bigd99999's Full Review: Beats, Rhymes and Life by A Tribe Called Quest
I went into Beats, Rhymes, and Life hoping that I wouldn't have to say that Midnight Marrauders and The Low End Theory are the only albums by A Tribe Called Quest that matter. I was really hoping that. Even though People's Instinctive Travels... got a 5 Mic rating in The Source, when I listened to it a couple of years ago I was not impressed by it's performance (like GSP) and reviewed it here on the site. I had this album lying around and decided to pop in it, hoping for some gems. Well there definitely were some, but they are few and far between and still not truly good enough songs to qualify them as gems. I can't really comment on the Tribe's final album, The Love Movement, because I've never heard it nor do I plan to anytime this calendar year. Today though, I'll take a quick look at Beats, Rhymes, and Life and share some thoughts.
To say that I am so far removed from hip-hop that it isn't funny would be an accurate statement. If hip-hop isn't dead, it's certainly close to going the way of Disco. While my tastes have honestly matured and moved on (a prediction that Cletta made several years ago that wound up coming true), I also think that the artistry and creativity that attracted me to hip-hop has gone bye bye. But it fascinates me that an album that dropped in 1996 (one of the best if not THE best year for rap) really turned me off as much as Beats, Rhymes, and Life.
The performances on the album by Q-Tip and Phife Dawg are relatively simplistic and uninspired, almost as if they were unwilling to move with the times. Emcee Consequence is on the album quite a bit, but it really doesn't add to detract from the finished product. In an era where albums like ATLiens and Me Against The World were changing the way that we approach hip-hop, the Tribe chose to stay stuck in 1989, something that certain rappers even in 2009 continue to do (see KRS-One). So what we have here is two emcees who have shown their ability to be ahead of the curve on past releases, but chose to stick to the status quo. As a result, we have to rely on the production to make this worth a spin, and thankfully at least THAT is decent.
Too many songs sound the same. Other than slightly bouncier production on the latter, "Phony Rappers" and "Motivators" can be swapped back and forth and it won't even matter. "Get A Hold" was the first song on the album that really caught my attention, mainly due to the "Sound Pieces" sample and the bouncy drum and snare. Q-Tip is also more focused here, but it's just more of the same.
"The Pressure" has a nice old-school hip-hop vibe complete with scratches and light percussion. There are DJ Premier-esque moments here, and quite a few, and you know how much I love that man. The rapping on here is greatly masked by the Funkadelic sample, but Q-Tip's rhyming is definitely back on the level that it should be. There are rhymes on this song that really show glimpses of the potential that Tip and Phife could've shown us. "A God fearin' folk cos we all from the yolk // Of one breed, one seed, to good goals we proceed // nowadays I strive to be a very good influence // even though not too long ago I was a truant // now I'm droppin' it on this and many broad topics // from man's obsession with money to holy prophets". Good street poetry.
The other song that's a standout to me besides that was "The Hop", and again it's almost all due to the production. It's a 1980's style rap dance track and does a decent job to entertain. Q-Tip and Phife are fine on here and ride the beat better than any other song on the album, but again it's the hard hitting drums that draw me in. "Keep It Moving" was interesting because this was the song where Q-Tip addressed the East/West rivalry of the mid-90s, firmly stating that he was not getting involved and wanted to make sure the entire west understood ("the only difference of the two is the style of the rap // plus the musical track, this beef sh1t is so wack // let me let y'all brothas know I ain't no West coast disser".)
Besides that, the album suffers from a staleness and feeling of sameness throughout. Even though sometimes the lyrics reflect shades of change, more often than not the simplistic beats mask any kind of enjoyment. Even though that's a rarity ("Jam", "Word Play" and "Separate/Together" for example), the main fault is, like I said, the opposite. No disrespect to the dead, but Jay Dee is one of the most overrated producers in rap; period. I can appreciate jazz samples and sombre beats, but sometimes it just gets boring. Most songs are just good, or maybe even OK, but other than two or three songs, there's really no reason to revisit Beats, Rhymes, and Life, Grammy nomination or not. Some songs just plain suck though ("Crew").
Concordingly, some of the best material here was the radio-friendly stuff. Faith Evans croons the chorus for "Stressed Out", which was a mild single and really didn't deserve to be. The song is bouncy, fun, and has a purpose. Everybody performs to the best of their ability here with Q-Tip stealing the show. The other single was the Grammy-nominated "1nce Again" featuring Tammy Lucas is nice. Q-Tip and Phife come on the song with a hot beat (even though it's a bit dated), hot rhymes, and Tammy Lucas' hook is dangerously pleasurable. It's bumpable even by today's standards.
I just don't see myself giving Beats, Rhymes, and Life another spin at all. I've said my peace on the album and there really is nothing left to say. If you want a true masterpiece, check out the Tribe's Midnight Marrauders before you start digging through the discography for this one.
Track List & Rating
1. Phony Rappers (***) 2. Get a Hold (****) 3. Motivators (***) 4. Jam (***) 5. Crew (**) 6. The Pressure (*****) 7. 1nce Again f/ Tammy Lucas (****) 8. Mind Power (****) 9. The Hop (*****) 10. Keeping It Moving (****) 11. Baby Phife’s Return (****) 12. Separate/Together (***) 13. What Really Goes On (**) 14. Word Play (***) 15. Stressed Out f/ Faith Evans (****)
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