10 Amazing Albums Turning 30 In 2021
5. The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
As the '90s started to turn a corner, rap was still in a bit of a transitionary period than anything else. As the legacy acts like Run DMC and the Beastie Boys were reinventing their sound at the time, the dissolution of NWA left the gangsta rap unable to kick into high gear until a few years later with Dr. Dre's The Chronic. With nothing going on though, where's the harm in getting a little bit laid back?
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the Low End Theory is the real feel good rap album of this era, as Q-Tip and Phife Dawg trade bars that make you feel like mellowing out in your headphones. Aside from a few classics like the addition of Busta Rhymes on Scenario, this album's flirtations with jazz work beautifully, especially when going for off the wall experiments on songs like Everything Is Fair or Jazz (We've Got).
This was really just the beginning of a long legacy for Tribe though, with Q-Tip quickly becoming one of the most in demand producers of the time, working with everyone from Nas to Kanye West later down the line. Things were about to get a lot more dangerous on hip hop's terms, but for one moment, everything just felt like a good time.