• Double Vinyl Pressing
• RELEASE DATE: 11/12/1996

de la Soul are remembered as the premier Native Tongues posse, those rappers who got low-key, self-consciously thoughtful, and jazzy in the face of gangsta’s hardcore threats. But A Tribe Called Quest may have been even stronger, especially on their excellent second album, the bass-thumping, heavily jazz-sampled the Low End Theory. According to the opening “Excursions,” rapper Q-Tip’s old man says the disc’s jazz-rap “reminded him of bebop,” and Q calls himself “prominent like Shakespeare.” But if Charlie Parker had ever written poetic couplets and backed them with funky-drummer and Ron Carter-on-bass grooves this irresistible, he might have been as big as the Bard and Brother James combined. – David Cantwell.

Tracks:

1 Excursions
2 Buggin’ Out
3 Rap Promoter
4 Butter
5 Verses from the Abstract
6 Show Business
7 Vibes and Stuff
8 Infamous Date Rape
9 Check the Rhime
10 Everything Is Fair
11 Jazz (We’ve Got)
12 Skypager
13 What?
14 Scenario