A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths Of Rhythm

Being a huge fan of '90s hip-hop, and also a great enjoyer of Busta Rhymes and Leaders Of the New School, it was inevitable that sooner rather than later I would be compelled to explore the discography of the legendary hip-hop trio (or sometimes quartet) that is A Tribe Called Quest. Coming up as part of the Native Tongues collective in the late '80s alongside other acts that included De La Soul and The Jungle Brothers, Tribe would go on to become one of the most well-respected and incredible hip-hop acts in the history of the genre - not that anyone needed telling that, since there's very little argument in the hip-hop community against their status as one of the best collectives of all time. The group are one of the most recognisable in my favourite genre to this day, and so when I realised that I had quite a few of their albums in my house which I hadn't ever decided to check out, I decided it was high time to get into the catalogue. 

And boy am I glad I did. 

Tribe's first album, which went by the fun but overly long title of People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths Of Rhythm, was released in 1990 following the group's signing to Jive Records, and it is widely known as being pretty great, but not as good as their two albums to come after it - of course, at this stage in their career Tribe were still finding their own unique sound, meaning this album sounded more like a De La record without the skits than anything else. Also, many of Tribe's biggest fans cite the undeniable chemistry on the mic between our two lead MCs Q-Tip and Phife Dawg as a key component of the group, and on this album that's barely present ever. The only songs where both artists get equal screen time are "Can I Kick It?" and "Ham 'n' Eggs", and other than that the vocals throughout this album are almost entirely handled by Q-Tip, with Phife appearing as a mere guest MC on his few tracks. And even when he does rap, the lyrics were all written by Tip anyway, so bear that in mind. Of course, Phife Dawg's lack of appearances on the album can be explained by him not even wanting to be a rapper at the time, but still a lot of people who go back through Tribe's catalogue criticise this album for that reason, and I think that's fair enough.

Another thing this album has that none of Tribe's other records do is a series of interludes featuring Jarobi, the fourth member of the group, acting as a master of ceremonies and introducing quite a few of the songs over the same exact instrumental every time. Most of the time his interludes are very short, but still it's easy to tell why someone might find his appearances a bit of a slog - especially when they last for over two minutes, like at the end of the opening track. Jarobi left the group after the release of this album to pursue his own interests, but he was still always cited as a member even after this departure. 

So, the real question is this - what do I, someone born in 2007, think of an album that's almost 35 years old? Well, I've been listening to this record for over a month now, and I feel pretty familiar with it, so I thought it was about time I covered this project on the blog. So let's get to it.

All songs are produced by A Tribe Called Quest, but I'm pretty sure it was mostly just Q-Tip and a little bit of Ali Shaheed Muhammad. 

1. Push It Along

After the ominous sounds of a baby crying that I think is supposed to represent a kind of birth of the group, the drums on this song kick in, and from there we're laughing all the way. The funky instrumental on this track that incorporates a beautiful jazzy melody stands as easily one of the dopest on the whole LP if you ask me, and when those horns come in, it's just such an elevating experience. They really went all out with this beat, and I think it's one that deserves to land in conversation more often. The first verse from Q-Tip is probably my favourite on the track, with those opening lines "Q-Tip is my title, I don't think that it's vital / for me to be your idol, but dig this recital" just being absolutely iconic to me, but it's also worth noting that Phife does show up for a quick 8 bars on here, and I thoroughly enjoy his efforts too. The actual song portion of this track is phenomenal - catchy hook, great positive rapping and one of the best beats of all time in my opinion. There's a rather long interlude on the end with Jarobi introducing the members of the group, and that part probably could have been shortened a bit, but other than that this stands as one of my favourite Tribe tracks of all time. 

2. Luck Of Lucien

Our second absolutely top-tier instrumental of the day is used for the first of many, many Q-Tip solo cuts to appear on this album, and the Tribe catalogue in general. This one is rather odd in its subject matter, as it serves as a whole-ass letter to a French rapper who had moved to New York, and tries to help him with incorporating himself into American society as someone born and raised in France. I don't know who's idea this goofy-ass subject matter was, but thankfully Q-Tip handles it well - the song is funny rather than cornily motivational, and my God is the instrumental on this song luscious. Also, that interlude between the second and third verse where Lucien tries to tell someone that he must be sexy since he's French is hilarious as hell. This song is brilliant. 

3. After Hours

Not quite as classic as the first two songs in my opinion, but still a really pleasant track that continues the midnight vibe that I always feel this album gives off. The beat on here is really nice, and slightly intense as well in a weird way, and Q-Tip rocks it well with some nice storytelling about the Tribe's late night adventures - and while Phife is sadly once again absent from proceedings, he does get quite a few shout-outs in the verses, so that's nice. The lyrics on this song continue the hippy-ish, feel-good direction that this project has, and the scratches in the hook are also perfectly placed - I couldn't imagine any other scratch fitting better. Not sure why the sounds of croaking frogs needed to be implemented into the middle of this song, but otherwise this is the third brilliant cut in a row. 

4. Footprints

I think this one is considered one of the cult classics on this record, but for me it's still not quite on the level of those first two songs - but then again, what is? The instrumental on this song is top tier - it's not perfect, but the celebratory sound makes it stand out on the album, and I think it would have worked well as the final song for the project - and man does Q-Tip kill this one. Q earns his title as The Abstract on here by using some weird phrases and more complex metaphors and such that make the song a little more difficult to follow than the last song, and it works well as this one feels more skilled and professional. This song almost feels like a taste of what we would hear on Midnight Marauders, and while the sound would be improved upon by that point, this song right here is still a great cut if you ask me. 

5. I Left My Wallet In El Segundo

The notorious storytelling single from this album, that seems to be a bit of a controversial point for hip-hop fans. Some (including Rap Critic) think that this song is ridiculous in its execution, with most of the lines stating the obvious and being seemingly completely irrelevant to the story, and I can see where they are coming from for sure - it's difficult not to laugh at lines such as "came to a toll and paid and went through it" and "Ali laid in the back so he can get rest". However, I'm more inclined to love this song just because of how innocent and funny it is - yes, the story itself is boring as shit, but the fact that Q-Tip is rapping it as if its this huge event that deserves a whole song dedicated to it just puts a smile on my face, as does that whole scene while they're in the bar in the middle of the desert. The music video also very much helps my enjoyment of this track, so definitely go check that out. And yeah, as much as the story is stupid, the execution is great, and the beat is really dope too. I love this song. 

6. Pubic Enemy

No, that's not a misspelling - they really did call it "Pubic Enemy". This song is all about the monster that was and is STDs, and I suppose that was quite a big thing in the year 1990, so it makes sense why they'd make a song like this. And wadayaknow - it actually works really well. On the song, Q-Tip tells two different stories that are both slightly uncomfortable but also intriguing, followed by a third verse that simply addresses the STDs as if they were a sentient being that could actually understand him and consciously do the things they're being accused of. Okay, that idea in the song is a little silly in my opinion, but the stories themselves are dope, and I really like the beat too, even if it is a little loud. Kool DJ Red Alert narrates this one too, by the way, in case anyone's interested. 

7. Bonita Applebum

One of the most popular singles from the whole record, and it's easy to tell why - this song is fantastic. The intro is utterly beautiful, and when it segues into the actual beat and chorus it's just a moment of perfection on the album in my opinion - the instrumental is actually easily my favourite element of this song too. I mean, I like Q-Tip's performance on this, but the verses where he takes a bar-long break after every line do get a bit monotonous - I actually think Common did this style better with his song "Come Close" (which was quite clearly influenced by this track). The chorus on here meshes with the beat perfectly, and when you discount the slightly boring flow, the lyrics themselves make for the perfect love letter to this woman. There's a reason this is remembered as one of Tribe's best singles - it's a classic tune. 

8. Can I Kick It?

The biggest single from this whole album, one that charted at no. 15 in the UK despite not charting on the US Billboard Top 100 at all, and one that has been interpolated and covered so many times in hip-hop it's impossible to count (Jay-Z's "22 Two's" comes to mind though). This song is an indisputable classic, with one of the dopest instrumentals of all time (yes, I know it's basically a mix of different samples, but who cares, they made something original out of them) and two fantastic verses from our two MCs. And yes that's right folks - Phife makes his first appearance since the opening track on this song, track eight. Talk about a slacker (just kidding). Also, the actual lyrics are great and memorable here - "if you feel the urge to freak, do the jitterbug / come and spread your arms if you really need a hug" - and that chorus is undeniable in its iconic status. This is a massive banger. 

9. Youthful Expression

On the website Album Of The Year (which I find myself using frequently), I've seen a lot of people say that this album is consistently brilliant... up to track 8, thereby suggesting that this song here isn't up to par. And while it's not as incredible as "Push It Along" or "Can I Kick It?", I'd still have to disagree with those people, as I find this relaxing joint to be one of the best on the album - Q-Tip's incredibly laid back vocal delivery and flow sound really great over this jazzy, chilled instrumental, and the lyrics themselves are really interesting too. The instrumental fake-out thing at the end was also really nicely done. Fantastic track. 

10. Rhythm (Devoted To the Art Of Moving Butts)

After the legendary Prince Paul sets this one up, we are exposed to a song that sounds pretty different to most of the other tracks on here - the drums are as bangin' as always, but the synth sounds used on this one very much make it stand out. And it's kind of in a good way, even though I still wouldn't put this close to the top of my rankings of these songs. Q-Tip's verses are still just as impressive, mind, as he drops lyrical gems such as "rhythms are obese, yeah, you gotta keep 'em fed" and keeps a nice steady flow going throughout too. Oh, and I quite enjoy this hook - it feels less rowdy and more sensual than some of the other ones here. This isn't a highlight by any means, but I still enjoy it loads, and I'm sure everyone else does too. 

11. Mr. Muhammad

Given the amount of times he's shouted out on this album and subsequent releases (who are we on award tour with? And who said you had to be out? And who made you pay for lunch?), I can only assume the other members feel bad that Ali Shaheed Muhammad doesn't ever contribute vocals. Here, he gets his own track named after him, and it's pretty good, if probably my personal least favourite here. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but something about that repeated "fire" sample just gets on my nerves. On the plus side, Phife Dawg makes his third appearance on the album on this song, and hands in a pretty stellar performance too, even if Tip is the clear dominator of this track. This is a good song, but not one I tend to come back to outside of full album listens. 

12. Ham 'N' Eggs

I remember thinking this song was stupid as hell when I first listened to the album, but now it's proved itself worthy by actually really sticking with me - a lot of these lines really are funny. This song, which talks about the dangers of eating unhealthily, has pretty equal screen time between Phife and Tip, and both use it well, with the best part being the back and forth first verse where the two go as far as finishing each others sentences - not something experimented with on the rest of this project. The beat on here isn't hugely stand out, but with lines like "candied yams inside my tummy" and "I'm plagued by vegetarians", it's difficult not to love this one. And it has a positive message, so we've got to give it props for that. 

13. Go Ahead In the Rain

Over a beat that sounds like a cross between '90s g-funk and early '80s hip-hop, Q-Tip provides some really dope flows and lyrics over the course of two verses broken up by a sample break and not much else. Whenever I hear this I'm reminded of the beats that Tech N9ne rapped over in his The Calm Before the Storm: Part 1 era, which is a good thing, and Q-Tip helps with stopping that distraction by sounding nothing like Tech N9ne at all. He's still dope on here, mind, and despite its simplisticness this is one of the more underrated cuts on the album in my opinion. The rain sound effects at the end were a nice touch too. 

14. Description Of a Fool

Released as a single when Tribe first signed their contract with Jive, making this what I believe to be the first song released with the A Tribe Called Quest badging on it. Still, don't expect to hear Phife show up on here, because you'll be sorely disappointed. What you won't be disappointed with is the song itself - because it's great. The instrumental on here is chilled out and wavy, and fits the vibe of this album perfectly, and Q-Tip's second verse is one of my favourites on the whole record - that storytelling is pretty hilarious, no? Also, the instrumental playing out at the end is a nice touch to end the record on. In case you can't tell, I really, really like this track. 

I'm a huge fan of A Tribe Called Quest's debut album. If you ask me this is one of the most fun, inventive, chilled out records in hip-hop history (that I've heard), and even though there are signature Tribe elements missing from some of these songs, I still think it deserves every ounce of praise it gets and more. Firstly, the beats on here are consistently excellent - they sound forward thinking, are fairly diverse, and above all are really just enjoyable to listen to. Mixing hard drums with jazzy melodies and instrumentation has worked wonders over the years, and these types of beats are in abundance here. And then we come to Tip's rapping - while his flow doesn't switch up a whole lot throughout this record, I think that his lyrics, voice and the flow itself being good all make up for this. Q-Tip proves to be a great rapper with hilarious lines, great subject matter and appropriate annunciation on here, and he fits perfectly over these beats. This means that this album is incredibly consistent with a huge amount of great songs, and none that don't work (even if a couple lack replay value for me). The record scratching that appears all over this album is just the cherry on top. People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is a fantastic debut from the Tribe, and while Phife is missed here, everything else works almost as well as it would on their next two records. This is an underrated release to me, and the perfect start to one of the most consistently great catalogues in the history of hip-hop. 

Best Tracks: Push It Along, Luck Of Lucien, After Hours, I Left My Wallet In El Segundo, Bonita Applebum, Can I Kick It?, Youthful Expression, Description Of a Fool

Worst Tracks: Mr. Muhammad

More on the work of Tribe to come!