| Product Summary | | Label: Bmg/jive/silvertone | | UPC: 00012414158727 | | Release Date: 7/30/1996 | | Buy.com Sku: 60022036 | | Item#: M3W26Q | Format:  CD |
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| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | A Tribe Called Quest: Q-Tip, Phife, Ali Shaheed Muhammad. | | Additional personnel: Consequence, Faith Evans, Tammy Lucas (vocals); Rashad Smith (various instruments); Mase (scratches). | | Recorded at Battery Studios, New York, New York. | | BEATS, RHYMES AND LIFE was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. "1nce Again" was nominated for a 1997 Grammy for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group. | | Personnel: Consequence, Phife Dawg, Q-Tip (vocals); Pasemaster Mase (scratches). | | DJ: Ali Shaheed Muhammad. | | Audio Mixers: The Ummah; Tony Smalios; Bob Power. | | Recording information: Battery Studios. | | With each of its first three albums, A Tribe Called Quest seemed to be on its way to bigger and better things, artistically and commercially. Beats, Rhymes and Life promptly ended that streak and still ranks as the group's most disappointing listen. Amplifying the bare beats-and-bliss of The Low End Theory but erasing the hooks of Midnight Marauders, Beats, Rhymes and Life simply wasn't a compelling record. In fact, A Tribe Called Quest sounded bored through most of it -- and, to put it bluntly, there wasn't much to get excited about either. Previously so invigorating and idea-driven, Q-Tip and Phife strutted through their verses, often sounding confused, hostile, and occasionally paranoid (check out the battle tracks, "Phony Rappers" and "Mind Power"). Meanwhile, the skeletal productions offered little incentive to decode the lyrics and messages, most of which were complex as expected. Though several other tracks had solid productions (like the spry, bass-driven backing to "Phony Rappers"), Beats, Rhymes and Life saw A Tribe Called Quest making its first (and only) significant misstep. (Constant touring off the success of Midnight Marauders may have been a factor.) Yes, they were still much better than the vast majority of alternative rappers, but it seemed they'd lost their power to excite. One of the few successes was a surprising R&B crossover called "1nce Again" (featuring Tammy Lucas). ~ John Bush | | With their fourth album Beats, Rhymes and Life, A Tribe Called Quest manages to be one of the few hip-hop acts to successfully age by pushing both their music and their lyrics into new directions. Stylistically, the record is closest to its immediate predecessor, Midnight Marauders, in the sense that the group's jazz-rap fusion are downplayed and the beat stays surprisingly hard throughout the album. What distinguishes Beats, Rhymes and Life from Marauders is a deeper sense not only of eclectism, but of spirituality and maturity. Shortly before the album was written and recorded, Q-Tip converted to Islam and the religion's ideals are an undercurrent in nearly every track on the album. But what really stands out is Tip's unease with the transience of the youth-oriented hip-hop scene and his own urges to settle down. Unlike most rappers, he confronts these feelings in the music, by writing lyrics and helping to create music that illustrates the contradictions of growing old with hip-hop. And by tackling the issue head-on, A Tribe Called Quest sound fresh and suggest that it is possible to sustain a career in rap as you approach a full decade of recording, after all. ~ Leo Stanley | | A Tribe Called Quest seem to grow, both musically and lyrically, with every LP, constantly setting standards for other rappers to follow. But they rarely stray from their chosen path. Since their 1990 debut, hip-hop has gone through numerous phases (new jack swing, gangster, hardcore), but the Tribe have remained focused on the music's true elements: BEATS, RHYMES AND LIFE. | | Produced by The Ummah, which consists of the Tribe's Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad along with newcomer Jay Dee, BEATS, RHYMES AND LIFE sports the usual jazzy beats, and reintroduces Tribe as the all-around hip-hop group. Muhammad's use of funky samples, Phife's self-satisfying attitude, and Q-Tip's abstract poetry are only part of the reason why the trio keeps rap music on lockdown. There are other bands capable of experimenting with new sounds while delivering lyrical positivism, but they often forget how to simply rock the crowd. A Tribe Called Quest does that, too. |
Producer: Rashad Smith; The Ummah |
Musical Guests | | Faith Evans | | Consequence | | Tammy Lucas |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 07/30/1996 | | Original Release Date : 1996 | | Catalog ID : 41587 | | Label : Jive Records (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Runtime : 51m : 18s | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00012414158727 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling Stone (8/8/96, p.58)
- 4 Stars (out of 5)
- "...near-flawless....few hip-hop acts have so sharply captured the surreal quality that defines what it means to be African-American, a quality in which poker-faced humor and giddy tragedy play tag team with reality..."Spin (9/96, pp.149-150)
- 7 (out of 10)
- "...Q-Tip still flows like Rakim's stuffy-nosed brother, slipping over the beat here, bumpin' against it there, and dispensing high-end rhymes like he's spinning them in his PJs over breakfast. Phife, with a few new ragga moves, sounds tougher and more playful than ever..." Entertainment Weekly (8/9/96, p.58)
- "...already has heads buzzing about the return of playful yet potent hip-hop. This time, they tackle everything from O.J. to spirituality with trademark Tribe originality....Can they still kick it? Yes, they can." - Rating: A Q (10/96, p.172)
- 3 Stars (out of 5)
- "...as refreshingly straightforward as the title suggests....the meat as ever is Q-Tip's whimsical, bright and faintly squeaky stream of rapular consciousness..." The Source (9/96, p.145)
- 4 Mics (out of 5)
- "...Maturity and spirituality are the underlying, predominant themes bounced between Q-Tip and Phife on their fourth go-round....BEATS proves the Ummah to be the most proficient in the rap game at using samples as instruments in themselves..." Melody Maker (10/12/96, p.18)
- "...Providing both their best and worst thus far, BEATS is magnetic yet frustrating..." NME (Magazine)
(8/10/96, p.51)
- 7 (out of 10)
- "...a chameleonic beast--revealing hip-hop's hidden hypocrisy one minute, and knocking out friendly grooves for the discerning bongaholic the next....by turns oppressive, startling, hilarious and zonked-out..." |
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