Old School
Paths Of Rhythm
Why A Tribe Called Quest’s debut album is in a class like no other
Alternative Hip Hop — a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses the wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream
People’s Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm is a beautiful album: Masterclass production, well-placed track sequence, and a perfect reflection of at-hand issues.
For those who do not know what “alternative hip hop” is, don’t open the dictionary. Instead, listen to the first track on this album, “Push It Along.” A Tribe Called Quest (ATCQ) sets the scene for the listener, they make it clear what this album is when they hit you with 30 seconds of a baby crying over bells and wind-chimes before the dropping the Old School beat.
The production on this song is unparalleled. “Push It Along” provides more than just an introduction to alternative beats but also presents A Tribe Called Quest’s social consciousness.
The street can’t depart from the bloody heart
Repair the wear and tear, don’t stop ‘fore it starts
Won’t be gone for long, listen to the song
If you can’t pull it, all ya gotta do is —
In a time when rap was dominated by “hard core” and thug styles, this album is like a breath of fresh air. A Tribe Called Quest’s debut album remains forever fresh three decades after its release. The two main rappers, Q Tip and Phife Dawg, combined with the “vibe guide” in Jarobi, and the production of Ali Muhammed, approach national issues. From proper diet and nutrition in “Ham ’N’ Eggs” to domestic violence in “Description of a Fool”, ATCQ pushes along a broad scale of topics.
“I don’t eat no ham n’ eggs, cuz they’re high in cholesterol”
“Who would love a women turn around and abuse her? (oh)
Only a fool as described by the Tribe”
The production in Peoples Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm is the key to its success. ATCQ revolutionized sampling: the process of reusing music or sounds into the composition of a song. They used little bits of songs from the past — whether it was a beat or a hook — to show off their production skills. Q Tip and Ali Muhammed were pioneering minds in the production aspect of albums. Every song in this debut album has at least one sample, most have 3. My favorite sample in the album is from the 13th track, “Go Ahead In The Rain.” The intro is from an old Jimmi Hendrix sample. In this way, two different eras and two different genres are connected through music. The use of samples throughout the album root it through the intertwined tree of music.
This tree of music is how I, born in 2004, was able to discover an album that was released in 1990. Like many other people in March of 2020, I found myself with an abundance of free time. I decided to expand my music knowledge. Working backward from Kanye in the 2010s, I made my way into the early 2000s and late 90s with OutKast and Nas.
The early 90s came around and I wasn’t really connecting with what I had found. I had seen some lists of perfect albums and Peoples Instinctive Paths of Rhythm seemed to find itself on each one. I was on a walk when I played the album for the first time. Instantly, I knew that I had struck gold. My walk that was supposed to be a 15-minute stroll, turned into a 2-hour hike. I could not get enough of the music. I was proud to show off the new songs I found to my twin brother. This album is for anyone and everyone.
It can be overwhelming and a little annoying at times when artists attack you with the gravity of their songs. Some albums are so focused on making a point that they forget that music is fun, music can be light too. Thankfully for us, A Tribe Called Quest nails the balance between being serious and fun. The balance can be attributed to their carefree beats even on the weighty songs, but more importantly, it is due to their perfect amount of well placed tracks that lack complex themes, or breathers. These breathers make the album an easy listen.
Easy listening is the perfect word to describe People’s Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm. Their fifth track, “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo,” is a perfect example. It’s light and fun. In an album filled with deep, meaningful bars, “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo” acts as the perfect counterweight. This song shows off Q Tip’s storytelling ability as he takes us with him and his friends on a journey from New York to El Segundo. There is no hidden meaning. It’s just some friends having fun over a beat. The back and forth banter is something that any of us can relate to. We all have our tribe.
A Tribe Called Quest didn't want to rap like everyone else or make beats like everyone else, so they chose not to. They wanted to produce an album that would carve itself into music world forever, so they revolutionized the rap game with influence from Jazz, R&B, and others. As a result, ATCQ made history, releasing the first debut album to get a 5 mic rating from The Source. One of forty-five albums ever to receive this rating.
Whether you are a casual hip hop listener, or a rap connoisseur, People’s Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm should be on your listen-list. It provides easy listening through fun, influential beats and the use of ad-libs while also providing a meaningful listening experience through their determination to make an album that is more than just a testimony to their hardness.
A Tribe Called Quest’s debut album is an exercise in perfection.
