Beats, Rhymes And Life

07/30/1996 3:00 AM, LAUNCH
Amy Linden

A Tribe Called Quest1s so-fine fourth CD kicks off with Q Tip intoning, 3phony rappers, who do not write, phony rappers, who do not excite.²

With rap never more popular and ubiquitous, ATCQ begs the questions: At what price fame? At what price your soul? At what price the sellout? The pride of Linden Boulevard have seen the enemy--and as the opening grooves of Beats, Rhyme And Life settle in, it1s clear that the trio are providing not only the answer, but elevating the game in the process.

Ignoring trends and by-stepping the quick, expedient route to the top, ATCQ have kept on their funky path of righteousness, infusing hip-hop with wit and wisdom, with just enough rugged posing to placate the roughnecks on the corner. Beats, Rhyme And Life tackles guns, girls, blunts and cops, along with the day-to-day pressures of just trying to maintain. For a generation raised on more dramatic bombast, Quest1s low-key, underplayed style takes some getting used to, but the effort is worth it. As they1ve done over the years, ATCQ1s spacious, pliant grooves support their always-intricate wordplay as the two-man team of Q Tip and Phife toss rhymes back and forth like Pippen feeding Jordan.

One of the first hip-hop acts to incorporate jazz shadings into the mix, Quest keep on the subtle flow, weaving a myriad of textures and tones throughout their record, letting the space in between the beats do a lot of the talking. The only misstep is when Quest gets linear on 3Stressed Out.² Featuring AZ (of Sugar Hill fame) and the over-exposed Faith Evans, 3Stressed Out² is all cool heat and mesmerizing ennui and shows the influence of DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammed1s work with D1Angelo. The track is also catchy as all get out. But it1s also predictable, something ATCQ have never been. When a group as innovative as A Tribe Called Quest feel the need to play it safe, it should give all fans of hip-hop pause.