A Tribe Called Quest – Beats, Rhymes And Life

I came across a sealed copy in Tokyo last year, it was a US import and I was happy to discover it is an original pressing as Ive lost a lot of my original vinyl over the years. It sounds great there were no click or pops and Its great hearing especially them old Dilla beats on vinyl even through my admittedly modest hi fi system.

A lot has already been said, let’s get the obvious out of the way. Beats, Rhymes & Life is not as great or ground breaking as the three Tribe albums that precedes it. But do continue reading.

They weren’t getting along in -96 and that obviously affected the core chemistry. Q-Tip and Phife doesn’t gel the way they used to. Phife Dawg is less present than usually and Q-Tip’s cousin Consequence can’t possibly fill his Nike’s.

Regardless, this doesn’t mean it’s a bad album. Take a killer track like “Get A Hold” for example. Phife is M.I.A. but what we do get in return is newcomer James Dewitt Yancey with his signature sharp snares, organic drums and sample flips no one else could have thought of. Dilla saves this 4th Tribe effort from what would have been forgettable to dope! Could it have been even better? Yes. But given the circumstances with Tip and Phife falling out? No. Pick this up, and while you’re at it get the Stressed Out 12” cuz it features Phife in a version far superior to the album version that omits him.

Anyone know what the promo copy of this is worth? Mine is stamped on the front cover in gold