People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

by A Tribe Called Quest

* "People's Instinctive Travels..." is the debut album of the legendary rap group "A Tribe Called Quest." a classic among the Hip-Hop scene and music in general. The forward-thinking lyrics, the witty and lighthearted rapping, the varied and unique production, this status it had garnered is completely understandable. Its influence is immeasurable, and it has staying power to this day, not aging minute since it was stocked in the record shelves.

* While it was influenced by other albums in Native Tongues like "3 Feet High & Rising," known for its lighthearted, Afrocentric, and fun lyrics, it is still undeniably refreshing lyrically, setting itself apart from the hypermasculine aggression and braggadocio of Hip-Hop at the time. Instead, the Tribe display their down to earth nature, and put forward messages of hope, engage in witty story telling, and overall have a lot of fun.

* This fun can be seen as cheesy and juvenile at times, not helped by the younger-sounding Phife Dawg and more amateur mixing. "Ham 'n Eggs" is particular offender with a repetitive and giddy vocal chant combined with a song centered around... food, (I suppose someone else would do that better.) It's exemplary of the fact that this is still Tribe's first statement, and with what they would do in the future, there was clearly a lot to perfect.

* The album was one of the earliest and greatest Hip-Hop Statements of early 90's, and as Tip would say himself, "Hip-Hop slams through the 90's, no fad." I assumed it was a well-made prediction, but I think with the making of the this album, he knew it was guaranteed. It's uniqueness whether that be in the production or the rapping, it was instantly ahead of its time, and doesn't feel outdated after thirty-six years.

* Production-wise I was blown away by the sheer consistency of the quality of the beats, it felt like they would never miss very deep into the album, and with a small number of exceptions, they didn't. The production style was unique when it released and has yet to replicated by the Tribe themselves. It's here a more wider array of styles and samples were tried; bass heavy jazz stuff, acoustic guitar, synthier production, you name it and it may be in here. This variety can be chalked up to the signature sound of their later work not being firmly set in stone; in this aspect, the lack of rigid fine-tuning of the group's skills and identity could be seen as a neat trade-off for creative experimentation.

* It is a forward thinking record of the Native Tongues movement, which singlehandedly cemented Hip-Hop's permanence and tendency to evolve, disproving that it was all just a fad. It remains impossible to overstate the influence and impact it had on artists of so many spheres, as it was undeniably ahead of the curve in its lyrical themes and more laid-back production. While the group were ascend to greater heights, and there exists weaker cuts, overall it is a classic that should be listened to by every Hip-Hop enjoyer.