This article is about the influential alternative hip hop album by A Tribe Called Quest. For the rock band, see The Low End Theory . For the 3D animation technique, see low end theory .

The Low End Theory
Album by A Tribe Called Quest
Released	September 24, 1991
Recorded	1991
Genre	Alternative Hip-Hop
Length	48 min 03 sec
Record label	Jive Records
Producer	A Tribe Called Quest, Skeff Anselm
Professional reviews
All Music Guide	5 stars out of 5	link
A Tribe Called Quest Chronology
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)	The Low End Theory (1991)	Midnight Marauders (1993)

The Low End Theory is the critically acclaimed alternative hip hop second album by A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991 (see 1991 in music) on Jive Records. A pairing of Q-Tip and Phife Dawg's lyrics, at turns socially charged, abstract and concretely grounded in reality, with groovy jazz samples, The Low End Theory became a watershed album in the history of hip hop. The album established alternative rap as a definable genre, distinguished by aware, often abstract or political lyrics, and a light-hearted sense of humor, along with jazz and other unusual sampling sources. The Low End Theory transformed alternative hip hop, leading the way from the jazzy pioneers like De La Soul towards future artists like Common and The Roots. The album includes guests Brand Nubian, Diamond D. and Leaders of the New School.

The beats are widely different from the-then about-to-explode G funk sound being pioneered on the West Coast, and shares more of an influence with East Coast artists like Public Enemy. With dominant basslines and sampled jazz horn solos, The Low End Theory has a distinctive sound that met the high expectations after their critically acclaimed debut People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.

The Low End Theory includes instrumental work from several pioneering musicians, including upright bassist Ron Carter ("Verses from the Abstract").

Topics include the music industry's exploitation of musicians ("Rap Promoter", "Show Business"), music ("Excursions"), date rape ("The Infamous Date Rape"), violence in hip hop ("Vibes and Stuff") and the beauty of jazz ("Jazz (We've Got)").

The song "Scenario" helped break future hip hop star Busta Rhymes into the mainstream, partially as a result of its popular music video on MTV.

The Low End Theory was the album of the year for Spex magazine (also #10 on the 100 Albums of the Century). more awards. It was #32 on Spin magazine's Top 90 Albums of the Nineties. It also made it onto the unorderd Top 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time (The Source), 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century (Vibe magazine) and Essential Recordings of the 90s (Rolling Stone).

Track listing

1. "Excursions" (Q Tip) (samples the Last Poets) - 3:53
2. "Buggin' Out" (Muhammed/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 3:38
3. "Rap Promoter" (Muhammed/Q Tip) - 2:13
4. "Butter" (Muhammad/Q Tip) - 3:39
5. "Verses from the Abstract" (Q Tip) - 3:59
6. "Show Business" (Ali/Anselm/Dechalus/Kirkland/Murphy/Q Tip) (with Lord Jamar and Sadat X ) - 3:53
7. "Vibes and Stuff" (Phife Dawg/Q Tip) (samples Grant Green's "Let's Take It to the People") - 4:18
8. "The Infamous Date Rape" (Muhammad/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 2:54
9. "Check the Rhime" (Ali/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) (samples Average White Band) - 3:36
10. "Everything Is Fair" (Ali/Anselm/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) (samples Funkadelic) - 2:59
11. "Jazz (We've Got)" (Ali/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 4:09
12. "Skypager" (Ali/Phife Dawg/Q Tip) - 2:13
13. "What?" (Q Tip) - 2:29
14. "Scenario" (Higgins/Jackson/Muhammad/Phife Dawg/Q Tip/Smith) (with Leaders of the New School) - 4:10

Personnel

• Ron Carter - Bass
• A Tribe Called Quest - Arranger, Producer, Mixing
• Skeff Anselm - Producer
• Charlie Brown
• Busta Rhymes
• Pete Christensen - Engineer
• Diamond D
• Eric Gast - Engineer
• Joe Grant - Photography
• Rod Hui - Engineer
• Gerard Julien - Engineer
• Tim Latham - Engineer
• Ali Shaheed Muhammad - DJ
• Bob Power - Engineer, Mixing
• Q-Tip - Vocals
• Anthony Saunders - Engineer
• Jamey Staub - Engineer
• Sadat X
• Lord Jamar
• Tom Coyne - Mastering
• Jim Kvoriac - Engineer
• Dan Wood - Engineer
• Dinco D.
• Marc Singleton - Engineer
• Zombart JK - Design
• Phife Dawg - Vocals
• Christopher Shaw - Engineer

Chart positions

Billboard Music Charts (North America) - album

1991	The Billboard 200	                No. 45
1991	Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	                No. 13

Billboard (North America) - singles

1991	Check The Rhime 	Hot Rap Singles	                        No. 1
1991	Check The Rhime  	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks        No. 59
1991	Check The Rhime	        Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales      No. 28
1992	Scenario	        The Billboard Hot 100	                No. 57
1992	Jazz (We ve Got)	Hot Rap Singles	                        No. 19
1992	Scenario	        Hot Rap Singles	                        No. 6
1992	Scenario	        Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Trackd        No. 42
1997	Scenario	        Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	No. 34

External links

• for lyrics