The Low End Theory

Name	The Low End Theory
Type	studio
Artist	A Tribe Called Quest
Cover	ATribeCalledQuestTheLowEndtheory.jpg
Released	September 24, 1991
Recorded	Battery Studios, Greene Street Studios, Soundtrack Studios, & Jazzy Jay Studio. Nov 1990-Aug 1991
Genre	Alternative hip hop, jazz rap
Length	48:03
Label	Jive
Producer	A Tribe Called Quest, Skeff Anselm, Pete Rock
Last album	People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm(1990)
This album	The Low End Theory(1991)
Next album	Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller(1992)

The Low End Theory is the second album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released on September 24, 1991 through Jive Records, the album produced three singles; "Check the Rhime", "Jazz (We've Got)", and "Scenario".

Conception

After A Tribe Called Quest's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), Jarobi White left the group to study culinary art. Phife Dawg learned that he was diabetic a month after the album's release and after a discussion with fellow member Q-Tip, they agreed to increase his participation on their second album and to "step it up in general as a group." Q-Tip credited N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton (1988) as an inspiration for the record.

The group hired double bassist Ron Carter on the track "Verses from the Abstract". Q-Tip stated, "We wanted that straight bass sound, and Ron Carter is one of the premier bassists of the century." Carter agreed to record tracks on the condition that the group avoid profanity, to which Q-tip assured they were addressing "real issues".

Music

The Low End Theory was one of the first records to fuse hip hop with a laid-back jazz atmosphere. Ali Shaheed Muhammad along with Q-Tip and Phife Dawg showcase how rap was done before commercial success influenced many rappers' creativity. The album's minimalist sound is "stripped to the essentials: vocals, drums, and bass." The bass drum and vocals emphasize the downbeat on every track.

Reception and influence

The Low End Theory helped shape alternative hip hop in the 1990s. It established the musical, cultural, and historical link between hip hop and jazz. 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." The group's "mellow innovations" helped jazz rap gain significant exposure from 1992 to 1993. 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."

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."The Low End Theory was voted at number thirty-two in The Village Voices 1991 Pazz & Jop critics poll. Allmusic writer John Bush, who declared it "the most consistent and flowing hip-hop album ever recorded", summed up the record as "an unqualified success, the perfect marriage of intelligent, flowing raps to nuanced, groove-centered productions." On February 1, 1995, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album platinum. In 2005, comedian Chris Rock ranked it ninth on his Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums.Electronica artist James Lavelle cited The Low End Theory as one of his favorite albums.

Track listing

:Produced by A Tribe Called Quest. :† Indicates song was produced by Skeff Anselm and co-produced by A Tribe Called Quest. :"Jazz (We've Got)" was originally produced by Pete Rock; it was remade by A Tribe Called Quest.

Charts

{|class="wikitable" !align="left"|Charts (1991) !align="left"|Peakposition |- |align="left"|UK Albums Chart |align="center"|58 |- |align="left"|U.S. Billboard 200 |align="center"|45 |- |align="left"|U.S. Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums |align="center"|13 |- |}

Singles

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Accolades

An asterisk (*) designates lists which are unordered.

Personnel

Information taken from Allmusic. ; Performance credits

Bass – Ron Carter

DJ – Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Vocals – Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Charlie Brown, Diamond D, Dinco D, Lord Jamar, Sadat X

; Technical credits

Arrangement – A Tribe Called Quest

Design – Zombart JK

Engineering – Pete Christensen, Eric Gast, Rod Hui, Gerard Julien, Jim Kvoriac, Tim Latham, Anthony Saunders, Bob Power, Christopher Shaw, Marc Singleton, Jamey Staub, Dan Wood

Mastering – Tom Coyne

Mixing – Bob Power, A Tribe Called Quest

Photography – Joe Grant

Production – A Tribe Called Quest, Skeff Anselm

References

Category:1991 albums Category:A Tribe Called Quest albums Category:Albums produced by Pete Rock Category:Albums produced by Q-Tip Category:Jive Records albums