The Low End Theory
There’s a real beauty to the early 90’s in Hip-Hop. It was perhaps the last time you could have fun and not have to live up some persona of being hard/chill/dangerous.
Q-Tip makes this album go. He is clearly well astute in his knowledge of music history because the past is dripping off this album. The highlights for me are Excursions, Buggin Out, Check The Rhime, Everything is Fair, Jazz (We’ve Got), and Scenario. That's 6 songs that I would deem classics on a 14 track album. Almost batting .500, which leads to the most impressive part.
None of the tracks really stand out unless you really focus on this album giving it all your attention. I’ve listened to it in full 3 times for the past 3 days and every time I do, I find something new to mark over. This idea spits in the face of how most people view rap. The more singles, the better; just give me songs that stand alone as songs. Low End Theory doesn’t do this. It’s about the album, so yes there are parts that might have a real malaise. You look up and realize that you’re 3 songs farther than you thought you were, but that's a big part of the appeal.
The album is more than the sum of its parts and would open up Tribe for their massive album 2 years later. If you’re looking for laid back jams to just have on this is your kind of album. Only 2 tracks I would avoid are Butter and Infamous Date Rap.
8.5/10
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