Beats, Rhymes and Life

Template:About {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Midnight Marauders1993The Love Movement1998studioBeats, Rhymes and LifeBeats-Rhymes-and-Life-Cover.jpgA Tribe Called QuestJuly 30, 19961995–1996Battery Studios (New York City)Template:Flatlist51:18Jive
01241-41587Template:Flatlistx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} Beats, Rhymes and Life is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released on July 30, 1996, by Jive Records, it followed three years after the highly regarded and successful Midnight Marauders. Produced by The Ummah, the album is a departure from the joyful, positive vibe of the group's earlier albums and is regarded as their darkest album in content. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 27, 1998.

Background

In September 1993, shortly after the recording of Midnight Marauders had concluded, Phife Dawg moved to Atlanta.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref name="avclub">Beats, Rhymes And Life was A Tribe Called Quest’s commercial peak—and first misstep. The A.V. Club. Accessed on February 12, 2018.</ref> Along with Q-Tip's conversion to Islam the following year, the addition of Jay Dee to the group's new production team, The Ummah, and the enlistment of guest rapper Consequence, Q-Tip's cousin, the group dynamic changed drastically.<ref name="avclub"/><ref name="vibe">Beats, Rhymes and Life--A Tribe Called Quest (1996). Vibe. Accessed on February 12, 2018.</ref><ref>Cowie, Del F. (February 2008). "A Tribe Called Quest - Verses from the Abstract". Exclaim!. Accessed on February 12, 2018.</ref> Phife Dawg later stated that "the chemistry was dead, shot", while Q-Tip felt that becoming a Muslim "made the atmosphere much more serious."<ref name="avclub"/><ref name="vibe"/>

Music and lyrics

For Beats, Rhymes and Life, The Ummah created a minimalist sound reminiscent of The Low End Theory, which Ali Shaheed Muhammad described as "nothing extravagant, nothing far out."<ref name="avclub"/><ref name="allmusic"/> Miles Marshall Lewis of The Source praised The Ummah for being "the most proficient in the rap game at using samples as instruments in themselves."<ref name="source"/> Regarding Jay Dee's five contributions to the album, Q-Tip stated, "He would just send me the beats and then I would lay them."<ref>Q-Tip Red Bull Music Academy. Accessed on February 12, 2018.</ref> One of his contributions, the lead single "1nce Again", was hailed as "one of the few successes" on the album and a "surprising R&B crossover."<ref name="allmusic"/>

Lyrically, the group addresses "everything from O.J. to spirituality" and were recognized for the complexity of their messages.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="ew"/> However, they were criticized for sounding "bored", "confused, hostile, and occasionally paranoid."<ref name="avclub"/><ref name="allmusic"/> In the song "Keeping It Moving", Q-Tip responds to the diss comments made about him in MC Hammer's songs "Break 'Em Off Somethin' Proper" and "Funky Headhunter", as well as Westside Connection's song "Cross 'Em out and Put a K".<ref name="moovmnt1">Exclusive: Q-Tip Interview. MOOVMNT.com. Retrieved on 2017-04-08.</ref> In the first verse, he says that comments previously made about the West Coast were not intended to be a diss and that people should not misinterpret his lyrics.<ref name="moovmnt1"/>

Reception

Template:Album ratings Beats, Rhymes and Life debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), on October 27, 1998, with shipments of one million copies in the United States, becoming the group's most commercially successful album.<ref name="avclub"/>

The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone called it "near-flawless", while commending The Ummah for their "irresistible" production, and the group for "spinning universal themes from an Afrocentric loom, with positivity balanced against subtly subversive street reporting."<ref name="rs"/> Entertainment WeeklyTemplate:'s Cheo Tyehimba described it as "the return of playful yet potent hip-hop" and praised the "trademark originality" of the group's lyrics.<ref name="ew"/> Will Hermes of Spin credited the group for performing "with a sleight of hand that lets them get intelligent without ruining the party", however, he felt that "over the three fallow years since the group's last record, they've been dealing with a real crisis of musical faith."<ref name="spin"/> Robert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention in his consumer guide for The Village Voice,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> noting that the group fights "sensationalist obscurity with philosophic subtlety", which he believed was ineffective. Christgau highlighted "Jam", "Crew" and "The Hop" as standout tracks.<ref name="christgau">Template:Cite news</ref>

In the 5th edition of his Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Colin Larkin praised the group's "highly evolved" lyrics and lauded them for "addressing issues with greater philosophy than the crude banter of their past recordings."<ref name="larkin"/> Despite calling the album "the group's most disappointing listen", John Bush of AllMusic credited it as "a dedication to the streets and the hip-hop underground."<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="biography">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Beats, Rhymes and Life was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and "1nce Again" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, presented at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997.<ref name="biography"/>

Track listing

• All tracks produced by the Ummah, except track 9 produced by Rashad Smith.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from AllMusic.<ref>Beats, Rhymes and Life – Credits. AllMusic. Accessed on February 12, 2018.</ref>

• A Tribe Called Quest – primary artist
• Tammy Lucas – featured artist
• Faith Evans – composer, featured artist
• Consequence – composer, guest artist, vocals
• Pasemaster Mase – scratching (track 9)
• Ali Shaheed Muhammad – composer, DJ
• Phife Dawg – composer, vocals
• Q-Tip – composer, vocals
• James Yancey (Jay Dee) – composer
• Rashad Smith – producer
• The Ummah – mixing, producer
• Bob Power – mixing
• Tony Smalios – mixing
• Tom Coyne – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Chart (1996)	Peak position

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
US Billboard 200<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	111
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	31

See also

• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1996
• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 1996

External links

• Template:Discogs master