New A Tribe Called Quest Album

[SYM]

Solid Wall of Sound, Kids, We The People, Ego...just some of the ones I'm feeling after only a few listens. It's quite an amazing album. And definitely good timing with the release. I can't quite say yet how We Got It From Here compares to And the Anonymous Nobody, though I think just the fact that both of these albums came out in the same year is a godsend and I appreciate the both of them equally.

[wuk]

Expectations were low and I admit to probably adding a handicap point or two, but I don't think it's crazy to say this is in the same tier as every album not called LET or MM. Even in a vacuum it's an instant classic to me.

[stype_ones]

Has any group or artist ever pulled off something like this? Putting out a classic nearly on par with their golden era output 20-25 years later?

slow down brah. Album is great cuz we had low expectations (see de la) and there is definitely an emotional connection with this, but its not on par with their first 4 efforts at all.

What in the flying fuck are you talking about???
This album is better than EVERY other Tribe album except 'A Low End Theory' and 'Midnight Marauders'.
This album has a higher number of dope songs than 'Beats, Rhymes & Life', 'Love Movement' and 'Instinctive Travels'. EASILY. Fuck your internet era cynicism. Recognize magic when it's happening. It's far too rare to ruin with unreasonable doubt. People will be discovering the immaculate gifts on 'We Got It From Here...' for years and years to come.

I totally agree with wuk. NO group in history has done this, hip hop or not. 18 years between their last albums, and as one final offering, they end their legacy with an unbelievable classic, as an immortalizing act for one of their main members who is no longer alive.

It's not hyperbole to give this 5 mics (or 4 1/2 if people want to nitpick a few things). But this is everything the artform exists for, and more. Nobody expected such a great album when we heard it was coming, but now that it's here, let's NOT ruin it by being the typical pessimists that most other shit inspires us to feel, because it's some trend-following image-driven, calculated cash-grab with more demographics chemistry experimenting happening than actual collaboration for the sake of making greatness.

This album is five times better than it has any right to be. Talking shit about it? Them's fighting words. Nothing makes some of you people happy. You could be sitting in the middle of your own fucking dream heaven paradise dimension, and you'd still say "yeah... but I actually expected MORE."



Beautiful honesty is so far gone from hip hop culture, that some people don't recognize it when it blossoms in their eyeballs.

Enough!!

Dude, this is not better than Peoples Instinctive.. Relax with all that. It's really good and I've been defending it with all my heart against people the last couple of days, but chillll b. I will say, though, that this is the perfect bookend and really shows the span of their life from the first album to the last. It's actually more like Peoples than any of their other albums. I can't necessarily call it an instant classic however it is timeless immediedly which def means something.

[hellriser]

listen to it a copule more times , not bad but not great either

i hope i would like it , maybe over some time , but fo now it not impress me that much

[battlecatmeowstab212]

Has any group or artist ever pulled off something like this? Putting out a classic nearly on par with their golden era output 20-25 years later?

That DJ Quik & Kurupt album from 2009 comes to mind, but I guess that's closer to 15 years later.

[jamrage]

I've listened to this album all weekend, and I think it's amazing. It's a 2016 Tribe album, so it's looking forward while acknowledging the past. It's much better than "The Love Movement", imo. It's a very cohesive album, not a collection of singles. You can tell these guys were in the studio together, not emailing verses in. The fact that a group could release an album this good 18 years after their last one is astonishing. Best money I've spent in a while.

I think it's a classic. Not that it matters, but it's most assuredly going to be up for some Grammys.

[TheBigSleep]

Has any group or artist ever pulled off something like this? Putting out a classic nearly on par with their golden era output 20-25 years later?

Well it's the longest hip hop comeback I can think of, by a couple years. Lemme know if I'm forgetting something, which I probably am. ( Tone Loc, Mikey D, Rock Steady, Tairrie B.)

Without taking something as subjective as quality into account, here's what I've been able to come up with regarding artists who at least tangentially relate to rap, that have a decade or more between albums:

The Pyramids – Otherwordly (36 years)
Funkadelic – First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate (33 years)
Giorgio Moroder – Deja Vu (30 years)
Tairrie B – Vintage Curses (25 years)
Rock Steady Crew – 30 Years to the Day (23 years)
Mikey D – Day of D'Struction (22 years)
Tone Loc – Loc and Friends (21 years)
Jodeci – The Past, The Present, The Future (20 years)
Grace Jones – Hurricane (19 years)
Neneh Cherry – Blank Project (18 years)
A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (18 years)
Blondie – No Exit (17 years)
Kraftwerk – Tour de France Soundtracks (17 years)
The Avalanches – Wildflower (16 years)
D.I.T.C. – DITC Studios (16 years)
Dr. Dre – Compton (16 years)
Gil Scott-Heron – I'm New Here (16 years)
Latyrx – The Second Album (16 years)
The L.O.X. – Filthy America...It's Beautiful (16 years)
Jigmastas – Resurgence (15 years)
SWV – I Missed Us (15 years)
Cannibal Ox – The Blade of the Ronin (14 years)
D'Angelo – Black Messiah (14 years)
Divine Styler – Def Mask (14 years)
Miilkbone – Da' MiilkTape (14 years)
Deltron 3030 – Event II (13 years)
Grand Daddy I.U. – Stick to the Script (13 years)
Black Sheep – 8WM / Novakane (12 years)
De La Soul – ...and the Anonymous Nobody (12 years)
DJ Rude One – ONEderful (12 years)
ESG – Step Off (11 years)
Eve – Lip Lock (11 years)
Grandmaster Flash – The Bridge (11 years)
Onyx – Wakedafucup (11 years)
Portishead – Third (11 years)
Blackalicious – Imani Vol. I (10 years)
King Cyz – Wake Up 2 R.E.M. (10 years)
Rakim – The Seventh Seal (10 years)
Sade – Soldier of Love (10 years)
Stevie Wonder – A Time to Love (10 years)

In other, older genres, there are literally over a hundred other artists or groups who have at least thirty five years between releases. Far as I know, the current record was set a few years back by Dean Glitter, who had released his last work some fifty seven years prior.

[Philaflava]

Did Mindbender just say this was better than People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and BR&L?

[Mindbender Futurama]

Expectations were low and I admit to probably adding a handicap point or two, but I don't think it's crazy to say this is in the same tier as every album not called LET or MM. Even in a vacuum it's an instant classic to me.

word

I think this will be the argument from here on out. I personally don't want to give too much of my time or attention to people who are not deeply absorbed in ATCQ albums, LOL.

pradadon, I do think it's better than 'Instinctive Travels'. That's a very solid debut album, but I think this is a stronger grand finale album.

and FUCK YEAH I SAID THAT, Glosso. Son, don't try to bring a B-level album into a classic album conversation. 'Beats Rhymes and Life' literally helped contribute to the decline of hope in hardcore purist content hip hop in 1996. It was quite good, not a dud, and had some solid ass bangers. But it also had 'Stressed Out', which was chart pandering, even though Faith Evans wasn't the worst singer to attempt a hit with.

This new ATCQ album has NO FUCKING BEGGING FOR ATTENTION on it. Not a god damn second does it refer to the modern era in any blatant way. Consequence says "live feed" but he doesn't even say "Instagram" or "Snapchat", because mere words like that in anyone's verses would fucking SPOIL this god damn timeless masterpiece that is this last goodbye to Phife Dawg.

I DID say this completes a holy trinity we didn't even know we needed. It's TYFYS...WGIFH, Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders as the best three Tribe Called Quest albums in human life on earth, and that's how I'm going to my grave. Thank you and good night.

*plays Solid Wall of Sound*


Someone says 'Uber' on 'Dis Generation', but it's mad quick

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

I've listened to this album all weekend, and I think it's amazing. It's a 2016 Tribe album, so it's looking forward while acknowledging the past. It's much better than "The Love Movement", imo. It's a very cohesive album, not a collection of singles. You can tell these guys were in the studio together, not emailing verses in. The fact that a group could release an album this good 18 years after their last one is astonishing. Best money I've spent in a while.

I think it's a classic. Not that it matters, but it's most assuredly going to be up for some Grammys.

love movement has a couple jams. agree with u this is more cohesive.


phife doesn't sound good on here. sick maybe? tip sounds just like ever. album is cool -- but i thought compton was cool and i haven't bothered returning to it.

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

pradadon, I do think it's better than 'Instinctive Travels'. That's a very solid debut album, but I think this is a stronger grand finale album.

ATTN: @Krs-thun

[Thun]

I think I just had another heart attack.

[SYM]

I think I just had another heart attack.

Another?

[Thun]

I think I just had another heart attack.

Another?

Long running joke. Get your faggot ass out of this thread, Sym.

[WiCkEd22]

Hey Mindbender, SHUT THE FUCK UP!! Go fuck some whales and empty yoar load in their blow holes. Fuckin moron. smh

This album isn't even close to their previous 4 albums not to mention at least those 4 albums were HipHop. This new album is not a HipHop album although it has some HipHop songs on it. The album is all over the place. 6/10.

[step one]

This new album is not a HipHop album

lol at still thinking anything outside of a certain bpm range that has some singing and no scratching on the chorus can't be consider "HipHop". Never change

Listened to it yesterday. It's alright. Prob a 3/5. A few really good tracks with replay value, a few average ones and some annoying/terrible ones, which is strange for a Tribe album as usually any weaker songs on their albums tended to be boring and forgettable rather than instrusive and make you press forward.

Q Tip is still a very good rapper. The celebrity features aren't too overbearing. The worst thing is Busta Rhymes, who sounds horrible. Could do without most of the singing tbh. Might have a go at some edits if I can be bothered.

[hellriser]

i like two tracks from this album after multiple spins

but again this album is all over the place

and busta sounds horrible on the album

[hellriser]

This new album is not a HipHop album

lol at still thinking anything outside of a certain bpm range that has some singing and no scratching on the chorus can't be consider "HipHop". Never change

Listened to it yesterday. It's alright. Prob a 3/5. A few really good tracks with replay value, a few average ones and some annoying/terrible ones, which is strange for a Tribe album as usually any weaker songs on their albums tended to be boring and forgettable rather than instrusive and make you press forward.

Q Tip is still a very good rapper. The celebrity features aren't too overbearing. The worst thing is Busta Rhymes, who sounds horrible. Could do without most of the singing tbh. Might have a go at some edits if I can be bothered.

this

[mike eagle]

not getting the busta slander. i think he kills it.

ive listened to this album prolly 15 times now. havent enjoyed anything this much in a long time.

space program, dis generation, mobius, and black spasmodic are my go-to's. i occasionally skip 'enough' cause if i listen too close tip can gross me out sometimes when he's rapping about sex. and 'lost somebody' is a dope phife tribute but it sounds like tip's last solo album and not this new tribe sound that im really feeling

[admiral]

I like the new one, but to say this is better than an album with Description of a Fool, Luck of Lucien, and Youthful Expression is just plain stupid

[Mindbender Futurama]

not getting the busta slander. i think he kills it.

ive listened to this album prolly 15 times now. havent enjoyed anything this much in a long time.

space program, dis generation, mobius, and black spasmodic are my go-to's. i occasionally skip 'enough' cause if i listen too close tip can gross me out sometimes when he's rapping about sex. and 'lost somebody' is a dope phife tribute but it sounds like tip's last solo album and not this new tribe sound that im really feeling

'Not getting the Busta slander'? MEMO: THEY ARE WHITE GUYS. Apparently they have no ability to enjoy a vocal performance not delivered in the Queen of England's Propyr Englishe Articulate as decreed by the Oxford Dick-tionary. DONE OFF YA PUSSYCLOTS FI YUH EEDIOT BWOY FUCKRY. Shut them up behind a Silent Wall of Sound.

FUCKING MORONS. Busta Rhymes FUCKING SLAUGHTERS IT and brings that 5th ATCQ Member vibe he has always done since '1, 2 Shit'. You motherfuckers are deplorables.

This album makes me feel like I'm 17 years old again, and no hip hop album has done that in over a decade. How dare you petty mortals slander the b-boy gods that made the best last masterpiece worth cherishing in this decaying corpse of a pseudo-civilization?

[Mindbender Futurama]

I think I just had another heart attack.

Another?

Long running joke. Get your faggot ass out of this thread, Sym.

Thun, I appreciated this.

Truly the definition of an underrated post.

Keep it real, Gawd.

[hessbz12]

So I've given this a good listen a number of times since the weekend. In my eyes, great album. It's just a breathe of fresh air in this day and age. No, it's not their best album ever or even close, but after this long without putting out an album it sure is damn good. Tip sounds great, I think Phife brings it and Busta sounds nice on this. Like someone else said, I think 3000 sounds kinda off on this, but it is what it is.

Like Mindbender said, the first thing I thought of when I heard this was that I was back in junior high or high school (I graduated HS in '98).

Is it one of the best albums ever, no. But for what it is, it's damn good and will stay in my rotation for a while.

[step one]

'Not getting the Busta slander'? MEMO: THEY ARE WHITE GUYS. Apparently they have no ability to enjoy a vocal performance not delivered in the Queen of England's Propyr Englishe Articulate as decreed by the Oxford Dick-tionary. DONE OFF YA PUSSYCLOTS FI YUH EEDIOT BWOY FUCKRY. Shut them up behind a Silent Wall of Sound.

FUCKING MORONS. Busta Rhymes FUCKING SLAUGHTERS IT and brings that 5th ATCQ Member vibe he has always done since '1, 2 Shit'. You motherfuckers are deplorables.

Get back in your box. You're a clown. A racist clown, but still a clown. Busta sounds terrible on this album. Not sure if he had a cold or something or the steroids are finally having some nasty side effects but no one needs to him sounding like an parody version of his own tribute act, growling all over the place (sound familiar MB?) and harshing the vibe. He had a great run of singles for 10 years or so but he needs to hang it up.

Also, if there's one thing UK rappers do better than their US counterparts, its harness their West Indian influences in the right way and actually sound authentic. 97% of US rappers can't do this and always bring the cringe. Owning a copy of Bob Marley 'Legend' and shoehorning a 'big up all rude bwoy seen!' into your rap is not the one.

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

Also, if there's one thing UK rappers do better than their US counterparts, its harness their West Indian influences in the right way and actually sound authentic.

cause they immigrated from west indies yesterday

[step one]

Also, if there's one thing UK rappers do better than their US counterparts, its harness their West Indian influences in the right way and actually sound authentic.

cause they immigrated from west indies yesterday

Not usually, no.

[stype_ones]

In their defense, Busta and Phife both been spitting that style since day 1. May sound funny to the ear now but it's not a new thing for them.

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

+KRS. 9milli goes bang>>UK rap

[Neuro]

this album is the best thing is a very long time

whole album is classic already, everything in it

[step one]

In their defense, Busta and Phife both been spitting that style since day 1. May sound funny to the ear now but it's not a new thing for them.

the Jamaican thing? Phife just about pulled it off back then. Busta has never managed it convincingly.