By Odeisel

Midnight Marauders dropped on November 9th, 1993. It was the progression and logical conclusion of the Low End theory; the perfect balance between beats and rhymes. A Tribe Called Quest had found their grove and was firing on all cylinders.

Phife Dawg continued his run to bonafide emceehood after his surprising ascension on the Low End Theory. Tribe abandoned the Bohemian aesthetic from their debut album and Phife’s ascension brought them closer to the streets and made the group more relatable.

Midnight Marauders was driven by hard-hitting bangers like the riotous Award Tour and the neck-snapping Oh My God. The sublime Lyrics to Go, featured a weaponized Minnie Ripperton vocal that served as the precursor to Kanye’s forays into voice-as-instrument over a decade later.

The samples were impeccably chosen, woven into the compositions with surgical precision. Aside from closing note God Lives Through and Sucka Nigga, no beat lingers past the lyrics. Guest appearances were kept to a minimal, with a pristine appearance from Extra P (Large Professor) on Keep It Rollin‘ as the only outside verse.

1993 was a strong year, musically. Heavy D laid the foundations for His Blue Funk album. Naughty By Nature dropped the anthem-rich 19 Naughty III. Onyz dropped the gritty Bacdafucup. Places outside of New York began to ring bells. King T’s Tha Triflin’ Album, Freestyle Fellowship’s Innercity Griots, The Coup’s Kill My Landlord and Kam’s Neva Again represented the West Coast on multiple levels.

MC Breed repped the Midwest with The New Breed while both Scarface and The Geto Boyz dropped records

Run DMC returned with a last hurrah on Down with the King. Erick Sermon, MC Ren, and Eazy E dropped solo albums. Immutable classic records Enter the Wu-Tang and Doggystlye left indelible marks on the culture.

With Midnight Marauders, A Tribe Called Quest executed a flawless album built on funk, jazz, and 70’s grooves that achieved the rare air of timelessness. It doesn’t sound like a 90’s rap record. Midnight Marauders is very Queens, but it plays well on any coast. If you’re a millennial, enjoy it in its entirety.

If you’re an OG who was there for the first time around, enjoy @Vinrican from Power 106 LA break down the samples

Every once in a while, we ask the proverbial stranded on an island with one album question. If you choose Midnight Marauders, it’s a great decision. You can spend your listless days trying to find the flaw in the album. That should take a mighty long time. Be Well.