Customer Reviews

Midnight Marauders [Vinyl]

5 star:		(144)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

to the bangin' beats and intelligent lyrics that the Tribe serve up on this, their third and best CD. I love how Q-Tip's laid back cool works off Phife's energetic boasting to produce some of the best rap of the '90's. Favorites on the disc include "Lyrics to Go," "Steve Biko," "Award Tour," "We Can Get Down" and the best cut, "Electric Relaxation." I've enjoyed the Tribe's work from the beginning with the first album, "People's Instinctive Travels." I found them refreshing because they came from the jazz tip and were very clever lyrically. With the first three albums they set themselves apart from the crowd. With the album after this one, "Beats, Rhymes and Life" I think they tried to join the crowd and got away from what they do best, make you think and feel good. If you need to be introduced to what was "A Tribe Called Quest," start with the first three albums and watch the progression from good, better, BEST, which is what "Midnight Marauders" is an example of, rap at its best.

First things first; Midnight Marauders is an impeccable Masterpiece that contributed to the growing brilliance of one of the best years in HipHop (1993). Now, over the years it has become evident to me that A Tribe Called Quest's work is constantly being compared! WHY?. It is always debated as to whether "Low End Theory" is better than "People's instinctive travels & the paths of rhythm" or indeed "Midnight Marauders", but this ignorant question is not possible to answer since each tribe album offers something different each time, ensuring each fan to have their personal favourite. So GET OFF THAT ISH!. Now personally, Midnight Marauders I believe is ATCQ's most diverse and satisfying album they ever put out, purely down to the fact that each track offers its own unique sound that ensures any hiphop fan will find their "favourite track" will be constantly changing. Incase you are not familiar with ATCQ's music, it is mainly made up of an East Coast, jazzy/conscious ,laid back vibe not really ideal for fans of Gangsta rap of hard-hitting drum patterns that occupied the majority of 1993-1994. Q-tip posesses one of the most laid back voices in hiphop, so if you're looking for a rugged/dark album, sorry you will not find it here. Similarly, you will not find one weak track on this album, every track can be listened to somewhere, sometime resulting in an amazingly consistent album that can be played from track 1-15 leaving you wanting to hit the rewind button. "Electric Relaxation" is considered to be one of the best Hiphop songs of all time, let alone the Tribe's best and is worth the price of the album alone. "Steve Biko" sets the album off nicely, with addictive horns accompanied by Q Tip's and Phife's catchy flows its a sure thing. Then, leading on to replayable classics like "Award Tour", "8 Million Stories" and "Oh My God" you will find yourself constantly being suprised with greatness. "Keep it Rollin'" produced by and featuing Large Professor is nothing short of amazing, as would be expectable from a line up so mind-blowing. All in All, Midnight Marauders is not just for Hiphop Fans, fans of any genre (especially jazz/funk/soul) will find this album to be amongst their favourites as Tribe Called quest incorporate a variety of different sounds/instruments into their music. Give this a listen, and come on a journey into one of the best hiphop albums in history. You will find you may have stumbled across a personal favourite. PEACE

Lyrics - 10/10
Beats - 10/10
Replay Value - 10/10
Style - 10/10
X Factor - 10/10 Nothing less than amazing

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one of my all time favorite rap albums. the beats are effortlessly funky, jazzy, and hardcore. they have a warm, mesmerising style that perfectly suits phife and q tips dynamic rhymes. true classic.

The album dropped, and my girls and I were in the kitchen cooking brunch. We were home from college and trying to spend some quality time together, holding onto some of that pure b-girl feeling in the midst of higher education. The album played and...played again...and played again. It was pure bliss and beats. Most reviewers would try and take apart the album and analyze each song. Why? From one track to another it is seemless perfection, and marks a zenith in the art and flow of hip hop. Something to have. It will never get old.

Midnight Marauders is the followup to A Tribe Called Quest's hip-hop masterpiece The Low End Theory. Rather than playing it safe and making another mostly upbeat release, Midnight Marauders takes the act in a darker direction with more emphasis on bass lines and jazz horns. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg continue to trade lines flawlessly on the excellent tracks "Electric Relaxation", "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)", and "Award Tour." Deep funky bass lines are upfront with the rhymes on "Sucka Nigga", "Keep It Rollin'", and "Oh My God" which features Busta Rhymes. Although "Oh My God" doesn't hit as hard as "Scenario", their previous collaboration with Busta, it's still a strong track. Even when the duo decides to go solo as Phife and Q-Tip do on the brooding "8 Million Stories" and "Midnight" respectively, the results are just as impressive. Other great tracks include "Clap Your Hands", "Lyrics To Go", and "God Lives Through." Their raps continue to be among the best in the genre. I mean who else, except maybe the Beastie Boys, could include people from completely different walks of life such as Mr. Belvedere, Robert DeNiro, Vinny Testaverde, and Rollo Lawson in their rhymes? Although there is extensive sampling used throughout, it's from mostly obscure tracks that only a die-hard old school R&B fan would pick up on. This is a refreshing change from other popular rappers at the time, most notably rappers Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, where all you have to do is pick up a best of Parliament album to see where they got their ideas. All told, while this isn't an all out classic like The Low End Theory, it's still a great album that should be a part of every hip-hop fan's collection. Highly recommended.

There's absolutely no reason not to have this album in some way shape or form. Go cop the burn from your friend, or buy it from here. It's that important. This album mades me feel good about hip-hop everytime I hear it. There's not a single flaw. Perfect for in the car, chilling at home, blasting at a game. This album will never die! Much love forever. We miss you Tribe!!!

These four dudes did it this time. From the narrative of 8 million stories to the jazz-funk fusion of clap your hands, this album, which I orgianally purchased at its release, continues to excite my pentanic membrane. Never will you hear a "jazz-rap" album to make your booty shake like this one, except probably "The College Dropout". Whatever you do don't waste money on Q-tips solo album Amplified. Put Midnight Marauders in, leave it in, smoke a b and enjoy. I know I will.

Quite simply the best hip hop alblum I have ever heard. This is what made me start listening to hip hop and rap.

This is the only ATCQ album i have heard currently so i cant compare it to any of their others, but i think it would be hard for many other hip-hop albums to even come close to touching this one.
I picked it up on impulse when my local CD shop was having a sale for AUD$6 (that about US$4!) along with The Roots "Do You Want More?!!!??!?" and Common Sense's "Can I Borrow a Dollar" for the same price, because i was getting into hip-hop and had heard of them. Before this the only real hip-hop music i had heard apart from that radio [...] was Jurassic 5's "Power in Numbers", and The Root's "Phrenology".
I listened to it. I got knocked off my feet. I got back up. I got knocked back down. I got back up. I got knocked back down. (and i was only up to track 4!!!). This is really the album that started my appreciation for hip-hop as a genre. I stopped thinking about the heavy radio beats and pimpin lyrics and let Q-tip's smooth flow wash over me, and was enveloped. I mean, the skill of these guys is PHENOMIANAL. How they put so much emotion and feeling into their music but for it to sound so simple, soothing and relaxing just astounds me. To me, Q-tip barely sounds like he's rhyming, it's like he's talking to me; but what he's saying just flows and makes sense.
The album itself is fashioned very creatively; it has a concept(the voice talking at the end of each track and giving you a fact), and a theme of chilled jazzy night-time beats and smooth flowing rap. What impresses me even more is that Phife Dog and Q-tip aren't all bling blinging their rap in your face, it's smooth and peaceful and about better issues than pimpin chicks and shootin people. (I just wish i was black so i could relate to tracks like "Sucka Nigga" better; i feel like im a white guy imposing on black music).
The album has an impressive song lineup; most of them are strong tracks and i rarely find my finger hitting the skip button. My favourite track include "Award Tour", "Sucka Nigga", "Midnight", and "We Can Get Down" (i like the first half of the album better).
Overall, ATCQ represent to me purely all the elements of what hip-hop should be like, namely: 1.Jazzy 2.Skillful (both musically and lyrically) 3.Creative and (most importanly) 4.Fun on the mic! and this album displays all criteria woven together in a seamless fashion.
I would recommend this album to ALL hip-hop heads (the underground heads for enjoyment, the commercial heads so they can see what their music has destroyed [but may one day be yet regained]) AND also to music lovers who want to get into some hip-hop but aren't satisfied with what is being played on the radio, or just anyone who's looking for some chilled jazzy beats to mellow to on a warm summer's evening. Peace out.

This was an album that I went thru multiple packs of batteries to keep it playing in my walkman back in '93-94 time. I can honestly say that every track on this album has its own presence that at some point of time- made me love each and every song. The chemistry with ATCQ was unmatched at that time and can never be overlooked. My top picks from this classic are: "Electric Relaxation", "Oh My God", "8 Million Stories", "God Lives Through", "Keep It Rollin'" and "Lyrics To Go". This is ATCQ's best work to me out of their 5 album releases. Buy it now!!!!