SECRET SOCIETY has kept it consistent with their cap designs. Their latest NEW ERA fitted is for the Midnight Marauders. Their Nocturnal 59Fifty flips an image of a night sky along with oversized embroidery over four panels. Both the interior and under bill feature print satin as finishing touches. This style is available in Black and Grey now at www.kickzstore.com

Starks1, originally uploaded by sizzled.

and to top it off, starks got ejected

I was listening to all of the albums of “A Tribe Called Quest” that I have earlier today and this song is too much fun. I have to post it as the bonus song!

Click here for more info on A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders – “Electric Relaxation”.

The MP3 may be purchased here:

A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders

Consequence and Kid Cudi do a sick job remaking the classic “Buggin Out’, and the video yet simple, is effective. I still love A Tribe Called Quest version no doubt but its good to see homage paid correctly to the tribe from Cudi and Consequence.

Q-Tip reminiscing on his career, this is a tight interview Q goes deep with classic material and insight.

Low End Theory Album Cover

I’m not gonna waste too much time at the beginning talking about random shit…I’ll just start by mentioning that this album has been called the “sonically progressional equivalent” (I think I’m the only one who’s ever said that actually) of The Chronic (why, because it’s overrated? [ZING!] [and the answer is no, it's not overrated]) since this album’s production had a huge impact on New York in its time, especially the amongst the Native Tongues Posse. The production here is some of the jazziest ever seen on a rap album, and as was mentioned in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums (this was #154), this album’s influential sonic revolution “led it to be found in the collections of many serious album collectors for its jazz influences” – meaning a bunch of douchebags who know shit about music (at least hip-hop) have this in their collection because they wanted to pick a hip-hop album that sounds the least like a stereotypical hip-hop album. Don’t let these douchers sway you away from this album, though, let them sway you to me, who KNOWS what’s up:

The Sky...the sky is up

EXCURSIONS (8)

This is the kind of jazz-influenced sampling that those “intellectual” types jerk off to. That statement was HIGHLY derogatory, but that doesn’t mean that this song doesn’t still kick ass. See? I use words like “kick” and “ass”. I’m a man of the people. Oh ya, and for a Q-Tip solo song this is surprisingly un-boring.

BUGGIN’ OUT (10)

Phife wasn’t at his apex yet (he wouldn’t get there till Midnight Marauders) but he sounds really good here. Actually, this is really his earliest bangout of a song since Q-Tip used People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm to push his boringness and crackpot “abstract” ideas on people. Now I know it sounds like I dislike Q-Tip, but that’s not true. In FACT, I dapped him at the Rock The Bells concert I went to when he was spitting from in the crowd. My only issue is that alot of people like him alot better than Phife, which is reversed. Although he was the creative force behind the group, so I gotta give him props on that. None of this has anything to do with this song, by the way, which is awesome.

RAP PROMOTER (DB)

Consider this review an extension of what I just said about P.I.T.A.T.P.O.R., but ADD the fact that this is one of those songs that those queer so-called “intellectual types” thoroughly enjoyed because of the funkiness of its sample. Well guess what? This song IS BORING AS SHIT. I’M ALWAYS RIGHT.

BUTTER (8)

Phife Dawg on the come-up. This is a great type of song for him to develop on, since he’s got a topic to stick to and take it slightlyyyyy more serious but ALSO spit some flyass shit on. Hence the 8.

VERSES FROM THE ABSTRACT (6)

Read the review I wrote on Rap Promoter.

SHOW BUSINESS (8)

It’s good to get an up-tempo track after the last couple, which took a slower pace than I usually like. Again, this song’s topical which hasn’t bothered me as of yet but I’m kinda gettin anxious for some songs like Excursions or Buggin Out.

VIBES AND STUFF (8)

Thanks for appeasing my needs. Not topical, in case you couldn’t tell by the title seeing as how IT EVEN INCLUDES THE WORD STUFF. ALSO, this isn’t a Q-Tip solo song.

THE INFAMOUS DATE RAPE (DB)

OK so I’ve heard a bunch of things that have been said about the Tribe, including someone calling them “the 90’s African-American Beatles” and how they kick-knowledge. This was one of the songs referenced to back up those claims. I mean I guess this song was positive as it talked about a problem in their community and offered alternatives to it, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna continuously listen to it. Listen to this once and get edumacated, and then ditch it.

CHECK THE RHIME (8)

Now 8 might seem a little low for this classic tribe song, even I’ll admit that. This was the song that got me into the Tribe, but I listened to it so many times that I wore myself out with it. But that’s the thing…for a song to get a 9 or a 10 it can NEVER wear me out. This song is still really good, though.

EVERYTHING IS FAIR (7)

A Q-Tip solo song with only an alright sample? Destined for a 7.

JAZZ (WE’VE GOT) (10)

Just watch the video…Combining two of the three 10’s on this album (what will the other 10 be?!?!??!??!) = destined for a bangout.

SKYPAGER (DB)

In addition to sounding COMPLETELY dated, this also sounds pretty gay.

WHAT (7)

An interesting concept, but I think Skillz ended up pulling it off better on that J. Period Mixtape

SCENARIO (10)

Well since this was the last song you had to know it would get the third 10. The second best posse cut of all time, only behind Triumph.

Would you recommend this purchase?

Why’d you phrase it so queerly? Yes I would.

So were the learned (accent on the e) types correct about this album?

Nope. Midnight Marauders is the better album. Screw those douchers.

But it’s still a good album right?

I just told you to buy it, didn’t I? DAMN you’re stupid.

More of the peerless A Tribe Called Quest with Electric Relaxation from they’re 3rd LP Midnight Marauders (released 1993), I got it for Christmas, I believe my Dad would have got that for me, he’s always dug on Tribe. Its difficult for me to assess ATCQ because I’ve always had them close to ear.. them be mint.

De La Hysteria hits me in 89′ (Eye Know being the culprit), mad rush to hunt for ALL the Hip-Hop, it was easier to hear ALL the hip-hop back then, because so few places played and sold it (I’m talking about a helluva lotta good stuff that only came on import). Hearing and falling in love with Tribes first album instantly made me a sophisticated twat.. a twat to be proud of. I swiftly spent my pocket money on pure gems.

Also here is the original break used, Mystic Brew by Ronnie Foster, ATCQ’s sample hunting techniques were (are?) spiffing, introducing me to plethora of music I could only dream about.

Download: A Tribe Called Quest. Electric Relaxation …. HERE.

Download: Ronnie Foster. Mystic Brew …. HERE.

(Both Megaupload Duberry’s)

.

Ooooh we done got messed up.

Not much else to say besides that. They were much better than us. The post-game wrap up was that we failed to execute our one game plan of having more high-percentage shots and strong outside passing with inside penetration (that’s what she said). There wasn’t much else to it. The game was iconically summed up by our own all star Truby going for the beard and knocking in the game winner for the other team, forcing the Mercy Rule into effect. 

Next week is a by-week so we are going to practice our fundamentals and dunking. 

Also having more extreme mannerisms like this guy:

Be on the lookout for jerseys next week and more play that looks like this:

Especially this:

Dolla Dolla bill y’all.

Here’s Nike’s tribute to A Tribe Called Quest, from their Midnight Marauders album that gave birth to a classic called “Award Tour”.

Are you kidding me?! These cats are going on an Award Tour….

Not much of a Jordan (kicks) fan, but I am a fan of A Tribe Called Quest. Also, The look more like Low End Theory than Midnight Marauders….im just sayin tho

Not much of a Jordan (kicks) fan, but I am a fan of A Tribe Called Quest. Also, The look more like Low End Theory than Midnight Marauders….im just sayin tho

Wait, Wait…let me get this straight. The Air Jordans camp made ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ Tribute shoe?….. Simply bodacious.– Yoelian Chambers

Remember this? For most of us the response would be “How could you not” right?

Well in honour of ATCQ and this what many would see as a classic Hip Hop album, these Air Jordan 1’s [below] have been lovingly created. ATCQ aside even, I’m definitely feeling the colourway. Limited numbers of these are apparently going to be available from certain US stockists as of next month (as Sneaker News tells us).

outoffocustip, originally uploaded by sizzled.

Okay
I am recognizing that the voice inside my head
is urging me to be myself and never follow someone else
Because opinions are like voices
we all have a different kind
So just clean out all of your ears
these are my views and you will find that
we revolutionize over the kick and the snare
The ghetto vocalist is on a state-wide tear
Soon to be the continent and then the freakin globe
Theres room for it all as we mingle at the ball
We welcome competion cuz it doesnt make one lazy or worn
We gotta work hard, you know the damn card
Try to be the fattest is the level that we strive
Try to be the fattest also to stay alive

blurry pic, but it’s q-tip for the 5 of you that didn’t know this was his last verse off Steve Biko(Stir It Up)

Relax yourself girl, please set-tle down

I don’t have to say jack shit about this album. There is no doubt in my mind that if you do not own this album, then you are not a fan of hip-hop. Seriously, if you do not own this, you are to be considered wack!

In other words, not clicking on the image is not an option.!!!!

Feelin these T’s combining the artwork From A Tribe Called Quest’s “Midnight Marauders” and the Jordan’s Logo. CODE

Source

]]> http://microphonemathematics.com/2008/11/17/date-yo-self-fool-atcqs-midnight-marauders-turns-15-last-week/ Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:21:44 +0000 matt http://microphonemathematics.com/2008/11/17/date-yo-self-fool-atcqs-midnight-marauders-turns-15-last-week/

Not every MC be with the negativity
We have a slew of rappers pushin positivity
Hip hop will never die yo, it’s all about the rap
So Marion Barry smokin crack, let’s preach about that
The trash you talk won’t matter, that old bogus chatter
The more that you condemn us, it only makes us phatter
When I talk, I know I’m talkin for you poppers all around
You know you love the sound, we gets down

This was in my draft box last week and I never got around to posting it…

I was driving back from Seattle on Sunday night (last week) scanning radio stations and as I got closer to home I came across KBOO running a program to honor the birthday (11/9/93) of A Tribe Called Quest’s third album “Midnight Marauders”. Yes, 15 years old. For those of us who remember buying this when it first dropped – it sorta makes ya feel a little older. The KBOO program did a good job of focusing on the samples used and had a DJ bust out a mixed sample set of the album while blending some of the actual ATCQ tracks. Even though I had posted some of these in the past (links are now dead) – I figured I’d re-post the “Best Of” sample sources from Midnight Maruaders.

Cal Tjader’s Aquarius [sampled on Midnight Maruaders Tour Guide] – HERE

Weldon Irvine’s We Gettin’ Down [sampled on Award Tour] – HERE

Jack Wilkens’ Red Clay [sampled on Sucka Nigga] – HERE

Kool & The Gang’s Who’s Gonna Take The Weight? [sampled on Oh My God] – HERE

Bill Cosby’s Martin’s Funeral [sampled on We Can Get Down] – HERE

Ronnie Foster’s Mystic Brew {sampled on Electric Relaxation] – HERE

And if you don’t have it…

A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders – HERE

PS – the more I go look at old Rolling Stone album reviews – the more I realize how much thier music review daprtment sucks. Check out this wack review of ATCQ (HERE).

People!

         What Is there to say about a group of Hip Hop prodigies from The New York Borough of Queens who became the founding Fathers of what can today be called one of the most influential genres of music, and started a movement within that genre which is still very alive today? Quite a bit. Of course I’m talking about a motherfucking Tribe Called Quest. These guys started up in 1988, when hip hop was in it’s infancy. They did their own thing, inspired tons of MC’s and producers, and mixers in what would later be known as conscious hip hop, and provided us with some of the best tracks we have still to this day. You can’t describe them as East or West, but depending on the album they could sounds very much like NY hip hop, or like LA hip hop. It’s a chameleon-like quality that many legendary hip hop groups and MCs have, and that’s exactly what they are, legends. As a group A Tribe Called Quest is hands down a 5/5 perfect hip hop group, who deserve their status, now let’s find out why. We’re gonna take a trip through their 5 album discography, and review em track by track. Actually, you just sit tight and read, I’ll handle the review. 

circa 1990

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 Peoples’ Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm – Their debut album. It received tons of critics praise, and rightfully so. This album was truly revolutionary, especially in a hip hop atmosphere dominated by N.W.A and those boys from the CPT and LBC. Now I’ll sum it up in one sentence. Take the background music from your average 70’s cop show, and throw in some of the sickest rhymes you’ve ever heard. The lyrics are mostly whimsical and tell tales of a playful youth(Ham ‘n’ Eggs, Youthful Expression, Luck of Lucien.) But it does get deep as alernative conscious hip hop does(Description of a Fool, Footprints.) But don’t forget the gems on this albums, Bonita Applebum, Can I Kick it, and the comical paradiso-sounding I Left My Wallet in El Segundo. Altogether this album is great for a rhythmic, bass-pumping backyard bash, or garage bar. However, it’s not exactly the most catchy the Tribe has to offer. The lyrics are good, but at points it either turns into non-sense, or it’s wayyyy too complex for the average listener, The rhymes are truly amazing though, and perhaps that is the biggest strongpoint of the album. It’s biggest weakness is definitely the beats, only two songs one this album have truly great, and catchy beats, Push It Along, and the flagship song, Can I Kick It. The rest sound like a hybrid of too many different sorts of 70’s jazz songs, that simply don’t match the vocals, or rhythm. Don’t get me wrong layering is a great thing, but you gotta be careful, it’s a delicate art. I want to give it 3 Krylons, but since it was so revolutionary for it’s time, I’ll happily give it 4.

Best Track: Push It Along 

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 The Low End Theory - Here is the a perfect definition of  fine-tuned. After seeing what went right, and what went wrong with their debut album. The Tribe returned with a nearly flawless piece of native tongue music that defined not only the times, but an entire sub-cutlure. Every beat, and sample fit together perfectly, and the vocals merged in with ease. It’s the kinda of music that actually relaxes you, and is a genuine pleasure to listen to. You also see that the Tribe gets a little more political with their newly-found sound with track like Rap Promoter, The Infamous Date Rape, Show Business, and Skypager. But the funky beats on each tracks are a far cry from the seriousness of other era acts like Public Enemy. Of course there are also tracks like Butter, Scenario, and Excursions, which are playful, and generally have a positive vibe. 5 KRYLONS! EASY DECISION!

Best Track: How can I not pick the track that made them famous, and rightfully so. SCENARIO!

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 Midnight Marauders – I think when the Tribe made this album they were too worried about their enormous success, and being labeled commercial. Not only did the sound get worse, but the lyrics got plenty worse. It’s pretty repetitive, and while their previous albums were somewhat cryptic and playful, much of this album is egotistical hip hop which gets old quick, not to mention, the words they use are a lot smaller, and simplet then on their previous two albums. As far as the sound goes, I feel like they put their beats together with an old 93′ casio. This album officially marks an escape from their jazz-sampling funky sound, and a leap into the futuristic sound of chimes, dings, and electronic tones, not to mention extremely short drum loops. Not much good bass in this album. I say all that with the exception of 4 tracks. Steve Biko, Electric Relaxation, Award Tour, and God Lives Through. Award Tour has what I would call one of the top 5 instrumental tracks ever put them, and rest are good as well, and the lyrics kill. If I was judging based on only those pour tracks, this album would be a 5 Krylon, but I’m not, so to be fair, I’ll do this the way schools do. 14 tracks. Only 4 good tracks. That’s about 30%. I’ll be a little more gracious. 3 Krylons.

Best Track: TIE! Between Steve Biko & Award Tour

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 Beats, Rhymes and Life – I’ve never heard an album that travels through the spectrum of quality so evenly. Out  of the 15 tracks, 5 are incredibly amazing, and genius, 7 are alright, and 3 are horrible.  Their old jazz-esque style being abandoned completely, they took their style to a whole other level. Although, it got a less political, it’s full of deep bass tracks , snare drums, scratching, and dulling beats, with blend in to form an underground sound which has influenced all new schools non-commercial acts. Tracks like Phony Rappers, Get a Hold, Stressed Out, and others bring a whole new definition to “track-hopping soundtrack”(That’s what the NY all-city graf writers used to listen to on their portable tape decks as they painted up the subway.) But songs like The Hop, Keeping It Moving, and even the single 1nce Again are hard to listen to. You also hear the Tribe use chorus’s a lot more, disappointingly, unfortunately. The good tracks are soooo good I wanna give it a 5, but you can’t ignore the horrible tracks.  So I’m gonna have to give this a 4.

Best Track: Another tie! This time between Phony Rapper, and Stressed Out

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 The Love Movement – For some reason I remember this album being a lot worse then it actually was. Regardless the first thing I have to mention about the Tribes last album is the huge improvement in the quality of the lyrics. Although it still isn’t conscious hip hop on the level of Common or Mos Def, or I guess Black Star for the matter, the lyrics are a lot more intelligent, Their newly found vocabulary is golden, and there are far less egotistical lines. Now that that’s out of the way, the songs which did have choruses, which was a decent majority, should not have had choruses at all. New rule: A Tribe Called Quest just sucks with their choruses, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever heard a chorus from them I like. Also, It’s worth mentioning that whoever laid down the tracks on this(too lazy to look it up) did a shitty fucking ass job! The beats are shit, and it’s a shame, this album has nearly perfect lyrics. The opening track Start It Up, ugh, I don’t even wanna go into it. Es no bueno, let’s leave it at that. They remixed three of their old songs. Scenario, Oh My God, and Jazz, unsuccessfully, especially the scenario remix, sounds like 5 songs playing at once. There are only three songs that have a decent enough beat to qualify as a good song, Busta’s Lament, The Love, and Pad & Pen. Find a Way, Against The World, and Rock Rock Y’all have equally sickkkkk lyrics, but the track sounds so bad, you just can’t happily listen to it. It should be known that if the lyrics weren’t tooo fucking sick, I would give this a 2, but the lyrics have improved sooo much, I gotta give the Tribe credit for it, 3 Krylons.

Best Track: Busta’s Lament

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BEST ALBUM: Obviously it’s the only one that got 5 Krylons. The Low End Theory is the closest to perfection the Tribe ever came. Hands down the best beats, second best lyrical style. Their first album was as a bit of a testing ground, but this being their second album, they figured out what they were doing, and it shows. This is just to perfect album to throw in for any situation. Whether you’re cruising in your bucket, loungin on a hot summer day, lookin for some background music at a kickback, passin a bleezie around with your homeboys or homegirls, or going out bombing all-city at 4 in the morning, this album will work perfectly, it’s a pleasure to listen to, and exemplifies everything that the Tribe had, which made them the legendary group they were.

         There we go, a discographical review of A Tribe Called Quest. Much love to them, and hey, don’t take my word for it, pull out your old CD binder, or look into the deep archives of your Itunes, and check it out yourself, trust me, it will be a welcome, timeless, blast from the past. Yeah, that made sense.

PEACE!

KS.

“Move” produced by the late-great J-Dilla is an immediate classic off of Q-tip’s new album The Renaissance.  The album’s release date is on election day, so make sure to vote plus pick up Q-Tip’s latest opus.      peep the video below