These events created a disillusionment with the music industry among the group, which affected 'both material and approach' on The Low End Theory. However, the negotiations between the group and Jive lasted over a year and strained their relationship. After switching managers, the group demanded more advances from Jive, who eventually extended their recording contract for one more album. Both moves created tension within the Native Tongues collective, which was never fully resolved. They also fired their lawyer, who was Red Alert's manager, and faced a lawsuit as a result. ĭuring the recording sessions, the group fired their manager Kool DJ Red Alert and joined Russell Simmons's Rush Artist Management, with Chris Lighty serving as their new manager.

Phife Dawg later recalled, 'Tip didn't want to stop.' The album's title, The Low End Theory, referred to both the status of black men in society and bass frequencies in the music, while the album cover featured an altered photograph of a kneeling woman painted in Afrocentric colors. The group wanted to begin recording the album shortly after the completion of People's Instinctive Travels, for which they still had to tour and film music videos. After a discussion with fellow member Q-Tip, they agreed to increase his participation on their second album and to 'step it up in general as a group.' Recording sessions for the second album began when sessions from People's Instinctive Travels kept creatively flowing. Background Ī month after the release of A Tribe Called Quest's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, group member Phife Dawg learned that he was diabetic and considered leaving the group. In 2022, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'. In 2020, it was ranked at number 43 on Rolling Stone 's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, appearing on many best album lists by music critics and writers. The album's influence on artists in hip hop, R&B and other genres has been attributed to the group's lyricism and Q-Tip's production, which bridged the gap between jazz and hip hop. The album is regarded as Phife Dawg's breakout and is credited for helping launch rapper Busta Rhymes's successful solo career. In the years since its release, The Low End Theory has garnered recognition from music critics and writers as a milestone in alternative hip hop. On February 19, 1992, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States, and on February 1, 1995, it was certified platinum by the RIAA, with shipments of one million copies. However, the release of two additional singles, ' Jazz (We've Got)' and ' Scenario', brought further attention and popularity to the group. Upon its release, the album's commercial potential was doubted by music critics and Jive record executives. Supported by the lead single ' Check the Rhime', The Low End Theory debuted at number 45 on the Billboard 200 chart. Lyrically, the album features social commentary, word play, humor, and interplay between Q-Tip and fellow member Phife Dawg. The album was primarily produced by group member Q-Tip, with a minimalist sound that combines bass, drum breaks, and jazz samples, in a departure from the group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990). Recording sessions for the album were held mostly at Battery Studios in New York City, from 1990 to 1991. The Low End Theory is the second studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991, by Jive Records.

Alternative hip hop