Beats, Rhymes and Life

Beats, Rhymes and Life is the fourth album of 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 groups darkest album in content

Background

The album was also the first to feature production work from The Ummah, which 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 frequently on the album, which made many fans think he was a new member.

It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 1997 and contains a song, "1nce Again", which was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997. It was certified platinum by RIAA on October 27, 1998. Even though it received negative reviews, ten years later it is considered a classic among tribe fans.

The video version for Stressed Out has Phife Dawg rapping the 2nd verse instead of Consequence. However, Phife's verses does not appear on the album.

In the song "Keep It Moving", Q-Tip responds the diss comments made about him from 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 inteded to diss the west coast and that people should not misinterpret his lyrics.

Track listing

#	Title	Producer(s)	Performer(s)	Time
1	"Phony Rappers"	The Ummah	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence (rapper)	3:35
2	"Get a Hold"	The Ummah (Jay Dee)	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 (Jay Dee)	Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, 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	"Keep It Movin"	The Ummah (Jay Dee)	Q-Tip	3:38
11	"Baby Phife's Return"	The Ummah (Q-Tip)	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 (Jay Dee)	Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Consequence	2:59
15	"Stressed Out"	The Ummah (Jay Dee)	Q-Tip, Consequence, Faith Evans	4:57

Samples Used

Source: Rap Sample FAQ

• "Phoney 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 Michael 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 The Cannonball Adderley Quintet (from the 1971 album "Black Messiah")
• "I'm Your Pal" by The Gary Burton Quartet (from the 1972 album "Crystal Silence")
• "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 (1975)
• "Soft Spirit" by Henry Franklin (from the 1974 album "The Skipper at Home")
• "Keeping It Moving"
• "Roadwork" by The Howard Roberts Quartet (from the 1971 album "Antelope Freeway")
• "Separate/Together"
• "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
• "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 The Howard Roberts Quartet (from the 1963 album "H.R. Is A Dirty Guitar Player")

Album singles

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