#30thAnniversary – A Tribe Called Quest “Midnight Marauders”

by Kramos of The CooksNovember 8, 20232 min read

It’s fair to say that A Tribe Called Quest dropped the greatest one two punch in Hip Hop history. To find a way to follow up the unbelievable “The Low End Theory” with an album on the same level, if not better, is simply remarkable. Maybe slightly grittier and funkier than the predecessor, the essence of what made Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad productions so attractive is back in full effect. Unmatched drum programming, expertly chopped samples and splendid groovy bass are the norm once again. The biggest upgrade on this LP is on the lyric side, both Q-Tip and Phife Dawg took their flows, wordplay and metaphors to another level, delivering the best performance of their discography. The album contains one of the greatest and most well known ATCQ singles “Award Tour”, with an infectious hook from Trugoy the Dove of De La Soul, but in the end, every track is a masterpiece that deserves to be revisited again and again. To top it off, they invited Busta Rhymes to handle the chorus on “Oh My God” and Large professor to land some productions and an incredible verse for “Keep It Rollin'”.

But enough said, jump back to this mega classic below, listen to the album on your favorite platform, watch all the videos, discover the remixes from the 12″ singles and catch a couple of interviews in the YouTube playlists. You can also dig in the samples via www.whosampled.com and listen to an impressive mix by Chris Read, put together 10 years ago to celebrate the 20th Anniversary. Have fun!