Sample Breakdown - The Low End Theory [1991] | A Tribe Called Quest

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The Low End Theory is the second studio album by American hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album were held mostly at Battery Studios in New York City, from 1990 to 1991. The album was primarily produced by group member Q-Tip, in a departure from the group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), with a minimalist sound that combines bass, drum breaks, and jazz samples. Lyrically, the album features social commentary, word play, humor, and interplay between group members Q-Tip and Phife Dawg.

Supported by the lead single "Check the Rhyme", The Low End Theory debuted at number 45 on the Billboard 200 chart. Upon its release, the album's commercial potential was doubted by music critics and Jive record executives. However, the release of two additional singles, "Jazz (We've Got)" and "Scenario", brought further attention and popularity to the group. On February 19, 1992, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States, and on February 1, 1995, it was certified platinum by the RIAA, with shipments of one million copies.

The album is regarded as Phife Dawg's breakout and is credited for helping launch rapper Busta Rhymes's successful solo career. The album's influence on artists in hip-hop, R&B and other genres has been attributed to the group's lyricism and Q-Tip's production, which bridged the gap between jazz and hip-hop. The album is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, appearing on many best album lists by music critics and writers, including on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums of the '90s at number 36.

[Background]
A month after the release of A Tribe Called Quest's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, group member Phife Dawg learned that he was diabetic and considered leaving the group.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."Recording sessions for the second album began when sessions from People's Instinctive Travels kept creatively flowing.The group wanted to begin recording the album shortly after the completion of People's Instinctive Travels, for which they still had to tour and film music videos. Phife Dawg later recalled, "Tip didn't want to stop."The album's title, The Low End Theory, referred to both the status of black men in society and bass frequencies in the music,while the album cover featured an altered photograph of a kneeling woman painted in Afrocentric colors.

[Music Production]
The Low End Theory was one of the first records to fuse hip-hop with the laid-back atmosphere of jazz, particularly bebop and hard bop.The album's minimalist sound is "stripped to the essentials: vocals, drums, and bass."The bass drum and vocals emphasize the downbeat on every song. Q-Tip credited the production on N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton as inspiration: "what resonated was just that bottom, that bass and the drive of it."

The album is noted for its use of the double bass, "crisp" and "live-sounding" drum programming, and "deftly placed samples or electric keyboards."In addition, the group was praised for its "departure towards a live instrumental sound" and for using "jazz-infused samples with fat hardcore beats."Q-Tip often layered drum sounds on the album, using as many as three snare drums or bass drums to create a single sound.Similarly, "Buggin' Out" was the first song in which he layered two different drum breaks at once, which was uncommon at the time.The group hired double bassist Ron Carter for the song "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."

The Low End Theory is also regarded for its engineering.The mixing engineer, Bob Power, used several methods to remove "surface noise, crackles, or pops" from the samples, as the software at the time was unable to do so.He credited the group, saying, "Until that point, when people used samples on records, it was pretty much one loop that played throughout. With The Low End Theory ... Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed were at the leading edge of a new wave where people started making elaborate musical constructions out of samples from different places that would not, and in many ways, could not, have been played by regular players."

*"Minya's The Mooch" has been cut due to claim.

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