Chris Daly is lampin’ with 30 Leia’s
Sure, most tell you that when it comes to A Tribe Called Quest, it gets no better than Midnight Marauders or Low End Theory. While there’s no way any sane rap fan would question the excellence of either, I’d argue that their April 17, 1990 Jive Records debut People’s Instinctive Travels And Paths Of Rhythm is the real overlooked gem. Even a cursory listen gives us one of the first legitimately great rap love songs with “Bonita Applebaum” (sorry, LL, but “I Need Love” needed a lot more love and perhaps less being alone in your room staring at walls), the brilliant travelogue tale of “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo,” and the plain fun of “Can I Kick It?” This is hip-hop with heart, soul and, possibly most importantly, a sense of humor.
To mark its illustrious 25th anniversary, DJ Chris Read, along with the good folks at Wax Poetics and WhoSampled, has compiled an hour-long mixtape showcasing the record’s glory. Following the DJ Platurn “So This is De La Heaven” model, Read intersperses album snippets with original source material, making this a mix for crate diggers and heads alike. Listen well, and you’ll note Roy Ayers, Lou Reed, Carly Simon, the Isley Brothers, Earth, Wind & Fire, and RAMP, push it alongside Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Jarobi. Yes, you can.
