Beats, Rhymes and Life

This article is about the 1996 A Tribe Called Quest album. For the 2004 Outlandish album, see Beats, Rhymes & Life. For the documentary film, see Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest.

Beats, Rhymes and Life
Studio album by A Tribe Called Quest
Released	July 30, 1996
Recorded	1995–1996; Battery Studios, New York, New York
Genre	Hip hop
Length	51:28
Label	Jive/BMG Records 01241-41587
Producer	The Ummah Rashad Smith
A Tribe Called Quest chronology
Midnight Marauders (1993) Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996) The Love Movement (1998)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Robert Christgau	link
Entertainment Weekly	(A) link
NME	(7/10) link
Rolling Stone	1996
Rolling Stone	2004
The Source	link
Spin	(7/10) link
Yahoo! Music	(favorable) link

Beats, Rhymes and Life is the fourth album of the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released in 1996, it followed three years after the highly regarded and successful Midnight Marauders. This album is a departure from the joyful, positive vibe of the earlier albums and is regarded as the group's darkest album in content. It reached number-one on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B Albums charts.

Background

The album was also the first to feature production work from the Ummah a group that was composed of Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jay Dee. One topic on this album was the Death Row vs. Bad Boy rivalry. This album also features Consequence, cousin of rapper Q-Tip, frequently on the album.^{[citation needed]}

It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 1997 and contains a single titled "1nce Again" that was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group the same year. It was certified platinum by the RIAA on October 27, 1998, even though it was not regarded as highly as the group's first three albums.

The video version of "Stressed Out" has Phife Dawg rhyming on the second verse instead of Consequence. However, Phife's verse does not appear on the album.

In the song "Keeping It Moving," Q-Tip responds to the dis comments made about him on Westside Connection's song "Cross ’Em out and Put a K" by saying that comments made about the West from some time before the album were not intended to dis the west coast and that people should not misinterpret his lyrics.

"Somethin for your earhole,
so you can clean them shits out
It seems that some don't understand what I'm talkin about
How you get West coast nigga from west coast hater?
I could never dis a whole coast, my time is too greater (true)
Yeah, we from the East, the land of originators
You also from the West, the land of innovators
The only difference of the two is the style of the rap
Plus the musical track, this beef shit is so wack
Let me let y'all brothas know I ain't no West coast disser
Another thing I'm not is a damn ass kisser
So listen to my words as I set things straight
I ain't got no beef, so don't come in my face
Yo, keep it movin'"

Q-Tip Keeping It Moving

Track listing

#	Title	Producer(s)	Performer(s)	Time
1	"Phony Rappers"	The Ummah	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence	3:35
2	"Get a Hold"	The Ummah	Q-Tip	3:35
3	"Motivators"	The Ummah	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence	3:20
4	"Jam"	The Ummah	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence	4:38
5	"Crew"	The Ummah	Q-Tip	1:58
6	"The Pressure"	The Ummah	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	3:02
7	"1nce Again"	The Ummah	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Tammy Lucas	3:49
8	"Mind Power"	The Ummah	Q-Tip, Consequence, Phife Dawg	3:55
9	"The Hop"	Rashad Smith	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg	3:27
10	"Keeping It Moving"	The Ummah	Q-Tip	3:38
11	"Baby Phife's Return"	The Ummah	Phife Dawg	3:18
12	"Separate/Together"	The Ummah	Q-Tip	1:38
13	"What Really Goes On"	The Ummah	Q-Tip	3:23
14	"Word Play"	The Ummah	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence	2:59
15	"Stressed Out"	The Ummah	Q-Tip, Consequence, Faith Evans	4:57

Samples

Source: Rap Sample FAQ

• "Phony Rappers"
  • "Blind Alley" by The Emotions (from the 1971 album "Untouched")
• "Get a Hold"
  • "The Visit" by The Cyrkle (from the 1967 album "Neon")
• "Motivators"
  • "Sound Pieces" by Michal Urbaniak (from the 1973 album "The Beginning")
• "The Pressure"
  • "Get Off Your Ass and Jam" by Funkadelic (from the 1975 album "Let's Take it to the Stage")
• "1nce Again"
  • "Untitled" by Cannonball Adderley (from the 1971 album "Black Messiah")
  • "I'm Your Pal" by Gary Burton (from the 1967 album "A Genuine Tong Funeral")
• "Mind Power"
  • "N.T." by Kool & The Gang (from the 1972 album "Live at P.J.'s")
• "The Hop"
  • "Bumpin' Bus Stop" by Thunder and Lightning
  • "Soft Spirit" by Henry Franklin (from the 1974 album "The Skipper at Home")
• "Keeping It Moving"
  • "Roadwork" by Howard Roberts (from the 1971 album "Antelope Freeway")
• "Separate/Together"
  • "Funky Drummer" by James Brown (from the 1986 album "In the Jungle Groove")
• "What Really Goes On"
  • "Make It Funky" by James Brown (from the 1972 album "There it Is")
  • "Pain" by Ohio Players (from the 1971 album "Pain)
• "Word Play"
  • "The Watcher" by Rodney Franklin (from the 1980 album "You'll Never Know")
• "Stressed Out"
  • "Good Love" by Anita Baker (from the 1988 album "Giving You the Best That I Got")
• "Jam"
  • "Dirty Old Bossa Nova" by Howard Roberts (from the 1963 album "H.R. Is A Dirty Guitar Player")

Album singles

• "1nce Again"
  • Released: July 1, 1996
• "Stressed Out"
  • Released: November 11, 1996

Chart positions

Album

Year	Chart positions
	Billboard 200	Top R&B/ Hip Hop Albums
1996	1	1

Singles

Year	Song	Chart positions
		Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs	Hot Rap Tracks	Hot Dance Singles Sales
1996	"Stressed Out"	—	56	15	3
1999	"1nce Again"	—	—	—	30

References

Preceded by It Was Written by Nas

Billboard 200 number-one album August 17–23, 1996

Succeeded by Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette

See also

• List of number-one albums of 1996 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B albums of 1996 (U.S.)