Midnight Marauders

Midnight Marauders
Studio album by A Tribe Called Quest
Released	November 9, 1993
Recorded	October 1992 - September 1993
Studio	Battery Studios (New York City, New York) Platinum Island Recording Studios (New York City, New York) Master Mix Studio (Brooklyn, New York) Sorcerer Sound (New York City, New York)
Genre	Hip hop, alternative hip hop, jazz rap, East Coast hip hop, boom bap, conscious hip hop
Length	51:13
Label	Jive Records
Producer(s)	Skeff Anselm, Large Professor, A Tribe Called Quest

A Tribe Called Quest chronology
Previous	The Low End Theory (1991)
Next	Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996)

Midnight Marauders is the third studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. It was released on November 9, 1993 through Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at Battery Studios, Platinum Island Recording Studios, Master Mix Studio and Sorcerer Sound in New York City from October 1992 to September 1993. Production was handled primarily by the group with one song each produced by Skeff Anslem and Large Professor. Its only credited guest appearance is by Large Professor while Raphael Wiggins, Trugoy and Busta Rhymes make uncredited hook contributions. A culmination of the group's two previous projects, it features an eclectic, gritty sound based on jazz, funk, soul and R&B samples, in addition to socially conscious, positively-minded and humorous lyrics.

The album is strung together with skits performed by a robotic voiced woman, who explains the meaning of the title of the album ("seven times out of ten, we listen to our music at night" and "we maraud your ears") and shares information about the group. The album artwork is one of the most popular hip hop covers of the 1990s, as it features headshots of various hip hop stars at the time.

The album was a criical and commercial success. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Midnight Marauders is seen as a classic jazz rap album alongside The Low End Theory. As of 2019, the album has sold over 1,750,000 copies. Midnight Marauders released the singles: "Award Tour" (which debuted at #47 on the Billboard Hot 100, #27 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and #7 on the Hot Rap Songs chart), "Oh My God" and "Electric Relaxation (which debuted at #65 on the Hot 100, #38 on the Hot R&B Singles chart and #13 on the Hot Rap Singles chart in the United States).

Legacy

Rolling Stone ranked Midnight Marauders at #201 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2020.

Track listing

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Midnight Marauders Tour Guide"	-	-	A Tribe Called Quest	0:45
2.	"Steve Biko (Stir It Up)"	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	3:11
3.	"Award Tour"	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	3:46
4.	"8 Million Stories"	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip	Anselm, Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	Skeff Anselm	4:30
5.	"Sucka N*!^a"	Q-Tip	Davis, Hubbard, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	4:05
6.	"Midnight"	Q-Tip	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	3:49
7.	"We Can Get Down"	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	4:19
8.	"Electric Relaxation"	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	4:04
9.	"Clap Your Hands"	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip	Davis, James, Modeliste, Muhammad, Neville, Norcentelli, Porter, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	3:16
10.	"Oh My God"	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	3:29
11.	"Keep It Rollin'"	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, Large Professor	Davis, Mitchell, Muhammad, Taylor	Large Professor	3:05
12.	"The Chase, Part II"	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip	Arrington, Davis, Godsey, Hankerton, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	4:02
13.	"Lyrics to Go"	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	4:09
14.	"God Lives Through"	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	A Tribe Called Quest	4:15

Samples

Midnight Marauders Tour Guide

• "Aquarius" by Cal Tjader

Steve Biko (Stir It Up)

• "Blackstone Legacy" by Woody Shaw
• "Ekim" by Michal Urbaniak Group

Award Tour

• "Olinga" by Milt Jackson
• "We Gettin' Down" by Weldon Irvine
• "Advice" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Lowdown" by Charles Earland
• "Hobo Scratch" by Malcolm McLaren and World's Famous Supreme Team
• "Don't Walk Away" by Jade

8 Million Stories

• "Bettina" by Bola Sete
• "Over the Rainbow" by Ohio Players

​Sucka N*!^a

• "Red Clay" by Jack Wilkins
• "M.C. Battle" by Busy Bee and Rodney Cee
• "Kissing My Love" by Cold Blood

Midnight

• "North Beach" by George Duke
• "Psychedelic Shack" by Albino Gorilla

We Can Get Down

• "Martin's Funeral" by Bill Cosby
• "The Big Beat" by Billy Squier
• "My Melody" by Eric B. & Rakim

Electric Relaxation

• "Mystic Brew" by Ronnie Foster
• "Outside Love" by Brethren
• "Dreams" by Ramsey Lewis

Clap Your Hands

• "Handclapping Song" by The Meters
• "Nautilus" by Bob James
• "Ode to Billie Joe" by Lou Donaldson
• "New World" by Woody Shaw

Oh My God

• "Absolutions" by Lee Morgan
• "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" by Kool & the Gang
• "Why Can't People Be Colors Too?" by The Whatnauts
• "Damn Right I'm Somebody" by Fred Wesley and The J.B.'s
• "One for the Treble" by Davy DMX

Keep It Rollin'

• "Feel Like Makin' Love" by Roy Ayers Ubiquity

The Chase, Part II

• "Beddie-Biey" by Steve Arrington
• "Nobody Beats the Biz" by Biz Markie

Lyrics to Go

• "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton
• "The Mixed Up Cup" by Clyde McPhatter
• "Just Enough Room for Storage" by James Brown

God Lives Through

• "Dig on It" by Jimmy McGriff
• "On Love" by David T. Walker
• "Gimme Some More" by The J.B.'s