Track Listing

1. Phony Rappers
2. Get A Hold
3. Motivators
4. Jam
5. Crew
6. Pressure
7. 1nce Again
8. Mind Power
9. Hop
10. Keeping It Moving
11. Baby Phife's Return
12. Seperate/Together
13. What Really Goes On
14. Word Play
15. Stressed Out

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #54545 in Music
• Released on: 2001-05-07
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Tribe's fourth album, Beats, Rhymes, and Life, should be the awkward one, the album on which the group, growing up, falters a little as it figures out what it's going to do next. It isn't. Marked by a number of changes, both internally (this is the album on which the Ummah production crew takes over, and it also marks Q-Tip's new religious faith) and externally (by 1996, Quest's jazzy approach to hip-hop had fallen out of popular favour), Beats finds Tribe taking it as it comes and handling all of the challenges with flair. It's a slower, steadier album than either People's Instinctive Travels or The Low End Theory, but that's a description, not a complaint; rather, it gives you plenty of time to enjoy jams like "1nce Again." It doesn't hurt that Q-Tip and Phife Dog are feeling the flow here; an inspired pairing with distinctive voices and different strengths, they trade verses with fluid grace. --Randy Silver

Customer Reviews

On a par with any tribe invention
The common misconception that tribe's omnipotence ends with the last beat of the last song of their third album is nullified by this disc of supreme quality, encapsulating all that is hip-hop. In fact, unlike other tribe albums, this disc contains no flawing tracks, and is a fine example of consistently smooth intelligent yet humourous songwriting. 'Phony Rappers', 'Jam' and particularly 'Hop' shine, and the welcome return to a smoother style apparent in their first album, 'People's Instinctive travels...' brings out the best in this immortal group. Q-Tip's honeyed lyricism is well complemented by a more prominent inclusion of Phife and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, culminating in an all round devastating compilation. A more than worthy successor to Midnight Marauders, it is an essential for anyone who would call themselves a tribe fan. As salaam-u-alaikum.

Their BEST album
This is my first review, motivated by the fact that this quality album was not even rated yet. 'Beats Rhymes and Life' is the Tribe's best album and probably my favourite of all time. More mature and lest dated than their earlier work and not as experimental as 'The Love Movement', there isn't a weak track on it, just flowing funky beats that have me hopping around the room everytime I hear it. And no matter how many listens it gets, I don't get sick of it. The sign of a truly great album? Works especially well with the volume set to the max.

Intergalactic cosmic musical journey
Upon first hearing one of the tribe's tracks on the internet, i had to buy one of their albums, just to see if this brilliant track was just a one-off or a regular trademark of the musically-inclined trio. When I bought this album, the latter happened, and to my suprise, hear was a hip-hop group worth listenin to.

So Where would you like to start? shall we start on the beats? Everyone of the tracks tastes of super-cool, Jazz-meets-now, a living fingerprint of the time spent trawling through 50's jazz, and unlike most of today's near-miss artists, The Tribe hits the bullseye. Tracks Like "Keeping It Moving" show us that whatever musical genre they dip their sticky sampling fingers into, they still pull out a genuine Quest sound, and it sounds like Hip-Hop, wherever it originated.

And The Rhymes?? What else would you expect? Q-tip's lyrically canny as usual, using the unusual rhyme patterns and content associated with himself. He sounds lazy, yet cool, stupid, yet intellectual, a living perplexion which is a joy to hear. Phife's pure agression and clean-cut sound also add another ingredient to the recipe, providing that blend of agression, cool and just all-round funk that makes you, by just listening to this album, a cut above your usual stereotypical rap thug.

The album's title says it all, this album becomes a part of your life. It reflects moods, party atmosphere, and that perspective of 1990's black america. If rap groups take steps to improve the genre, then the quest takes giant strides, smashing it's heritage with a kind of arrogance only found with A Tribe Called Quest.

So the answer you're looking for? Yes, click the "buy" button!