Aug 11 2008
A Hip Hop Odyssey Through NYC: 1990 - People’s Instictive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
After Rock The Bells last Sunday, I realized that as legendary as A Tribe Called Quest is, there are still some people who don’t know anything about them besides their name. So I decided to take it upon myself to do a series on the discography of one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time.
A Tribe Called Quest consisted of emcees Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, and producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and for their debut album also included Jarobi White (a,e,i,o,u and sometimes y). They’re considered legends for a reason boys and girls and that reason is not making a stupid new dance craze. Far from it, the group was known for revolutionizing hip hop through both lyrics and beats. Altogether they’ve created 3 albums generally considered classics within hip hop circles, 1 considered pretty damn good, and one that well….is honestly not that great but did I mention that they made 3 classic albums????
Anyways, their debut, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, was received with more or less mixed emotions. Some hailed it as the new movement and others regarded it as passable. Rolling Stones magazine actually went so far as to say, “It’s impossible to imagine how people will put this music to use.” Well, regardless of how it was initially received, we in 2008 now know that people eventually came to see the light, and the album was showered with accolades and regarded as one of the best albums ever known to man. The question of course is, is this praise merited?? Well, it’s been a while since I’ve listened to it, so let’s refresh.
The album begins with the “birth” of A Tribe Called Quest in Push It Along, as you can tell from the strange crying baby sample. But then the beat kicks in, and by the time Q-Tip’s melodic rapping comes on, all you’re left with is a freaking great song. This song is one of the few on the album that features Phife Dawg, which is just as well because at this point, Phife hadn’t evolved into that great rapper we all know and love just yet (He was still busy thinking about how to become a successful athlete to give his all into rapping) Then, there’s a long ass interlude by Jarobi and then Luck Of Lucien begins. Horns on the hook included, I freaking love this song.
The next track is After Hours, and it’s an overall great track, but that’s due more to the absolute beauty of the production. Tip’s rhymes aren’t bad by any means, but the beat does overpower him. The beat on the following track, Footprints is just as great, if not better, and to top it all off, on this track, Tip actually matches its quality tit for tat. Left My Wallet In El Segundo is one of the weirder songs on the album and seems to be entirely about losing his wallet on a road trip. The story tellings excellent, but that doesn’t change the fact that the story itself is just random. With the album’s next track, Pubic Enemy, the album hits it’s first miss. I’ve never liked this song, and listening to it now, I still don’t like it. Enjoy a good laugh over the name, listen to the first minute or so and feel free to skip it. You won’t be missing out on much. Fortunately for us, the next song coming up is the epicly sweet Bonita Applebum. Seriously, it’s a great fucking song and I’m pretty damn sure The Fugees were listening to this when they were recording their own classic, The Score. Listen to Killing Me Softly if you don’t believe me.
Afterwards, Can I Kick It comes on and, Phife! Where the hell have you been? I know the dude is not impressing too much on this album, but by the time the next album rolled around, the 5 foot freak had seriously stepped his game up. For now though, I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it. Anyways, it’s a dope track and it makes the next 2 tracks, Youthful Expression and Rhythm (Devoted to The Art Of Moving Butts), look like nothing special. Youthful Expression is actually a pretty sweet track, just bad sequencing, and Rhythm may just have the most ridiculous title ever given to a hip hop song ever. Mr Muhammad, may be devoted to ATCQ’s sick ass producer, but the track itself is just boring I’ve never actually gotten through the entire track. Ham N’ Eggs, easily takes the cake for strange rap topics, as the rappers rap an entire song about…vegetarianism. Despite sounding like it belongs on Sesame Street, I think it’s decent enough. At least it’s better than Go Ahead In The Rain, which has to be one of my least favorite Tribe tracks ever. Thankfully for all involved, the last track, Description Of A Fool, is a LOT better, and ends the album on somewhat of a high note.
The Good: Push It Along, Luck Of Lucien, After Hours, Footprints, Left My Wallet In El Segundo, Bonita Applebum, Can I Kick It, Youthful Expression, Rhythm (Devoted To The Art Of Moving Butts), Description Of A Fool
The Solid: Ham N’ Eggs
The Bad: Pubic Enemy, Mr Muhammad, Go Ahead In The Rain
Final Score: 9.0/8.5
When all is said and done People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is not the unquestionable classic people claim it is. A lot of people won’t agree with me, but listening to it, it’s clear that Tribe still had some room to grow and there are some missteps on this album. However, just because it’s not classic, doesn’t mean it’s not great and there are more shining moments than missteps to be found. Overall, it’s an album that isn’t their best, but it is a great album that really shows flashes of brilliance that promises excellent things to be done in years to come.
