Frenchy’s Fracas

General Description
Artist/Band: A Tribe Called Quest ||
Album Title: People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Year: 1990

Influential To The Max!

How I Got Into This Music
A Tribe Called Quest was one of the first rap groups that really got me interested in rap. After the militant lyrics and antics of Public Enemy, the world was surprised by the more relaxed approach of the Native Tongue, a collective consisting of groups like De La Soul, The Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest. This was their first album and it made a lasting impression on my consciousness.

Google Search for reviews of this album || Album details at Artistdirect.com || Answers.com ||

But First..
This album is an incredible collection of samples. It’s a bloody education in itself to research all the tracks, and the nice people at Secondhandsongs.com did most of the hard work. If you’re interested in all kinds of sample trivia, go over to the site.

Tracks that got my attention:
Push It Along
The Boom, The Bip.. The Boom-Bip!
Crazy weird intro, followed by the mellowest of samples, can’t remember where I heard the original track. That sax during the bridge and at the end is highly enjoyable..
Sample Info

Luck Of Lucien
Not really very heavy-handed lyrics, but incredibly groovy samples, especially the chorus. Of course, Q-Tip’s nasal vocals gets the job done.
Sample Info

After Hours
Just lovelovelove that chorus, the heavy scratch-works in the background, oooooooweeee! Found out they’d sample some Sly & The Family Stone, I’m guessing it’s the guitar and bass, tasty!
Sample Info

Footprints
Starting off with Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke, and taking us along this great laid back groove to the the awesome pay-off: an insane beat that would get your comatose granny to start dancing.
A Nubian, a Nubian, a proud one at that
Remember me? The brother who said “Black is black“
Sample Info

I Left My Wallet In El Segundo
Breakthrough single for this group, I mean, the first time I saw this clip was on an item by CNN for chrissakes. A very funny story is being told with some catchy beats and that corny guitar sample in the chorus.
TV watchers in the USA know this tracks also from the Sleeper Cell TV-series, where one of the bad guys performs this track at a karaoke bar.
Favorite lyrics (I catch myself singing/rapping these words many times, scaring my co-workers each and every time..)
..Pulled out the wallet and I saw this wicked beautiful lady,
She was a waitress there.
Put the wallet down and stared and stared.
To put me back into reality, here’s Shaheed:
“Yo, Tip, man, you got what you need?”
I checked for keys and started to step
What do you know, my wallet I forget..
Sample Info

Pubic Enemy
Public Service Anouncement about STD’s. Not one of my favorites, ’s okay. Cameo by Old School master DJ Red Alert.
Sample Info

Bonita Applebaum
Man-o-man! One of my all-time favorite tracks! It’s a great way to romance your loved one (kinda worked for me), the lyrics are funny and intelligent. The single remix used Carly Simon’s Why? and there’s a great remix that uses Grace Jones‘ Slave To The Rhythm, excellent!
38-24-37 (uh, uh, uh!)
You and me, hun, we’re a match made in heaven.
I like to kiss ya where some brothas won’t.
I like to tell ya things some brothas don’t.
Sample Info

Can I Kick It?
Their world hit. Love listening to it now, but back then, waaaay too much airplay. Legend has it that the guys didn’t clear the bass sample from Lou Reeds Walk On The Wild Side. Mr. Reed took offense and ATCQ had to pay out, leaving them with nothing on the single sales. A valuable lesson or fable, I guess..
Sample Info

Rhythm (Devoted to the Art of Moving)
I got the rhythm, you got the rhythm.. That intro.. And then when the beat kicks in, ouch! That’s the nice kind of pain..
Polyrhythmatic with a big fat boom
You have an eargasm as you start to consume
The ghetto beat with a ghetto poem
Yeah, it’s from the heart, cuz it’s from the home
Sample Info

Descrption Of A Fool
Another educational track, they’ve used a sample from the Roy Ayers track Running Away. I discovered Mr. Ayers’ music partly through this sample.
Check out Groove Armada’s remix of this track on their Back To Mine album. It’s stripped of all the music, just using the vocals and their own flavors, bloody incredible!
Sample Info

Conclusion
Like I said before, this album’s one of the most interesting albums I’ve heard. It’s a favorite because it’s got great tracks but also because of the great samples and its impact on the music scene back then. A Tribe Called Quest together with The Native Tongue collective combined great music with thought-prevoking lyrics, not being radical about their opinions and not even using swear words (in the beginning).
An open hand full of grooviness and intellect instead of the closed fist of anger and payback. Both valid means of expression, but ATCQ’s approach worked better for me in the end.

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General Description
Artist/Band: The Jungle Brothers
Album Title: Straight Out The Jungle
Year: 1988

Original Native Tongue, Humor and Heart

How I Got Into This Music
Just like with De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, the Jungle Brothers arrived on the rap scene like a breath of fresh air. I discovered the group as the third part of the Native Tongues group. Their approach was their own distinctive mix of fun and seriousness. Calling your band like that meant you knew how to use words, associations and perceptions. I remember taping the album and playing it for days and days..

Album credits at ArtistsDirect.com
|| Lyrics at Song-teksten.com

Tracks that got my attention:

Straight out the Jungle
Man.. Just the opening: the scratch, the beat and African chants.. And then the smooth flowing rap. The nasty Melly Melle’s “The Message” mention, perfect!
Men killing men just because of one’s color
In this lifetime, I’ve seen nothing dumber

What’s Going On?
Still remember playing this at home for a mate of mine (Oomen-chama) to listen to. His reaction to this track was that of pure indignation: How can they sample Marvin Gaye?!? You just don’t do that!!
I then realized a coupla things, first off: I was almost 20 and still hadn’t listen to Marvin Gaye’s work.
Second, people can really get worked up by the use of samples..
The track itself still is one of my all-time favorites: a totally different take on the question of a black identity in the US. Showing the problems without blaming others and a great way of changing a popular children’s prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep
I give the Lord for my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
Take me to Heaven cuz I need a break

Black Is Black
Judged by both my race and colour
Don’t you know we need each other
There’s no way I can explain how strongly I felt about what was said on this track. It’s incredible how you can identify with a situation you’ve never ever really been in.. The lyrics rule this song, but the whole musical setup is also very good, especially that out of the blue sample of Prince’s Controversy at the end.
I went out of my mind trying to find out where the sample used in the chorus came from (remember, boyz-n-girlz, there was no Internet back then..). So I went to a DJ I knew and just started singing that bit, not caring if I was making a damn fool of myself. The answer: Gil Scott-Heron with “The Bottle”!

Jimbrowski
Okay, after all that serious stuff, some fine and funny material about.. uhm.. well.. How can I explain it? Just read or listen to the lyrics, it’s obvious, heheh.. Good luck finding the lyrics on the net btw ;o)

I’m Gonna Do You
Ooooh.. the laziest beat with the sweetest nasty-assed lyrics ever!!
You said you have a boyfriend, but like you said, he is a boy
I am the real thing and he is just a toy
Something that you pick, play with and put down
But girl, you can have me all year round

I’ll House You
Still their biggest hit ever, one of the first rap-n-house (original track’s by Royal House, can’t remember the title though..) hybrids and also still one of the best! Another mate of mine (TomTom) and me knew the lyrics by heart and no one would be safe while we sang along this one!
Feel the vibe, feel the vibe, feel the bass

On The Run
Love the bass groove on this track. And that break halfway the song, love it!

Behind the Bush
Crazy smooth love track. And with “love” I mean the making thereof..

Because I Got it Like That

Can’t remember the original track for the beat loop, okay song..

Conclusion
No gold chains or crotch grabbing stances, but intelligent positive afro-centric music and lyrics.
Without taking the sell-out road or the “by any means necessary” path, these guys knew how to put together a fantastic combo of a great party atmosphere with conscious social commentary.
The last three-four tracks are just a bit below par, which is why it didn’t get into my “Favorites” category, but this still is one of the influential rap albums in my collection.

Rating: (and a lil’ bit more)

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