The Low End Theory is the second album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released on September 24, 1991 through Jive Records, the album produced three singles: "Check the Rhime," "Jazz (We've Got)," and "Scenario."After A Tribe Called Quest's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), Jarobi White left the group to study culinary art. Phife Dawg learned that he was diabetic a month after the album's release and after a discussion with fellow member Q-Tip, they agreed to increase his participation on their second album and to "step it up in general as a group."Q-Tip credited N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton (1988) as an inspiration for the record.The group hired double bassist Ron Carter on the track "Verses from the Abstract". Q-Tip stated, "We wanted that straight bass sound, and Ron Carter is one of the premier bassists of the century."Carter agreed to record tracks on the condition that the group avoid profanity, to which Q-tip assured they were addressing "real issues".When asked by critics and interviewers if he was afraid of a "sophomore jinx", Q-Tip responded by saying "'Sophomore jinx?' What the fuck is that, I'm going to make The Low End Theory."The Low End Theory is the second album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released on September 24, 1991 through Jive Records, the album produced three singles: "Check the Rhime," "Jazz (We've Got)," and "Scenario."After A Tribe Called Quest's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), Jarobi White left the group to study culinary art. Phife Dawg learned that he was diabetic a month after the album's release and after a discussion with fellow member Q-Tip, they agreed to increase his participation on their second album and to "step it up in general as a group."Q-Tip credited N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton (1988) as an inspiration for the record.The group hired double bassist Ron Carter on the track "Verses from the Abstract". Q-Tip stated, "We wanted that straight bass sound, and Ron Carter is one of the premier bassists of the century."Carter agreed to record tracks on the condition that the group avoid profanity, to which Q-tip assured they were addressing "real issues".When asked by critics and interviewers if he was afraid of a "sophomore jinx", Q-Tip responded by saying "'Sophomore jinx?' What the fuck is that, I'm going to make The Low End Theory."false2025-09-15 15:00:42The Low End Theory20062006-10-252006-10-2552Hip Hop11263721198450097556c-c0b2-4be8-993b-4bf22284a0e49689aa5a-4471-4fb4-9721-07cecda0fa9fc3733436-fcba-3c08-b082-d548df5c5139/media/data/media5/Music/A Tribe Called Quest/The Low End Theory/folder.jpgA Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called Quest feat. Diamond D, Lord Jamar & Sadat XA Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of the New SchoolA Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in St. Albans, Queens, New York, in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. Members of the Native Tongues collective, the group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip hop, influencing numerous hip hop and R&B musicians.The group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), was a critical success, earning the first five 'mic' rating in The Source's history. In 1991, the group saw commercial success with its jazz-infused second album, The Low End Theory, which helped shape alternative hip hop in the 1990s. It was followed by the similarly successful and influential Midnight Marauders (1993), and Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996), which topped the Billboard 200. In 1998, the group disbanded shortly before releasing its fifth album The Love Movement, but in 2006, the original members reunited and toured sporadically for the next seven years. In 2016, the group released its sixth and final album, We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, which received critical acclaim and became its second album to top the Billboard 200; it featured posthumous contributions from Phife Dawg, who died eight months before its release.A Tribe Called Quest was the most commercially successful act in the Native Tongues, with all six of its albums certified either gold or platinum. John Bush of AllMusic called them "the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s". Kris Ex of Pitchfork regarded them as "one of the greatest acts that hip-hop has ever produced". In 2005, A Tribe Called Quest received the Founders Award at the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, and two years later, the group was honored at the 4th VH1 Hip Hop Honors. In 2017, the group was awarded the Brit Award for International Group.