul Brother
# 62 - Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
# 61 - The J.B.???s - Food For Thought
# 60 - Don Blackman (1982)
# 59 - Niagara - (Tiddies)
# 58 - Can - Ege Bamyasi
# 57 - Whatnauts - On the Rocks
# 56 - The Mohawks - Champ
# 55 - McDonald and Giles (1971)
# 54 - Darondo - Let My People Go
# 53 - Dorothy Ashby - Afro Harping
# 52 - Beastie Boys - Paul???s Boutique
# 51 - Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu of Ethiopia
# 50 - Lyman Woodard Organization - Saturday Night Special
# 49 - Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
# 48 - Lyn Collins - Think (About It)
# 47 - James Brown - In The Jungle Groove
# 46 - Bill Withers - Still Bill
# 45 - Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
# 44 - Silver Apples - S/T
# 43 - Mobb Deep - The Infamous
# 42 - Lyn Christopher (1973)
# 41 - Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson
# 40 - Gang Starr - Step in the Arena
# 39 - Diamond D - Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop
# 38 - Terry Callier - What Color is Love
# 37 - David Axelrod - Song of Innocence
# 36 - The Invaders - Spacing Out
# 35 - Leo Sayer - Endless Flight
# 34 - Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
# 33 - DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - Brainfreeze (Mix)
# 32 - Michael Jackson - Thriller
# 31 - DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
# 30 - De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
# 29 - Ray Barretto - Acid
# 28 - The Sylvers - II
# 27 - Donald Byrd - Places and Spaces
# 26 - Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information
# 25 - Nas - Illmatic
# 24 - The Baby Huey Story - The Living Legend
# 23 - Roy Ayers - He???s Coming
# 22 - Kool and the Gang (album) (1969)
# 21 - Demon Fuzz - Afreaka!
# 20 - Curtis Mayfield - Curtis!
#19 - Eugene McDaniels - Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse
# 18 - Incredible Bongo Band - Bongo Rock
# 17 - Placebo - Ball of Eyes
# 16 - Arthur Verocai - Arthur Verocai (1972)

Please discuss your reactions to this record. The thread will be archived later here.

About

The Low End Theory helped shape alternative hip hop in the 1990s.[18][19] It established the musical, cultural, and historical link between hip hop and jazz.[20] The album was considered an instant classic with a 5 mics rating in The Source. Reviewer Reef lauded their "progressive sound" and "streetwise edge".[15] Writer Oliver Wang called the album "a consummate link between generations", which took the essence of jazz and hip hop, and "showing they originated from the same black center."[21] The group's "mellow innovations" helped jazz rap gain significant exposure from 1992 to 1993.[22] Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 154 in "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", stating that "people connected the dots between hip-hop and jazz -- both were revolutionary forms of black music based in improvisation and flow -- but A Tribe Called Quest's second album drew the entire picture."[23]

In Time magazine's "ALL-TIME 100" albums, Josh Tyrangiel called the record an exception to jazz rap often being "wishful thinking on the part of critics". He described the album as "socially conscious without being dull" and likened a few tracks to "smoky rooms where cool guys ... say cool things."[24]The Low End Theory was voted at number thirty-two in The Village Voice's 1991 Pazz & Jop critics poll.[25] Allmusic writer John Bush, who declared it "the most consistent and flowing hip-hop album ever recorded",[26] summed up the record as "an unqualified success, the perfect marriage of intelligent, flowing raps to nuanced, groove-centered productions."[9] On February 1, 1995, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album platinum.[27] In 2005, comedian Chris Rock ranked it ninth on his Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums.[citation needed] Electronica artist James Lavelle cited The Low End Theory as one of his favorite albums.[28]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Low_End_Theory

Related Threads

Low End Theory VS. Midnight Marauders.

Tribe called quest???s first Demo Tape

Records that changed your life???.

Media





 
Excellent and timeless.





I liked how they stripped down their sound compared to the debut, but I kinda wish they still rocked the dashikis and shit.





Hold the mayo - Skypager
 
Classic album referenced in a classic Masta Ace verse (Jeep Ass Niguh/Born to Roll)..."Low End Theory tape in, bass crazy kickin' in."
 
Mr. Attention said:HarveyCanal said:Oh shit, probably the greatest rap album ever!




Agreed! This one's timeless.




The YouTube thumbnails above provide a nice point of reference. Those video stills look fairly dated, but the music on this album never gets old.





The sound is so nice on this record. Q tip has a funny/interesting story about how he ended up with Bob Power in that recent Red Bull lecture.
 
DustedDon said:My fave Tribe LP. Front to back heat.




Yuuuuuuuup.





Also: I enjoy the sloppiness of "Check the Rhime," how the Grover Washington snares fall out of sync with the snares in the Minnie Riperton loop.
 
Beats.





Also, I heard Q-TIP lost his record collection in a house fire sometime after Beats, Rhymes, and Life. Heard that is why Love Movement sounds so different then the previous albums. Maybe a just a rumor. Not sure....
 
Lucky to have worked with these guys doing PR for this LP and their debut. Had great times hangin' in the studio during the production of Low End Theory and getting to chill with the whole native tongues crew during this period. De La, The Jungle Bros, Black Sheep, Monie Love were all in the studio at various times hangin out. Got to watch Bob Power work his magic too. One favorite memory is going digging for records with Q-Tip & The Large Professor in NJ around this time. The high point of hip hop for me. Here's a shot of me & Tip around 1990



Attached files
 
CratesGatsby said:Beats.





Also, I heard Q-TIP lost his record collection in a house fire sometime after Beats, Rhymes, and Life. Heard that is why Love Movement sounds so different then the previous albums. Maybe a just a rumor. Not sure....



















Can't remember exactly when, but it's true story, Tip did lose most of his vinyl in a fire in NJ
 
skullsnaps said:CratesGatsby said:Beats.





Also, I heard Q-TIP lost his record collection in a house fire sometime after Beats, Rhymes, and Life. Heard that is why Love Movement sounds so different then the previous albums. Maybe a just a rumor. Not sure....







Can't remember exactly when, but it's true story, Tip did lose most of his vinyl in a fire in NJ




It was when he was dating Angie Martinez. When she was popular on Hot 97.