New Vinyl Record - Tribe Called Quest - Low End

de la Soul are remembered as the premier Native Tongues posse, those rappers who got low-key, self-consciously thoughtful, and jazzy in the face of gangsta's hardcore threats. But A Tribe Called Quest may have been even stronger, especially on their excellent second album, the bass-thumping, heavily jazz-sampled the Low End Theory. According to the opening "Excursions," rapper Q-Tip's old man says the disc's jazz-rap "reminded him of bebop," and Q calls himself "prominent like Shakespeare." But if Charlie Parker had ever written poetic couplets and backed them with funky-drummer and Ron Carter-on-bass grooves this irresistible, he might have been as big as the Bard and Brother James combined. - David Cantwell.

• 1 Excursions
• 2 Buggin' Out
• 3 Rap Promoter
• 4 Butter
• 5 Verses from the Abstract
• 6 Show Business
• 7 Vibes and Stuff
• 8 Infamous Date Rape
• 9 Check the Rhime
• 10 Everything Is Fair
• 11 Jazz (We've Got)
• 12 Skypager
• 13 What?
• 14 Scenario