"Poll question: A Tribe Called Quest vs Gang Starr"
Convo started at The Writer's Bench. Tribe has two universally acknowledged classics and Gang Starr are the underdogs favorites. If you could only keep one of their discogs, which one are you picking and why?
ATCQ 1990: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm 1991: The Low End Theory 1993: Midnight Marauders 1996: Beats, Rhymes and Life 1998: The Love Movement
Gang Starr 1989: No More Mr. Nice Guy 1991: Step In the Arena 1992: Daily Operation 1994: Hard to Earn 1998: Moment of Truth 2003: The Ownerz
7. "RE: easily?" In response to Reply # 4 Fri Jul-10-15 02:25 PM by HIM
>How do you feel about Tribe's final two albums?
BR&L-Not NEARLY as bad as people make it out to be. Was it on the level of the 1st 3? Of course not but it wasn't terrible. I think people were confused/put off by Consequence being so prevalent. I dug the album. It was my 4th fav. but I dug it.
The Love Movement- It was pretty lack luster. If it wasn't for "Find a Way", "Like it Like That", "Common Ground" and "The Love", I'd prob. be calling this album garbage...but I can't do it.
5. "Oh hell no." In response to Reply # 3 Fri Jul-10-15 01:46 PM by Brew
>Easily Tribe. Now De La vs Gangstarr....hmmmmm
De La never made a bad album. Tribe has 2 questionable albums, at best.
This poll is a lot harder than De La vs. Gangstarr (De La in a landslide, IMO)
I take Tribe, personally, but it was sorta difficult cause I prefer Gangstarr's best work to Tribe's. But Tribe's first 3 albums are FLAWLESS top to bottom so they take it.
-DJ R-Tistic- Member since Nov 06th 2008 51986 posts
Fri Jul-10-15 03:32 PM
10. "See, I have always loved The Love Movement. I am not a big fan of" In response to Reply # 5
Beats, Rhymes, and life, but I still like it better than some De La albums. I've mentioned before that I still can't get into 3 Ft High and Rising as a whole.
11. "Can ''anyone'' still get into ''3 feet...'' as a *whole*???" In response to Reply # 10
I guess so but for me, some of those skits, yuck!!! And there are so many... The actual *songs* as well as about 2 skits are ace to me though even if I guess I can understand if younger people find stuff like "Tread water" incredibly corny...
TLM is jammin', and it's way better than BR&L. Better Dilla beats too.
>Beats, Rhymes, and life, but I still like it better than some >De La albums. I've mentioned before that I still can't get >into 3 Ft High and Rising as a whole.
I've never got into 3 Ft High and Rising like either, and I love De La.
I'll even give you Start It Up, Like It Like That & Busta's Lament (some of my favorites). Still after all that I still have BR&L on top. The Hop still holds a spot with me. And maybe I feel a certain way about BR&L cause it was my first real introduction to Jay Dee.
32. "Like It Like That was Q-Tip" In response to Reply # 30
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38. "RE: Sorry, I can't clap to this." In response to Reply # 17
>>TLM is jammin', and it's way better than BR&L. Better Dilla >>beats too. > >Get A Hold >Motivators >Mind Power >The Hop > >All of those are killer Jay Dee beats. I'd be willing to say >Get A Hold is one of his top 5 ever. Only one of those--Get A Hold--was a Jay Dee beat.
16. "Word. I do remember you saying that about 3 Ft..." In response to Reply # 10 Fri Jul-10-15 07:59 PM by Brew
And I can totally understand that viewpoint. I'm a big fan of the album personally but at this point I hardly ever go back and listen to it. It's more nostalgic at this point than anything for me. Like someone below said, I typically start at DLSiD and go from there. And Buhloone Mindstate has always been my favorite DLS album.
But specific to this discussion, I guess my point was just that while it may be hard to get into 3 Ft High in the context of what's happened in rap since then, I don't think anyone, fan of the album or not, could ever say it's a bad or even subpar album. While even fans of BR&L and TLM will say (as someone has in this post) that they recognize that they are lackluster albums comparatively.
20. "totally agree" In response to Reply # 16 Fri Jul-10-15 08:36 PM by soulsupreme
I would never say 3ft High and Rising is wack, but DLSID and Buhloone Mindstate are easily the go to before their debut. Even Stakes Is High for that matter.
As a lover of boom bap, Gang Starr is, was, and will be my personal favorite. But I can understand why many would go with Tribe, and I can't say they are wrong. LET is probably in my top 10 all time, and MM only got outshined by 36 Chambers (one of the last great release days I can remember). Hell, I rode for BRE and TLM from the jump. But if I go with my heart, I've got to go with Guru and Premier.
<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up... __________________________
Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect. Game: Like Gladys Knight. Jay: Aretha Franklin. Game: Word, I like her too. Jay: Nigga...
8. "Tribe ALLLLLL Day..." In response to Reply # 0
Of course 1st and foremost, I'll admit that i'm bias as I am just a real Tribe head. So that's where my vote comes from.
But aside from that, here are my issues with Gang Starr...
Guru was just not that great of a rapper and his flow was just "ehh" to me. I don't like how he delivers his rhymes and the monotone usually wears on me quickly.
Preem is the only thing that keeps me listening and returning.
>Guru was just not that great of a rapper and his flow was just >"ehh" to me. I don't like how he delivers his rhymes and the >monotone usually wears on me quickly.
I'm not mad at anyone taking Tip over Guru, though personally from a pure rap standpoint I think its fairly close. (Tip is, overall, one of the greatest hip artists ever)
but....
Phife is a garbage a$$ rapper. I know its blasphemous to criticize Tribe outside of sh!tting on their last 2 albums, but...
Phife is terrible. Like, objectively really bad.
For a Tribe fan to bash Guru for raps/delivery seems...odd at best.
Gun to my head, I probably take Tribe too but it's damn close.
24. "I know it's not a popular opinion but..." In response to Reply # 14
it's true. I've never been impressed with Guru. Preemo made it so I could enjoy him at least a little bit.
As for Phife, I have to say, I always thought Phife was lacking but never felt the need to say it because I was such a Tribe head but I really can't argue with you there on your point about him.
My thing with Phife has always been that he has always talked "battlin" but was never really threatening as an MC.
He'd say stuff about battling this and wack mc that but I never once felt like i'd be afraid to cypher with him!(back when I did rhyme long ago)
In contrast, If I was around Black Thought, I wouldn't wanna even mention that I rhymed. lol
"Butter" was dope but that "Mutty Ranks" song was just terrible.
back on topic though. Yeah, I never liked Guru but yeah, I'd say that he's prob. better than Phife but i'd rather here Phife rhyme instead of Guru on most days.
I love ATCQ but they only have two albums I *really* dig, Gang Starr has four. You could argue those albums are better than Gang Starr's best but for me, I don't even want to choose, all I know is that Gang Starr made more music that I *love* and their style is a bit more appealing to my sensibilities than Tribe's somewhat smooth-jazzy/rhodesy/"proto-neo soul" flavour which was still as great as it gets.
Anyway, Gang Starr and EPMD are my favorite Hip-Hop groups of all time; Tribe is up there but still...
27. "GangStarr is in rare air as far as album runs go" In response to Reply # 15 Sat Jul-11-15 06:16 AM by Garhart Poppwell
You could make an argument for Run DMC, Public Enemy EPMD and De La Soul having as great a run, but that's about it.
__________________________________________ CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!! ------------------------------------ Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this
31. "forgot about Kast, but not as a slight" In response to Reply # 28
even though I do prefer their three album run to their 4 or 5 album run. I didn't think of RZA because while his run of great albums rivals any group, it gets sticky because then you'd have to include guys like Primo who have both great group accomplishments and a long list of album masterworks outside of the group setting.
__________________________________________ CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!! ------------------------------------ Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this
37. "I can clap to this for real" In response to Reply # 18
>I think Beats is better than their debut.
I just can't listen to People's Instinctive...anymore. I has NOT aged well for me.
I really enjoy BR&L. The Jam is my favorite Tribe joint (*ducks*) and Get a Hold almost made me pop the cassette.
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Dj Joey Joe Member since Sep 01st 2007 13770 posts
Sun Jul-12-15 10:23 PM
36. "ATCQ Wins Hands Down" In response to Reply # 0
ATCQ has three to four classic albums to me, but with Gang Starr only two albums are in classic while they had more classic songs.
I'm a Tribe fan, their sound (Tip & Ali), and their lyrics (Tip & Phife) were a big part in being different than what was out at the time, with Gang Starr it was mostly Premier's beats with Guru's knowledge rhymes that set them apart.
"Step In The Arena" is my favorite G.S. album but when you compare it to "Low End Theory", ATCQ has the slighter edge cause how well their albums flowed from song to song.
--------- "We in here talking about later career Prince records & your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak
40. "ATCQ has 2 classics and 1 debatable. 4 is not even in the discussion" In response to Reply # 36
>ATCQ has three to four classic albums to me, but with Gang >Starr only two albums are in classic while they had more >classic songs. > >I'm a Tribe fan, their sound (Tip & Ali), and their lyrics >(Tip & Phife) were a big part in being different than what was >out at the time, with Gang Starr it was mostly Premier's beats >with Guru's knowledge rhymes that set them apart. > >"Step In The Arena" is my favorite G.S. album but when you >compare it to "Low End Theory", ATCQ has the slighter edge >cause how well their albums flowed from song to song. > > >
Those last two albums have never been considered classics
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