A sophomore slump refers to an instance in which a second, or sophomore, effort fails to live up to the standards of the first effort. It is commonly used to refer to the apathy of students (second year of university) the performance of athletes (second season of play), and movies (sequels/prequels). But I think the old adage makes the most sense when referring to music.
It’s happened hundreds of times over the years. A band or group will put out a fantastic debut album, creating a huge amount of anticipation for their next effort, only to disappoint greatly.
A Tribe Called Quest’s debut album, “People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm” was extremely well received by critics, although it didn’t garner much mainstream success. Even without the record sales, critics were looking for the group’s sophomore effort to be just as good as the first, or even better.
Although now the group’s second effort “The Low End Theory” is considered one of the best albums of all-time, before it was produced it had the potential makings of a sophomore slump.
After the debut album, group member Phife Dawg learned that he was diabetic, and Jarobi White left the group to study culinary art. These events could have hampered the group and put their future plans in turmoil. Instead, after a discussion between Phife and fellow member Q-Tip, they agreed to increase Phife’s participation on the second album and to step it up in general as a group.
The result of that combination brought one of the most thoughtful and socially conscious hip-hop albums ever. The rapping by Q-Tip and Phife Dawg could be the smoothest of any rap record ever heard; the pair has such chemistry that they sound like two sides of the same coin. One listen of this album and you will realize the amazing potential for hip-hop as an artistic expression in music.
The album helped shape the landscape of alternative hip-hop in the early 1990’s, with the group using jazz and other musical styles often forgotten by mainstream musicians.
Released on September 24, 1991, “The Low End Theory” has a few tracks that are less than superb, but "Buggin' Out," "Butter," "Rap Promoter," "Check the Rhime," "Jazz (We've Got)," and "Scenario" are all perfect in my eyes.
“Check the Rhime”, one of the groups’ most famous songs, includes one of Q-Tip’s best lines ever, when he raps: “Industry rule number four thousand and eighty,
record company people are shady.” While a simple line, it showed part of what A Tribe Called Quest was all about; going against the mainstream and rapping about what was important to them.
On "Jazz (We've Got)", the group show’s their appreciation for the classic American musical form. Q-Tip shows how creative he can be when he raps: “Stern firm and young with a laid-back tongue/The aim is to succeed and achieve at 21/Just like Ringling Brothers, I'll daze and astound/Captivate the mass, cause the prose is profound.”
“Scenario” was the third single released off the album and features a verse by Phife Dog that is one of the best and most inspired of the whole album. The cleverest line of the verse comes when he drops a local sports reference about the Jets when he raps: “Brothers front, they say the Tribe can't flow/But we've been known to do the impossible like Broadway Joe.”
The Jets and Joe Namath were one of the biggest underdog Super Bowl winners ever, which parallel’s the group’s unlikely rise to the highest levels of the industry, as well as their alternative and unique style.
All the tracks on this album either have your head nodding, feet tapping, or mind working. The talented way Q-Tip flows over the simplistic, stripped down beats is equivalent to watching a famous painter work, or a talented pitcher throw a no-hitter.
All in all, this is a classic album. What De La Soul started in the genre of alternative hip-hop, A Tribe Called Quest perfected on this album.
Check out the column at Refined Hype.
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