“Okay, if knowledge is the key then just show me the lock. Got the scrawny legs but I move just like Lou Brock. With speed. I’m agile plus I’m worth your while. One hundred percent intelligent black child. My optic presentation sizzles the retina. How far must I go to gain respect? Um. Well, it’s kind of simple, just remain your own. Or you’ll be crazy, sad, and alone.” A Tribe Called Quest, “Check the Rhime”, The Low End Theory. 1991.

TRUTH. Good morning Daily Dosers! Welcome to the first day of August. Do you like the look of this month’s 30 Days of Hip Hop? Who can tell me the inspiration behind it? If you said A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory then you are absolutely correct. What is the Low End Theory anyway? Continue reading to get the definition, today’s DDR, and how Q-Tip (one-third of ACTQ) chipped my tooth while caught up in his low end theory.

In musical terms, the low end theory is the idea of stripping down a sound to where the bass of an instrument is the primary sound (and feeling) rather than the treble. If you go back and listen to The Low End Theory, Tribe’s sophomore album, you will hear three fundamental elements: the bass, the drum kick, and their raps interlocked with the sound of “the cool” that is the jazz. It’s an album of just the basics. Not a real complicated approach to producing what Rolling Stone ranked at number 154 in “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, stating that “people connected the dots between hip-hop and jazz — both were revolutionary forms of black music based in improvisation and flow — but A Tribe Called Quest’s second album drew the entire picture.” It drew a very simple picture with just the simplicity of a few musical pieces.

Take “Check the Rhime” as an example. The energy of “Check the Rhime” that’s created by the bass drop and the horns is how I ended up with a microphone in my mouth. Not to mention the Atlanta Braves hat Q-tip wears in the video! Sophomore year of college, ATCQ came to UGA as part of The Low End Theory tour.  The concert was the talk of campus all day, and I – along with my friends Kenya and Tiffany – were front and center when Q-Tip, Phife, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad stepped on-stage.  When “Check the Rhime” came on the room went absolutely bananas – me included.  Q-Tip, standing right in front of me, decided he wanted me to say “Check the rhime” in the microphone.  I guess he under-estimated how close my mouth was to the microphone because he bopped me in the mouth so hard that he stopped in the middle of the show to make sure I was alright.  The adrenaline was so high all I could do was scream “Keep going” only to later realize he slightly chipped my tooth. It was awesome!!

THE DDR: Philosophically, the low end theory could mean that life is really a simple breakdown of some very basic elements.  We make it complicated.  So today, as you get your day moving remember today’s low end theory:  “We really don’t need most of the things we have in life to get ahead.  Just the basics: faith, family, and a passion for wanting to do something phenomenol.  Actually, 90% of life is all in our head. Get out of your head, and on with your life. Today, get back to the basics and decide to BELIEVE in yourself.