The Low End Theory

The Low End Theory
Studio album by A Tribe Called Quest
Released	September 24, 1991
Recorded	August 1990 - June 1991
Studio	Battery Studios (New York City, NY) Greene Street Studios (New York City, NY) Soundtrack Studios (New York City, NY) DJ Jazzy Jay's Studio (Bronx, New York)
Genre(s)	Hip hop, Alternative hip hop, Jazz rap
Length	48:03
Label	Jive RCA Records
Producer(s)	A Tribe Called Quest, Skeff Anselm

A Tribe Called Quest chronology
Previous	People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)
Next	Midnight Marauders (1993)

The Low End Theory is the second studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released in September 24, 1991 on Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album were held at Battery Studios, Greene Street Studios, Soundtrack Studios and DJ Jazzy Jay's Studio in New York City from August 1990 to June 1991. After the release of the group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, Jarobi White left the group to study culinary art. Phife Dawg learnt that he was a diabetic one month after the album's release and, after a discussion with fellow member Q-Tip, they agreed to increase his participation on their second album and to "step it up in general as a group." Q-Tip credited N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton as an inspiration for The Low End Theory. 

The Low End Theory was one of the first records to fuse hip hop with a laid-back jazz atmosphere. The bass drum and vocals emphasise the downbeat on every track. Double bassist Ron Carter plays the bass on the song "Verses from the Abstract".

The Low End Theory helped shape alternative hip hop music in the 1990s. It established the musical, cultural, and historical link between hip hop and jazz. The album peaked at #45 on the Billboard 200, and #13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album produced three singles: "Check the Rhime", "Jazz (We've Got)", and the posse cut "Scenario". As of 2019, the album has sold over 1,500,000 copies.

Legacy

Rolling Stone ranked The Low End Theory at #43 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2020.

Track listing

All songs produced by A Tribe Called Quest, except for "Show Business" and "Everything Is Fair", produced by Skeff Anselm and co-produced by A Tribe Called Quest.

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Exercises"	Q-Tip	Davis	3:53
2.	"Buggin' Out"	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	3:38
3.	"Rap Promoter"	Q-Tip	Davis, Muhammad	2:13
4.	"Butter"	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	3:39
5.	"Verses from the Abstract"	Q-Tip	Davis	3:59
6.	"Show Business"	Q-Tip, Lord Jamar, Phife Dawg, Sadat X, Diamond D	Anselm, Davis, Dechalus, Kirkland, Muhammad, Murphy, Taylor	3:53
7.	"Vibes and Stuff"	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	Davis, Taylor	4:18
8.	"The Infamous Date Rape"	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	2:54
9.	"Check the Rhime"	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	3:36
10.	"Everything Is Fair"	Q-Tip	Anselm, Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	2:58
11.	"Jazz (We've Got)"	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	4:09
12.	"Skypager"	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	Davis, Muhammad, Taylor	2:13
13.	"What?"	Q-Tip	Davis	2:29
14.	"Scenario"	Phife Dawg, Charlie Brown, Dinco D, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes	Davis, Higgins, Jackson, Muhammad, Smith, Taylor	4:10

Notes

• Track 5 features jazz bass performed by Ron Carter, and vocal tones performed by Vinia Mojica

Credits

• Recorded by: Bob Power & A Tribe Called Quest
• Mixed by: Bob Power & A Tribe Called Quest
• Engineered (additional) by: Pete Christensen, Eric Gast, Gerard Julien, Tim Latham, Anthony Saunders, Marc Singleton, Rod Hui, Chris Shaw, Jamey Staub, Dan Wood & Jim Kyoriak
• Mastered by: Tom Coyne

Samples

Excursions

• "A Chant for Bu" by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
• "The Soil I Tilled for You" by The Shades of Brown
• "Time Is Running Out" by The Last Poets

Buggin' Out

• "Minya's the Mooch" by Jack Dejohnette's Directions
• "Spinning Wheel" by Lonnie Smith
• "Behind the Wall of Sleep" by Black Sabbath

Rap Promoter

• "Keep on Doin' It" by The New Birth
• "Taxman" by Junior Parker

Butter

• "Young and Fine" by Weather Report
• "I Like Everything About You" by Chuck Jackson
• "Gentle Smiles (Saxy)" by Gary Bartz

Verses from the Abstract

• "Upon This Rock" by Joe Farrell
• "The Star of the Story" by Heatwave

Show Business

• "Wicki Wacky" by The Fatback Band
• "The Jam" by Graham Central Station
• "Mandamentos Back" by Gerson King Combo
• "Midnight Cowboy" by Ferrante & Teicher

Vibes and Stuff

• "Down Here on the Ground" by Grant Green

The infamous Date Rape

• "Is It Him or Me" by Jackie Jackson
• "The Steam Drill" by Cannonball Adderley
• "10% Dis" by MC Lyte feat. Audio Two

Check the Rhime

• "Hydra" by Grover Washington, Jr.
• "Love Your Life" by Average White Band
• "Nobody Beats the Biz" by Biz Markie
• "Baby, This Love I Have" by Minnie Riperton

Everything Is Fair

• "Let's Take It to the People" by Funkadelic
• "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Don't Knock My Love" by Willis Jackson

Jazz (We've Got)

• "Green Dolphin Street" by Jimmy McGriff
• "Don't Change Your Love" by The Five Stairsteps

Skypager

• "Advice" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "17 West" by Eric Dolphy

What?

• "Uncle Willie's Dream" by Paul Humphrey

Scenario

• "Oblighetto" by Brother Jack McDuff
• "Little Miss Lover" by Jimi Hendrix
• "Hihache" by Lafayette Afro Rock Band