Sgt. Peppers of HipHop: The Low End Theory

Produced in its entirety by A Tribe Called Quest, with the members Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, Ali Muhammed, and Jarobi White. Although minimalistic, the beat pioneered the jazzy rap scene with deep bass production. The sampling of jazz records would influence some of the most critically acclaimed albums for years to come. Illmatic, To Pimp a Butterfly, ATLiens, and the College Dropout just to name a few. Artists like Lupe Fiasco and Joey Bada$$ took heavy inspiration from this album. The title The Low End Theory has two meanings, first taking the bass-heavy production as a Low-end. Second, as a metaphor it shows the “Low-end” that African American people often have had in society, which they will touch on in the album. The change that this album has provided thematically helps shift Hip-Hop into an introspective view, steering clear of the “Gangster Rap” often perceived with Hip-Hop. Dubbed the Sgt. Peppers of Hiphop, similarly captures the influential nature of the Beatles groundbreaking album.

Hip-Hop Culture as a whole

Hip-Hop represents a culture, used to push against poverty and social struggles. Often using soul and jazz as a baseline. In Excursions, Q-Tip reminds the people of what Hip-Hop is about. “Listen to the rhyme, to get a mental picture/ of this Black man, through Black women victim” (A Tribe Called Quest). The music shows society these victims of systemic oppression. He states how the genre goes past just the music, the dancing is an important piece. He states, “If you fake moves, don’t fix your mouth to word it” a heavy reliance on authenticity is important (A Tribe Called Quest). In hip-hop and life, finding your own sound is prioritized by the group. They acknowledge how people are going to fake moves, the solution is to, “continue with your work” (A Tribe Called Quest). The act of being honest allows for the most prosperity. Through the culture it's key to be upfront, Hip-Hop has been historically used as a tool for activism for the African American community. The genre is here to stay and is not just a trend, through the deep jazzy beats it paints a picture of the great injustices of this world.

Attacking the industry:

The music industry is notoriously greedy, especially in the hip-hop genre. A Tribe Called Quest warns others of this, bringing on Diamond D and Lord Jamar on Show Business. They tell us about the, “snakes, the fakes, the lies, the highs” and all of the, “industry shing-dings,” representing the sly record labels (A Tribe Called Quest). If you still want to be a part of the business, they highlight the success and what they need, really gotta rap, and prepare oneself for the breaks. They suggest that even to burst onto the scene requires an immense amount of skill and lyrical proficiency. Even with making it onto the scene, keeping the money is difficult. “Don’t let the gains just glide,” even with the success rappers must, “know the deal” being careful to shield money away from the greedy record label, leaving with the possibility of being a, “million dollar man that ain’t got no dough” (A Tribe Called Quest). These Record Labels promote the dream, glancing over the shady deal and trying to deceive the rappers. As Lord Jamar warns that many of the rappers only realize the dangers of the deal signing later, the consequences become apparent after the fact. The oversaturation of the rap industry is what Phife Dawg hates explicitly about it. To him it seems, “in ‘91 everybody want a rhyme/ and then you go and sell my tape for only $5.99” the label isn’t getting as much money as they could from it (A Tribe Called Quest). The other artists around him are selling at the same price but the quality is significantly worse. What Phife Dawg doesn’t get is how soulless and meaningless these rappers are, selling themselves out for the label but not having the lyrical density to produce quality music. He hates how labels fail to promote artistry, focusing on profits and pushing the newest trends.

Respect for women:

"The Infamous Date Rape", calls out sexual violence and promotes the importance of having respect in relationships. They immediately start out by stating that the, “percentile rate of date rape is fat." (A Tribe Called Quest). They detail a situation with a lady being very clear in wanting to hang out but doesn’t want anything more. In the mind of this character, they portray all he is thinking about is, “a great sex ‘bout” (A Tribe Called Quest). This story progresses when the tribe advises that he should just leave and ignore the situation. After a while of hanging out, even though she made it clear she didn’t want to, he still, “talk[s] nasty” (A Tribe Called Quest). After this they did have sex, and he is confused about why she is calling rape. This full story shows how coercion and manipulation are dangerous. As the band puts it, its a “Classic example of a date rape” this story shows the importance of consent and understanding (A Tribe Called Quest).

Taking many attacks on social issues, the tribe protects and advances introspective takes that helped shape the hip-hop genre. The Low End Theory highlights authenticity, the dangers of the rap industry, and the importance of respecting women along with many other important conversations not shown here. The jazzy production coupled with the attacks on societal issues paved a platform for many Hip-Hop creators to protect the core genre as a whole.

Turtle Modesitt is a junior here at Poudre High. Outside of school, his interests include skiing, rafting, and being outdoors. Post-graduation he plans on traveling the world and taking a gap year before eventually going back to school. Taking a large interest in school his column will dive into the meaning and influence of albums, focusing heavily on the HipHop and RnB genres