The best album to just put on and zone out to, whether driving around, lounging around in the sun, at the beach, in the rain, whatever. I may make too much of it, but this album really connects me to my environment and surroundings, and just cuts right to the core of my musical soul. That's really what sets it apart as an album as well: its soul. Its jazzy roots, combined with rhythmic, calming drums in the background would make for a fabulous instrumental album on its own. But wait, this is a rap album, so of course we are treated to the creativity and insights of thoughtful and intelligent MC's Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. Tip is the star of the show on this first album, and his flow is really unleashed for the world to see. Everything he rhymes over is gold, whether his abstract flows and rhymes (Push It Along, Can I Kick It?, Youthful Expressions) or his impressive storytelling ability (Luck of Lucien, I Left My Wallet In El Segundo). This guy is talented, and he only improved over his next few albums. Bonita Applebum is a beautifully crafted hip hop song, and it almost comes across as moving poetry more than rap-I wish I could explain better, but I guess that's really the beauty of Tribe. They're too tough to explain, analyze, or compare because of the nature of their music and the different effect that they will have on each listener. Suffice it to say, though, that music fans of nearly all genres owe it to themselves to listen to this first-rate example of what hip hop used to be all about.
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