| Beats, Rhymes and Life | |
|---|---|
 Studio album by A Tribe Called Quest | |
|
Released |
July 30, 1996 |
|
Recorded |
May 1995 - February 1996 |
|
Studio |
Battery Studios |
|
Genre(s) |
|
|
Length |
51:14 |
|
Label |
Jive Records / BMG |
|
Producer(s) |
Rashad Smith, The Ummah |
| A Tribe Called Quest chronology | |
|---|---|
|
Previous |
Midnight Marauders (1993) |
|
Next |
The Love Movement (1998) |
Beats, Rhymes and Life is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released in July 30, 1996 on Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at Battery Studios in New York City from May 1995 to February 1996. The album marks a departure from the joyful, positive vibe of the group's earlier albums and is regarded as their darkest album in content. The album is the first to feature production work by The Ummah, a group that was composed of Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jay Dee. Q-Tip's cousin Consequence features frequently on the album.
The album reached #1 on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 1997, and the single "1nce Again" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Although it sold well, it was not as critically acclaimed as the group's earlier albums. As of 2019, the album has sold over 1,100,000 copies.
Track listing[]
All songs produced by The Ummah, except for "The Hop", produced by Rashad Smith.
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Phony Rappers" | Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence | Fareed, Mills, Taylor | 3:36 |
| 2. | "Get a Hold" | Q-Tip | Fareed, Yancey | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Motivators" | Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, Consequence | Fareed, Mills, Muhammad, Taylor | 3:20 |
| 4. | "Jam" | Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence | Fareed, Mills, Taylor | 4:38 |
| 5. | "Crew" | Q-Tip | Fareed, Muhammad | 1:58 |
| 6. | "The Pressure" | Q-Tip, Phife Dawg | Fareed, Muhammad, Taylor | 3:03 |
| 7. | "1nce Again" | Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, Tammy Lucas | Fareed, Muhammad, Swallow, Taylor, Yancey | 3:49 |
| 8. | "Mind Power" | Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence | Fareed, Mills, Muhammad, Taylor | 3:56 |
| 9. | "The Hop" | Q-Tip, Phife Dawg | Fareed, Smith, Taylor | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Keeping It Moving" | Q-Tip | Fareed, Yancey | 3:39 |
| 11. | "Baby Phife's Return" | Phife Dawg | Fareed, Taylor | 3:19 |
| 12. | "Seperate / Together" | Q-Tip | Fareed | 1:38 |
| 13. | "What Really Goes On" | Q-Tip | Bonner, Fareed, Jones, Middlebrooks, Morrison, Napier, Noland, Pierce, Webster | 3:24 |
| 14. | "Word Play" | Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence | Fareed, Mills, Taylor, Yancey | 3:00 |
| 15. | "Stressed Out" | Q-Tip, Consequence, Faith Evans | Evans, Fareed, Mills, Muhammad, Taylor, Yancey | 4:58 |
Samples[]
Phony Rappers
- "Blind Alley" by The Emotions
Get a Hold
- "The Visit (She Was Here)" by The Cyrkle
Motivators
- "Sound Pieces" by Michal Urbaniak Group
Jam
- "Dirty Old Bossa Nova" by Howard Roberts
Crew
- "Suburban Family Lament" by Ruth Copeland
The Pressure
- "Get Off Your Ass and Jam" by Funkadelic
1nce Again
- "I'm Your Pal" by Gary Burton
- "Untitled" by Cannonball Adderley
Mind Power
- "N.T." by Kool & the Gang
- "Submission" by Tyrone Washington
The Hop
- "Soft Spirit" by Henry Franklin
- "Bumpin' Bus Stop" by Thunder and Lightning
Keeping It Moving
- "Roadwork" by Howard Roberts
Baby Phife's Return
- "Sam Enchanted Dick (Medley)" by Jack Bruce
- "Midnight Theme" by Manzel
Separate/Together
- "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
What Really Goes On
- "Pain" by Ohio Players
- "Make It Funky" by James Brown
Word Play
- "The Watcher" by Rodney Franklin
Stressed Out
- "Good Love" by Anita Baker