The 100 Best Native Tongues Songs

In the '80s and '90s, the core members of the Native Tongues (Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and Black Sheep) talked and lived the concept of change—garish print shirts, African medallions, psychedelic album art, digging in the crates for rare grooves, friendly but competitive subliminal disses on wax, subverting stereotypes, and writing rhymes of transcendence and redemption.

The Native Tongues movement was preoccupied with aesthetics, but the running assumptions were that aesthetics were meaningful and that a tasteful style was itself a kind of laudable substance. But beyond their flamboyant presentation and bohemian sensibility, the Native Tongues were about constructing haunting, beautiful songs out of the fuzzy, bassy, scratchy, nearly forgotten remnants of virtually every black American musical tradition that ever seduced mainstream audiences. With a focus on the core members, we got the good folks from The T.R.O.Y. Blog to figure out The 100 Best Native Tongues Songs.

Words by Jason Gloss (@troyblog) and Thun (@thunactualfacts)

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100. Jungle Brothers f/ De La Soul & Q-Tip "How Ya Want It We Got It (Native Tongues Remix)" (1996)

Producer: Native Tongues
Album: Raw Deluxe
Label: Gee Street/V2/BMG Records

Raw Deluxe is probably the least appreciated of the Native Tongues "reinstatement" albums (the other two being De La Soul's Stakes Is High and A Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes, and Life), but it's a solid release. One of the standout tracks is the Native Tongues remix of "How Ya Want It We Got It," which features De La Soul and Q-Tip. This reunion seemed to garner very little attention at the time, but it's a dope posse cut and the fellas sound like they're having lots of fun rhyming together again.

99. Da Bush Babees f/ De La Soul & Mos Def "The Love Song (Remix)" (1996)

Producer: Native Tongues
Album: Gravity
Label: Warner Bros.

Other than a few decent singles and remixes, Da Bush Babees are a pretty standard early-to-mid-'90s act. Their greatest contribution to hip-hop is allowing a fledgling MC named Mos Def to hop on this remix along with De La Soul, transforming what would have been another mellow underground banger into a hidden Native Tongues gem.

98. Black Sheep "Without a Doubt" (1994)

Producer: Salaam Remi
Album: Non-Fiction
Label: Mercury/PolyGram Records

In a very brief interview on Ralph McDaniels' seminal Video Music Box, Dres described "Without a Doubt" as an "Uptown party song." It's a strange song for Black Sheep, as they make little attempt to incorporate subtle or subversive themes into this party jam, opting instead to, well, rock the party. It works, surprisingly.

97. Fu-Schnickens f/ Phife "La Schmoove" (1992)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: F.U. Don't Take It Personal
Label: Jive

A Tribe Called Quest's bassy production proved to be a great complement to Fu-Shnickens' raucous and eccentric style of rap, while Phife's technically precise cameo keeps the song from leaning too far to the left.

96. A Tribe Called Quest "Find a Way" (1998)

Producer: The Ummah
Album: The Love Movement
Label: Jive

Find a Way samples liberally from Tribe friend DJ Towa Tei's (of Dee-Lite fame) "Technova," turning Luso-Brazilian lyrics about who-knows-what into a courtship ritual for a love-smitten would-be Romeo relegated to "friend status." This is the first single from The Love Movement, an album that was almost universally panned by critics and is almost always written off by longtime fans. For the brief period prior to the album's release however, this single seemed like a sign that the album would be a return to form.

95. Jungle Brothers "Jimbrowski" (1988)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Straight Out The Jungle
Label: Idlers/Warlock Records

J-I-M-B-R-O-W-S-K-I. There's no need to over-intellectualize this song-it's just another Jungle Brothers banger that reflects the playfulness of late '80s rap.

94. A Tribe Called Quest "The Hop" (1996)

Producer: Rashad Smith
Album: Beats, Rhymes and Life
Label: Jive/BMG Records

Longtime Bad Boy in-house producer, arranger, and writer Rashad Smith picks a brilliant sample and matches it with drums that are hard enough to sound at home on a Tribe album, but not so hard that the overall smoothness of the track is lost. Q-Tip and Phife go through the motions here. It's not one of their better performances, but the song succeeds in the end and gives us a glimpse of the kind of sound they might have pursued if they had not been so intent on establishing the Ummah brand.

93. De La Soul "Keepin' the Faith" (1991)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: De La Soul Is Dead
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records

Any song by De La Soul that is about relationships or sex is bound to be funny, disconcerting, sarcastic, disturbing, true to life, and catchy as hell. "Keepin' the Faith" fulfills all of these requirements, and it breaks up the gloominess of most of the rest of De La Soul Is Dead.

92. De La Soul "Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)" (1989)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: 3 Feet High and Rising
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records

This is yet another crazy De La Soul song that reduces grown-ass men and women to talking like little kids recounting a field trip, running through a list of "and then ______, and then _____" until they turn blue. The sample sources are left-of-center even for De La, ranging from African psychedelic rock to spacey '60s sex kitten Maggie Thrett. Over this zany mixture, Pos and Trugoy talk about the fast times of Jenny, who was "known as a garden tool," and then their virginal friend Derwin plays "Chopsticks" in the middle of the song, and then...you get the picture.

91. Chi-Ali "Roadrunner" (1992)

Producer: The Beatnuts
Album: N/A
Label: Relativity/Violator

Chi-Ali was not a teen rapper of Special Ed's caliber, but he had a great production and writing team behind him in the form of the extended Native Tongues family. "Roadrunner" is a silly, surreal song that has De La written all over its lyrics. The Beatnuts provide the beats; their work on this album and on Common's Can I Borrow A Dollar landed them their first record contract with Relativity. The "Puberty" mix features production by Tribe and Chi-Ali rapping with a deeper voice.

90. De La Soul "Double Huey Skit" (1991)

Producer: De La Soul
Album: 3 Feet High and Rising Limited Edition
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

This is playful Strong Island strangeness with a bouncy feel, reminiscent of something Groove B. Chill might have recorded in earnest. Some might dismiss this as the fellas just messing around with beats and styles in the studio, but those people have clearly missed the point.

89. Black Sheep "Autobiographical" (1994)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: Non-Fiction
Label: Mercury/Polygram Records

The cassette single for "Without a Doubt" contained snippets from a few songs from Non-Fiction, including "Autobiographical," which showed the most promise. The full song lived up to the expectations of the snippet. Dres is at his personal best as a lyricist, recounting vignettes from this turbulent life. Mista Lawnge's track is unlike anything we had previously heard, but fits Dres' rhyming perfectly. The album as a whole was disappointing, but "Autobiographical" is one of Black Sheep's finest moments.

88. De La Soul "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (1991)

Producer: Paul Huston & De La Soul
Album: De La Soul Is Dead
Label: Tommy Boy

This cynical mockery of privacy-disrespecting, demo-wielding wannabes boasted a chorus that turned up on every answering machine from Philly to Amityville for a minute.

87. Black Sheep "On the Wall" (1993)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: Tresspass OST
Label: Warner Bros.

This song showcases the harder-edged sound that Black Sheep would grow into after their first album. It begins as an ode to the street life and ends with Dres describing how he has made the transition into legitimate money-making by adhering to the same work ethic that kept him eating when he was hustling on corners. This is the vibe they were aiming for on most of Non-Fiction but did not quite achieve.

86. Jungle Brothers f/ Q-Tip "On the Road Again (Q-Tip Remix)" (1993)

Producer: Q-Tip
Album: N/A
Label: Warner Bros.

Q-Tip lends a brief verse and production to this Jungle Brothers track about the difficulties of monogamy and the temptations they face on tour.

85. A Tribe Called Quest "Same Ol' Thing" (1997)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: Men In Black: The Album
Label: Columbia/Sony

"Same Ol' Thing" sounds like a throwaway track, but in a good way. Q-Tip's vaguely positive but rambling beats and the mellow-almost-to-a-fault vibe of the music somehow work really well here. The song would have been a welcome addition to their largely disappointing fourth album.

84. Black Sheep "North South East West (Buckwild Remix)" (2007)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: Diggin' In The Crates
Label: Mercury/Polgyram Records

The album version of "North South East West" is a low point for Black Sheep, sounding like an ill-advised attempt to harden their sound and image and conform to the obstreperous and lyrically deficient styles that reigned supreme in '93 and the first half of '94 until Nas' Illmatic shifted the focus from angry bellowing back to sophisticated rhyming. Buckwild's remix, which contains new lyrics and is really more of a sequel, is one-thousand times better. The beat is as rough and rugged as one might expect from a Buckwild production, but it stands apart from his darker fare. Dres sounds right at home here, dropping lines filled with humor and verve.

83. Jungle Brothers "Beyond This World" (1989)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Done by the Forces of Nature
Label: Warner Bros.

"Round and round, upside down/Living my life underneath the ground/Never heard from and hardly seen." Baby Bam might have been alluding more to racial-identity formation than to artistic ethos, but his opening lines rang true to struggling rappers as a defense of creative integrity and underdog pride. This track is as raw as it gets.

82. De La Soul "Say No Go" (1989)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: 3 Feet High and Rising
Label: Tommy Boy

The collaboration between Prince Paul and De La Soul is best evidenced in early recordings where numerous, far-flung samples are stacked on top of each other in ways that seem perfectly complementary to the ears of the listeners. Everyone raves about the Hall and Oates sample, which critics have incorrectly claimed was used because Prince Paul must have found it ironically amusing, but there's a whole lot more to be heard, and it's all testament to the genius and daring of the group's early creative process.

81. Jungle Brothers "40 Below Trooper" (1993)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: J Beez Wit The Remedy
Label: Warner Bros.

"40 Below Trooper" remains the best rap song ever devoted to Timberlands. The Brothers' third album, J. Beez Wit the Remedy, needed about 10 more songs like this; the blend of free-association whimsy and hardcore demeanor is something the Native Tongues do better than most everybody.

80. Black Sheep "Strobelite Honey (Maybe We Did It Mix)" (1992)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: N/A
Label: N/A

Red Alert used to play this version about four times per set, and with good reason: The wild trumpets give this remix of an otherwise silly song about dodging ugly women a new life. Also, Dres' re-recorded vocals and revised lyrics are a nice touch.

79. Jungle Brothers "Black Woman" (1989)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Done by the Forces of Nature
Label: Warner Bros.

The song that spawned a million Afrocentric spoken-word artists. The Jungle Brothers sound right at home rapping positive lyrics over those Commodores drums and that incredible flip of Ray, Goodman, and Brown's "Special Lady." Only a skilled rapper of the Native Tongues mold could pull this off so smoothly.

78. Chi-Ali "Funky Lemonade" & "Funky Lemonade (Remix)" (1992)

Producer: The Beatnuts
Album: Let The Horns Blow / Funky Lemonade (Remix)
Label: Relativity

Before it was cool for your average East Coast rapper to casually equate selling records to serving dope to fiends, average rappers like Chi-Ali had to come up with different justifications for existing. Actually, in the case of Chi, the Beatnuts and Dres provided most of the lyrics. The Beatnuts also did the production on both the album version and the remix; both are top-notch tracks. The remix is perhaps most notable for being recorded just in time to take advantage of the fact that a few months earlier Guru had made the profound observation that "lemonade was a popular drink and it still is."

77. Jungle Brothers f/ Q-Tip "Black Is Black" (1988)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Straight Out The Jungle
Label: Idlers/Warlock Records

"Black Is Black" is impressive and notable for several reasons. First, it is a very direct, almost confrontational analysis of racial identity and colorism, topics which had been previously alluded to on rap songs, but not usually tackled so explicitly. Secondly, it contains samples from Prince, Kool & the Gang, Gil Scott-Heron, and the Meters; it's a marvelous example of how broad musical appreciation and a desire to insert oneself into the pantheon of great black musicians can lead to great results. (Kanye-obsessed critics, make the connection.) Thirdly, this is an early Q-Tip appearance. Listen now.

76. Jungle Brothers "Book of Rhyme Pages" (1993)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: J Beez Wit The Remedy
Label: Warner Bros.

"Book of Rhyme Pages" sports a flip of Bob James' "Nautilus" unlike any of the dozens of uses of the same sample by other artists. The Jungle Brothers probably had to fight tooth-and-nail to ensure that dense, complicated songs like this made it to the final pressing.

75. A Tribe Called Quest "Get a Hold" (1996)

Producer: The Ummah
Album: Beats, Rhymes and Life
Label: Jive, BMG

One of the weak points of Beats, Rhymes and Life is that Q-Tip's verbal meandering sounds aimless over bland beats. "Get a Hold" sees the Ummah tone down their jazz-lite tendencies, and this gives Q-Tip the space to use his vocals to explore the track for two verses before anchoring himself in a clear, concise message in the third.

74. DJ Honda f/ De La Soul "Trouble in the Water" (1998)

Producer: DJ Honda
Album: H II
Label: Relativity

Pos and Dave faintly sense that their laid-back Strong Island stomping grounds are changing, possibly for the worse, but their memories of growing into their present-day identities as the rappers we all love are still fresh and vivid. DJ Honda provides the perfect backdrop for their musings; the song sounds like it could have easily been included on Stakes Is High, and is one of the last Native Tongues–ish-sounding records the group ever made

73. A Tribe Called Quest "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" (1993)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: Midnight Marauders
Label: Jive, BMG

Few rap groups were better at talking about nothing in particular than Tribe. It's all about the marriage of style and technique here. It's almost pointless to describe the song in detail because it manages to defy most of the songwriting and structural conventions of the time, yet it doesn't sound inaccessible, densely abstract or off-putting in any way. This is one of the few moments where Tip and Phife truly sound like an equally matched team. It's a fun and engaging song that could not have been made by any other group..

72. De La Soul "Sweet Dreams" (1996)

Producer: De La Soul
Album: De La Mix Tape: Remixes,Rarities and Classics
Label: Rhino Records

Another quirky De La rarity, and this time Maseo rhymes too. A great example of a self-produced De La joint that stands the test of time. Dave's interpolation of the Eurythmics is a little jarring at first, but it wouldn't be De La if they didn't fuck with your expectations, right?

71. De La Soul "I Can't Call It" (1996)

Producer: De La Soul
Album: High School High Soundtrack
Label: Big Beat/Atlantic

"I Can't Call It" is aptly titled: Pos and Dave have been noticing for years that the landscape of their native Strong Island has been coarsening. Conditions usually associated with inner-city living have now spread out into Nassau and Suffolk counties. This would have made an apropos addition to Stakes Is High.

70. A Tribe Called Quest "1nce Again" (1996)

Producer: The Ummah
Album: Beats, Rhymes and Life
Label: Jive, BMG

It's all about the music on this song. Tip and Phife repurpose their signature "Check the Rhime" back-and-forth patter for the inaugural single from Beats, Rhymes and Life. It would be a stretch to say that they phoned in their performances, but I think it's fair to say that this song is really meant to introduce the Ummah production team. And it's a great introduction-moody and sultry, yet strangely catchy.

69. De La Soul "Area" (1993)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: Buhloone Mindstate
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records

Area sounds almost out of place on Buhloone Mind State, but in a sense it fits perfectly-it swings harder and funkier than anything they've ever done, giving us all a breather from the rest of the album's jazzy abstraction. It sounds almost as if De La were attempting to record their version of one of Low End Theory's horn-less numbers. Conceptually, it's kind of a sequel to "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)."

68. A Tribe Called Quest "Mr. Incognito" (2003)

Producer: The Ummah
Album: Hits, Rarities & Remixes
Label: Jive

This might be the hardest break ever recorded. This song can blast through solid rock and literally snap necks. Paul C. would be proud. Q-Tip and Phife refuse to stick to a topic, but that's fine because anything too rigidly conceptual might not have successfully competed with the drums.

67. De La Soul "The Hustle" (1996)

Producer: Da Beatminerz
Album: America Is Dying Slowly
Label: East West/Elektra

The Hustle sounds out of place on the America Is Dying Slowly compilation, but it's a great little De La gem that often gets overlooked. Pos and Dave sound great over Da Beatminerz' production, which is harder-edged and more minimalist-sounding than your typical De La joint.

66. Black Sheep "Butt in the Meantime (Nostrand Ave. Rastafarian Remix)" (1991)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: N/A
Label: Mercury/Polygram Records

While the ragga-rap fad of the early to mid-'90s produced numerous duds, this remix demonstrates that the combination can work if done tastefully. Conceptually, the song is an introduction to Dres' uniquely debonair rhyme style, which he brags about with unparalleled poise and wit, illustrating a typical Native Tongue obsession with aesthetic perfection.

65. A Tribe Called Quest "Verses From the Abstract" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Low End Theory
Label: Jive, BMG

Ron Carter is on the bass, Vinia Mojica's lovely voice soars, and Q-Tip delivers a rhyme style seemingly dropped from the future. He talks on the track as if he is on the phone and half distracted by television, landing in the oddest pockets, but somehow it works. After this point, any rapper still trying to imitate Big Daddy Kane was out of a job.

64. De La Soul f/ Shortie No Mas & Dres "En Focus" (1993)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: Buhloone Mindstate
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

By the time Buhloone Mind State rolled around, De La was really jaded about show business and the fleeting nature of fame, and these topics made an appearance on nearly every song on the album. "En Focus" felt a little different from the rest because the tone is more sarcastic than dreary; Dres and Shortie No Mas have some excellent ad-libs that serve as a kind of comic relief.

63. A Tribe Called Quest f/ Busta Rhymes "One Two Shit" (1998)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Love Movement
Label: Jive, BMG

Busta steals the show from Q-Tip and Phife here, exhibiting a delivery somewhere in between his LONS steez and the flows he would use on his first solo LP, The Coming. This is a good jam to bust out when you want to impress people whose knowledge of Tribe–Busta collabos is limited to "Scenario."

61. Jungle Brothers "J-Beez Comin' Through" (1989)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Done by the Forces of Nature
Label: Warner Bros.

J-Beez Comin' Through (and its famous Bonus Beats remix) is practically DJ Red Alert's theme song, a knowing throwback to the days of booming systems and sound clashes. It sounds like a few dozen radios tuned to different stations that only clash enough to be heard, magically fusing together into one rumble.

62. Queen Latifah f/ De La Soul "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" (1989)

Producer: Prince Paul
Album: All Hail the Queen
Label: Tommy Boy

Queen Latifah was a peripheral member of the Native Tongues family; her affiliation with the Flavor Unit seems to have been stronger. "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" is pure D.A.I.S.Y. Age insanity nevertheless, and Latifah flows effortlessly alongside Pos and Dave over the bright, upbeat Prince Paul production.

60. De La Soul "Potholes in My Lawn" (1988)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: 3 Feet High and Rising
Label: Tommy Boy

Cooking Cymande, War, Parliament, and Melvin Bliss samples in the same pot was crazy enough in 1989, but on "Potholes in My Lawn," De La also deliver some of their most cryptic verses. Is the song about plagiarism, the threat of downward mobility, or landscaping? The meanings and implications of the lyrics will be debated for years to come-whether or not it is dope against all odds probably won't be, as it remains one of group's most beloved songs.

59. A Tribe Called Quest "It's Yours" (1998)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Lost Tribes
Label: Jive

The Native Tongues are hip-hop nerds to the fullest. Their songs are inundated with references to old-school tracks, with some even lifting and reshaping entire lines and choruses: "It's Yours" is a tasteful homage to T. La Rock. It's another track that was somehow left off of Beats, Rhymes and Life even though it might have strengthened the project had it been included.

58. De La Soul "Supa Emcees" (1996)

Producer: De La Soul
Album: Stakes Is High
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

"Supa Emcees" intends to trumpet the fact that Pos and Dave have earned the right to consider themselves elite lyricists, and it succeeds. It also demonstrates that they are perfectly capable of crafting dope tracks without Prince Paul. Favorite line: "While you others represent, I present my rep."

57. A Tribe Called Quest "8 Million Stories" (1993)

Producer: Skeff Anselm
Album: Midnight Marauders
Label: Jive, BMG

This is probably the last time that Phife ever shined on a solo track. The track interrupts the joyous mood of much of Midnight Marauders: It sees Phife recount a day full of mishaps, mistakes, inconveniences, ejections, and problems with a sharp sense of humor. It's hard to feel sorry for someone whose average day doesn't involve traditional employment, but it's an amusing song nonetheless.

56. De La Soul "Ego Trippin' Pt. 3 (Egoristic Mix)" (1994)

Producer: Spearhead X & The Beat Messiahs
Album: Buhloone Mindstate
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

"Ego Trippin' Pt. 2" is a classic. "Ego Trippin' Pt. 3" is not quite a classic, but out of the large batch of lesser-known De La songs it is one of the very best. Spearhead X of Ya'll So Stupid fame (using the term lightly) throws Pos and Dave a rolling, funky track and they take to it with enthusiasm. The subject matter is typical De La-we hear all about their origins and transitions in the music biz, shady execs and managers, and artistic integrity. The insularity of the themes is counterbalanced by the fluidity and effortlessness of the rhyming; this is Pos and Dave's "Steve Biko."

55. A Tribe Called Quest "Bonita Applebum (Hootie Mix)" (1999)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: N/A
Label: N/A

Tribe flipped the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets" sample better than Biggie, and they did it first. If you disagree, you're wrong.

54. De La Soul "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa" (1991)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: De La Soul Is Dead
Label: Tommy Boy

De La Soul Is Dead is a traveling carnival of dark humor. Towards the middle of the album is "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa," a story of sexual abuse and revenge that is not darkly humorous, or funny at all for that matter-more like twisted and surreal. It's one of the best performances of their career, and it's an affecting, somber tune that wisely avoids mawkishness in favor of powerful storytelling.

53. A Tribe Called Quest "Jazz (Re-Recording)" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: N/A
Label: Jive

In some ways this is a misguided song-it bears so little resemblance to the original either sonically or conceptually that calling it a re-recording rather than a remix does not adequately describe the gulf between the two. There are horns here, but they aren't the wailing, somber type you hear on the original, so it's a stretch to say that the re-recording sounds jazzy in the same obvious way as its predecessor. The original sees Q-Tip at least attempt to theorize a connection between what he does and a jazz sensibility; on the re-recording all we get is the vaguest sense that "the jazz" equals coolness. But none of that matters, because this song is a banger.

52. De La Soul f/ Teenage Fanclub "Fallin'" (1994)

Producer: De La Soul & Teenage Fanclub
Album: Judgement Night Soundtrack
Label: Immortal

Rock–rap collabos almost always sound like death. Hell, half of the Judgment Night soundtrack is downright embarrassing. But somehow, De La Soul and Teenage Fanclub work really well together.

51. A Tribe Called Quest "Butter" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Low End Theory
Label: Jive/RCA

"Butter" is Phife's greatest solo song, by far. It would be difficult to sound bad on the track, which features a sample that can only be described as ingenious, but Phife rises above and beyond the occasion and delivers funny, engaging verses about trifling honeys and the ups and downs of the playa lifestyle. He never sounded so animated and witty on his own again.

50. De La Soul f/ Mos Def "Big Brother Beat" (1996)

Producer: Skeff Anslem
Album: Stakes Is High
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

This is one of Mos Def's earlier appearances on wax, and even though his flow is basic and his lyrics are a little corny, he brings a kind of youthful energy that is sorely needed on Stakes Is High. Pos and Dave do their usual friendly battle of technique vs. style, mostly just bragging about how dope they are in relation to the rest of the rap world over Skeff Anselm's funky head-nodder of a beat.

49. Jungle Brothers f/ Q-Tip "The Promo No. 2" (1989)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Beyond This World/Promo No. 2
Label: Warner Bros. Records

"The Promo" and "In Time" were not enough for hardcore Jungle Brothers fans in search of more B-side wizardry. "The Promo Part 2" is more of the same goodness and something every Native Tongues fan needs to hear. Over a break later reused by Pete Rock for Heavy D. and by Sir Jinx for Ice Cube, Q-Tip, Mike G. and Baby Bam rap about progress-aesthetic, social, political, and otherwise. From fades to braids, onward we go.

48. A Tribe Called Quest "Lyrics to Go" (1993)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: Midnight Marauders
Label: Jive, BMG

The song that spawned a million bedroom producers. I don't care who you are-if you were even remotely curious about the process of producing hip-hop music, your mind was blown the second you realized that Tribe had turned Minnie Ripperton's whistle-pitch vocals into an instrument in their arsenal. Q-Tip and Phife sound supremely confident here. The remix doesn't best the original, because that would be impossible, but it's a nice take on the song nonetheless.

47. De La Soul "Itzoweezee" (1996)

Producer: De La Soul
Album: Stakes Is High
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records

Dave's solo joint takes hilarious potshots at the kind of mafia-lore-inspired rap typified by Nas' "Street Dreams." Favorite barb: "See them Cubans don't care what y'all niggas do/Colombians ain't never ran with your crew/Why you acting all spicy and sheisty?/The only Italians you knew was ICEEs." It's not playa-hating if it's better than what it critiques, remember.

46. Black Sheep "Similak Child (Homogenized Remix)" (192)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: 12"
Label: Mercury/Polygram Records

Black Sheep never disappointed with their B-sides and remixes, and the "Homogenized" remix to the brilliant album cut "Similak Child" testifies to their talents as producers and rappers. This version has a more plaintive feel, and Dres adjusts his lyrics just enough to make this remix practically a whole different song. The theme? Oh, typical Native Tongue fare: After a wild night of partying, Dres finds himself shacking up with a curvy but brainy Similac-reared farm girl from a part of Jersey so remote it feels like a different universe.

45. De La Soul f/ A Tribe Called Quest "Sh.Fe.MC's" (1994)

Producer: De La Soul &Prince Paul
Album: Clear Lake Auditorium
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

De La's obsession with the Crash Crew expresses itself in an interpolation of their lyrics for the chorus. None of the verses are especially memorable, but it's a dope track that features the two most celebrated Native Tongue groups rhyming together, so why quibble?

44. A Tribe Called Quest "Description of a Fool" (1990)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Label: Jive/RCA

"These are three stories from the naked city." This was one of Tribe's earliest singles and one of their most memorable moments on wax. In 1989, sampling Roy Ayers' "Runnin'" was not only creative, it was downright ballsy. This song is technically a bonus track tacked on to the end of the compact disc, but it's a beautiful summation of the album's theme-a meandering but profound voyage through the dangerous, wondrous streets of New York.

43. De La Soul f/ Biz Markie "Lovely How I Let My Mind Float" (1993)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: Ego Trippin Part Two B-Side
Label: Tommy Boy

"Lovely How I Let My Mind Float" is one of the few Buhloone Mind State–era De La tracks in which Pos and Dave sound like they are having just as much fun as they undoubtedly experienced while recording 3 Feet High and Rising. While we cannot and will not complain about the mellow vibe that prevails over most of Buhloone Mind State, one can't help but think about what an album as exuberant and inspired as "Lovely How I Let My Mind Flow" might have sounded like had De La not become so jaded about their relationship with Tommy Boy. Biz Markie's cameo is a nice treat as well.

42. A Tribe Called Quest "Sucka Nigga" (1993)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: Midnight Marauders
Label: Jive, BMG

This Q-Tip solo joint concisely articulates the hip-hop generation's willful reclamation of the slur "nigger" in its new form as "nigga," a term of endearment. It's a controversial viewpoint, but Tip was so sure of the cogency of his argument that he repeats his verse word for word. Brilliant use of "Red Clay" here.

41. Jungle Brothers "Braggin' and Boastin'" (1988)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Straight Out The Jungle
Label: Idlers/Warlock Records

Jungle Brothers plus "Impeach the President" equals classic. Title says it all. If you can't get with this, rap is not the genre for you.

40. Black Sheep "To Whom It May Concern" (1991)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Label: Mercury/Polygram Records

Mista Lawnge's silly verse can be forgiven because he produced one hell of a track for Dres' compelling verse, which describes a future scenario in which white co-optation of rap music becomes the norm.

39. A Tribe Called Quest "Luck of Lucien" (1990)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Label: Jive/RCA

"Push It Along" is a smooth, optimistic album opener, but People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm really takes off with "Luck of Lucien." The reworking of Billy Brooks' "40 Days" into a funky, engaging account of the immigrant experience in NYC proves that Tribe were intent on expanding not only rap's sonic palette (which at the time drew mostly from the James Brown catalog), but its subject matter as well. The song is based on Lucien Revolucien, a Native Tongue affiliate and rap artist in his own right; he does the ad-libs on this track, produced songs for Beatnuts and Kurious, and released his own material as well.

38. A Tribe Called Quest "Excursions" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Low End Theory
Label: Jive/RCA

Possibly the greatest bass line, and definitely the best opening track from any rap album, ever. With a new meandering, talky style to match the pulsating rhythms, Q-Tip cements himself as a rapper and producer of prominence and begins curating the epic album that is The Low End Theory.

37. Jungle Brothers f/ De La Soul, Monie Love & A Tribe Called Quest "Doin' Our Own Dang" (1989)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Done by the Forces of Nature
Label: Warner Bros. Records

The Jungle Brothers, and the Native Tongues as a whole, borrowed from diverse musical sources, so disco was not off-limits. "Doing Our Own Dang" is aptly titled, since the song comes off like something of a rap jam session, with each member riffing vaguely on positivity and unity, and generally having a good time. Q-Tip stands apart from the others here, sounding youthful and energized, as if poised to take over the world.

36. A Tribe Called Quest "If the Papes Come (Remix)" (1990)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Label: Jive/RCA

Q-Tip kills it in his own way, but it's all about that break. Heads will recognize it as the same one from Main Source's "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball." Q-Tip, the Beatnuts, Tha Beatminerz, Pete Rock, Diamond D, and others used to kick it and go record hunting in the late '80s and early '90s, and this record, infused with elements distinctive to Tribe, is a relic of that scene.

35. A Tribe Called Quest "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" (1990)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Label: Jive/RCA

When Tribe first came on the scene, songs like this were hugely polarizing, and their Greenwich Village by way of San Francisco hippie commune style of dress in the video only stoked the controversy. The song is undeniably dope though. They take a rare sample of the Chambers Brothers' "Funky" and tweak it so it sounds vaguely Latin; over this pulsing groove Q-Tip relates a whimsical tale involving a cross-country trek, a midget Mexican guide, a beautiful senorita, fruit punch, and the infamous missing wallet. The details are a little silly, but the song functions well as an allegory about broadening one's imaginative horizons in order to confront reality through artistic expression.

34. Jungle Brothers f/ The Roots "Brain" (1997)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Raw Deluxe
Label: Gee Street/V2/BMG

Jungle Brothers were an incredibly versatile group, capable of flexing their style over virtually any groove. "Brain" sees them do their usual over a smooth, atmospheric Roots track that nearly every NYC underground crew attempted to replicate in 1997, usually failing miserably.

33. Black Sheep "Still in the Ghetto" (1992)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: 12"
Label: N/A

"Still in the Ghetto" is one of Dres' finest moments on the mic. He tackles the topic of the ghetto as a shifting, ambivalent psychological state that defies the borders of the inner city along with its upwardly mobile residents, but avoids the temptation to indulge in standard ghetto-centrist romanticism or equate a ghetto mentality with diagnosable psychopathology.

32. A Tribe Called Quest "Hot Sex" (1993)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: Midnight Marauders
Label: Jive, BMG

This was one of Tribe's harder-edged songs, musically and lyrically. In the wake of a publicized confrontation with Wreckx-n-Effect over a line from "Jazz (We've Got The)," Tip and Phife remind would-be hard rocks that, despite their tranquil demeanor, they are not to be messed with. The beat is pilfered every couple of years by producers intent on recreating its magic, but the original stands superior as one of the most instantly recognizable grooves in hip hop. The moment where the music cuts out just before Q-Tip's "Where ya at?" is a beautiful use of negative space.

31. De La Soul f/ Q-Tip "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays" (1991)

Producer: Prince Paul
Album: De La Soul Is Dead
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

Vinia Mojica's voice soars like a disco diva while De La and Q-Tip revive the roller-boogie vibe circa 1980 in their own weird way. The variety of samples contained on this fun little jam that breaks up the dreariness of De La Soul Is Dead has to be heard to be believed.

30. Black Sheep f/ Q-Tip "La Menage" (1991)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Label: Mercury/Polygram Records

Just in case the sexual undertones of "Buddy" were a little too restrained for the freakazoids out there, Black Sheep employed Q-Tip to guest on their song devoted to the devil's threesome. The lyrics are a little off-putting, but this song is an excellent example of Mista Lawnge's beatmaking prowess.

29. Jungle Brothers "Because I Got It Like That" (1988)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Straight Out The Jungle
Label: Idlers/Warlock Records

An anthem for the players who get over without spending a dime. Something like an EPMD song filtered through the Native Tongues' free-spirited, bohemian vibe. Mike G and Baby Bam rock several different styles here, all very dope and original.

28. De La Soul "Fanatics of the B Word" (1991)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: De La Soul Is Dead
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

This song is strange, even for De La. They are out-stranged however, by Dres of Black Sheep, in his debut verse. He raps about a foggy window and Chinese food and makes it sound like the illest rhyme ever kicked. Time and time again the Native Tongues showed that eccentricity in rap is good when done the right way.

27. A Tribe Called Quest f/ Busta Rhymes "Oh My God"

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: Midnight Marauders
Label: Jive, BMG

"I like my beats hard like two-day old shit." 'Nuff said, really. This is the third single from Midnight Marauders and something of a cult classic among Tribe fans. Busta's chorus does nothing but add to an already energetic cut.

26. De La Soul f/ Common "The Bizness" (1996)

Producer: De La Soul
Album: Stakes Is High
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

The beat sounds tailor-made for a freestyle cipher, so Pos, Dave, and guest Common treat it as such, dropping quotables galore. Favorite line has to be Pos' "My rhyme escalates like black death rates/Over musical plates." Or maybe Dave's "Of course it's much greater than your Benz or your Lex/The engine to my comprehension is just too complex." Or maybe Common's "Not a hater of the players, I'm more like a coach, or an owner/I used to love H.E.R., but now I bone H.E.R." You get the point.

25. A Tribe Called Quest "Midnight" (1993)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: Midnight Marauders
Label: Jive, BMG

"Midnight" is a pulsating excerpt of highly obscure '70s guitar rock that hovers anxiously over stark drums and menacing low-end sounds. Over this moody, disquieting music, Q-Tip delivers his first and most successful inner-city "State of the Union" address. The Abstract Poet's observations are thoughtfully diffused across two verses, the first a piercingly descriptive narrative of a night on the town and the second a keenly detached overview.

24. Jungle Brothers "Straight Out the Jungle" (1988)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Straight Out The Jungle
Label: Idlers/Warlock Records

The Jungle Brothers' anthem and mission statement. Bill Withers, Mandrill and a few other sources provide the perfect landscape for Mike G. and Baby Bam's deceptively simple style to run amok. More than any other song, "Straight Out the Jungle" provides a glimpse into the world that the Jungle Brothers construct: a labyrinthine NYC filled with tension, animosity, and wonder.

23. De La Soul "Ego Trippin' Pt. 2" (1993)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: Buhloone Mindstate
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

This is the song where De La come out of hiding behind a wall of abstraction and mercilessly ridicule lesser artists for their superficiality and conformity. The music is perfectly produced, with everything, from the screams to the sample of Al Hirt's "Harlem Hendoo" to Shorty's ad-libs to Pos and Dave's stream of old-school references, coming together perfectly. "Ego Trippin Pt. 2" established De La as both owners of an inimitable style and heirs to an avant-garde sensibility epitomized by Ultramagnetic MCs.

22. Chi-Ali f/ Dres, Phife Dawg, Trugoy & Al Tariq "Let the Horns Blow" (1992)

Producer: The Fabulous Chi-Ali
Album: The Beatnuts
Label: Relativity

This is the track you put on for anyone who thinks that the Native Tongues were all about flashing peace signs, being hippies, and talking about being buddies and whatnot. "Let the Horns Blow" is tied for the "Scenario (Remix)" as the Native Tongues posse cut with the hardest beat. Dres, Dave, Fashion (a.k.a. Al Tariq), and Phife murder this track. Chi-Ali not so much, but that's a moot point.

21. Black Sheep "Black With N.V." (1991)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Label: Mercury/Polgyram Records

While it is clear that Black Sheep put a great deal of thought into their lyrics and concepts, they gained a good deal of notoriety for their bawdy sense of humor, leading some to doubt that they could ever record a song with a serious theme. Listeners who purchased A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing were rewarded with "Black With N.V.," an intricately written, poignant examination of race relations and the disintegration of the American dream.

20. A Tribe Called Quest "Buggin' Out" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Low End Theory
Label: Jive/RCA

You have to be familiar with Tribe's entire discography to fully appreciate how songs like "Buggin' Out" represent a sharp detour from the formulas that worked on their first album. The bass lines on the first half of Low End Theory set the mood for the next four or so years of hip-hop, with "Buggin' Out" a standout track. The darker, lower-end feel appears to have inspired Phife, who rises from marginal status to Q-Tip's partner-in-crime, even outshining him at times, like in his first verse here.

19. De La Soul "I Am I Be" (1993)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: Buhloone Mindstate
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

It's doubtful that "I Am I Be" would convert any non-believers to the De La Soul cult, but for die-hard fans this is a shining moment. There isn't a single concession made to anyone outside of the group here; this is a song that will either captivate your full attention or repel you entirely. De La knew this, and it makes the song even better. Pos hits a sweet spot between abstraction, technical perfection, and heartfelt emotion that most rappers will never effectively achieve, and Dave keeps up with him. A challenging, beautiful record.

18. Black Sheep "Flavor of the Month" (1991)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Label: Mercury/Polgyram Records

"The Choice Is Yours" is fondly remembered and appropriated for television advertisements to this day, but "Flavor of the Month" was Black Sheep's first and arguably best single. Dres updates the Native Tongues formula, combining cleverness, subtly bawdy humor, and an impossibly smooth flow into a style that is truly distinctive and still ahead of its time. Mista Lawnge establishes himself as an expert crate-digger and virtuosic producer, fusing disparate sounds from sources far removed from the usual James Brown–associated recordings so commonly plundered in years prior.

17. A Tribe Called Quest "Award Tour" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Low End Theory
Label: Jive/RCA

"Award Tour" sees Q-Tip and Phife at their respective lyrical and vocal peaks of perfection. Over the sound of a sampled Fender Rhodes electric piano and drums that boom and crack harder than anyone thought possible up to that point, the two MCs drop some of the best lines of their careers, with Tip boasting, "Lyrically I'm Mario Andretti on the Momo/Ludicrously speedy or infectious with the slo-mo," and Phife insisting, "The wackest crews try to dis, it makes me laugh/When my track record's longer than a DC-20 aircraft." This was the first single from Midnight Marauders, and from the second Red Alert played it, the greater NYC area knew that Tribe were about to do the impossible and release a follow-up to The Low End Theory that was just as good and possibly better.

16. De La Soul "Pease Porridge" (1991)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: De La Soul Is Dead
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

Pos, Dave, and Mase describe how and why they were forced to beat down disruptive punks at nearly every stop on their first tour, despite their preference for peaceful solutions. But they don't do it with a straight-ahead song or a linear narrative. In between verses we hear two gossiping bitties, a Middle Eastern pacifist, Kermit the Frog, scheming hoodlums, and sports announcers providing contextual clues. Oh, and they employ a strange pseudo-stuttering rhyme style, and loop one of the most unlikely samples ever to surprisingly great effect, and they...aw, fuck it, just listen.

15. A Tribe Called Quest "Footprints" (1990)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: People's Instinctive Travels & The Paths of Rhythm
Label: Jive/RCA

"Footprints" is easily one of Tribe's greatest album cuts, if not the greatest. Other than "Midnight," it's hard to think of a more virtuosic lyrical performance from Q-Tip; he explicates the album's main themes cleverly without sounding pedantic or contrived. The music is incredible too: A tiny segment of Donald Byrd's "Think Twice" is freaked to sound galactic in scope, fitting for a song celebrating wanderlust and creative growth.

14. De La Soul "Me Myself and I" (1989)

Producer: Prince Paul & De La Soul
Album: 3 Feet High and Rising
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

De La's ode to individuality is probably their best-known tune, but it's also the bane of their professional existence. Its popularity caused them to cross over to pop audiences early in their career, and even though the song refutes the accusation that their D.A.I.S.Y. concept was a neo-hippie movement, they spent the next few years trying to live such accusations down. In any event, this is a fun song with a positive message and a prominent sample of Funkadelic's "Not Just Knee Deep" that will remain stuck in your head for months.

13. A Tribe Called Quest "Can I Kick It" (1990)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: People's Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm
Label: Jive/RCA

This has to be the first time Lou Reed was ever looped, right? Tribe's classic call-and-response jam is still one of their more popular and quotable cuts. The remix features much-needed bass and adds a few more samples to the mix.

12. De La Soul "Stakes Is High" (1996)

Producer: Jay Dee & De La Soul
Album: Stakes Is High
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.
This is one of Mos Def's earlier appearances on wax, and even though his flow is basic and his lyrics are a little corny, he brings a kind of youthful energy that is sorely needed on Stakes Is High. Pos and Dave do their usual friendly battle of technique vs. style, mostly just bragging about how dope they are in relation to the rest of the rap world over Skeff Anselm's funky head-nodder of a beat.

11. A Tribe Called Quest f/ Leaders of the New School & Kid Hood "Scenario (Remix)" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Low End Theory
Label: Jive/RCA

It's called a remix, but we all know that it's technically a whole new song. There are several versions of "Scenario," in addition to the LP version and this remix, that were recorded with a rotating guest list; a few rough drafts were leaked on the Internet last year. None of those alternates can even remotely compare to the "7 MCs Remix." Guest rapper Hood, who was murdered only days after recording his verse, steals the show with a rugged nonstop flow, but Phife and Dinco D also rip the track to pieces. Oh, and the track-it's like something off of Long Live the Kane on steroids.

10. A Tribe Called Quest "Electric Relaxation" (1993)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: Midnight Marauders
Label: Jive/RCA

"Bonita Applebum" is Tribe's classic romantic record; "Electric Relaxation" is a little nastier, but just classy enough to throw on a Valentine Day's playlist. Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew" gets transformed into the backdrop that inspires Phife to utter some of his most famous lines, including "I like 'em brown, yellow, Puerto Rican, and Haitian" and the punny "Bust off on your couch now you got Seaman's furniture."

Q-Tip opts for the smooth and debonair role, forthright but respectful. This will be a fixture at "grown and sexy" parties for some time to come, but unlike most of the other selections, this one isn't too slick or over the top.

9. De La Soul "Breakadawn" (1993)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: Buhloone Mindstate
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

"Breakadawn" is one of De La Soul's most beautiful, elaborate songs; one gets the feeling that they were listening to a lot of Pete Rock & CL Smooth while recording Buhloone Mind State. The pairing of the Michael Jackson and Smokey Robinson samples is so classy and ingenious that it seems almost obvious from the perspective afforded by hindsight. After the group put their D.A.I.S.Y. image to rest with De La Soul Is Dead, nobody knew what to expect from their third album.

When it hit the airwaves, it was clear that the trio was intent on developing their sound without conceding to any prevailing trends. "Breakadawn" was a gem amidst a sea of Onyx impersonators with shouted choruses and nondescript attempts at "grimy" rapping, and it remains a fan favorite to this very day. Pos and Dave ride the beat like consummate professionals with flows so good you won't even notice that you barely have any idea what they're talking about.

8. A Tribe Called Quest "Bonita Applebum" (1990)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Label: Jive Records

"Bonita Applebum" is one of Tribe's most daring and recognizable songs. It is something of an oddity in that it is a song devoted primarily to the vulnerability and idealism that runs rampant in young love (or inspired lust, really), but the drums are some of the hardest ever recorded. Where nearly every other rapper before him might have attacked the track with a macho Big Daddy Kane style, Q-Tip speaks calmly and freely, sounding just awkward enough to project a tinge of adolescent insecurity, but just smooth enough to seal the deal.

7. Jungle Brothers f/ Q-Tip "The Promo" (1988)

Producer: Jungle Brothers
Album: Straight Out The Jungle
Label: Idlers/Warlock Records

"The Promo" and "In Time" were not enough for hardcore Jungle Brothers fans in search of more B-side wizardry. "The Promo Part 2" is more of the same goodness and something every Native Tongues fan needs to hear. Over a break later reused by Pete Rock for Heavy D. and by Sir Jinx for Ice Cube, Q-Tip, Mike G. and Baby Bam rap about progress-aesthetic, social, political, and otherwise. From fades to braids, onward we go.

6. A Tribe Called Quest "Jazz (We've Got)" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Low End Theory
Label: Jive/RCA

It's a shame that Tribe are pigeonholed as forerunners of "jazz rap," because their influences and sample sources run the gamut of genres. However, it cannot be denied that they consciously cultivated the notion that their complex, melodic, bassy take on hip-hop was a direct descendant of jazz, broadly defined.

Rumor has it that Pete Rock found the horn sample from Lucky Thompson's "Green Dolphin Street" and Q-Tip ran with the idea. Whatever the case, this is a beautiful, somber song, the kind you cannot picture anyone else other than Q-Tip and Phife flowing over. Songs like this more or less relegated staccato rap to the "old school" and inspired a new generation of producers to sharpen their skills and think bigger.

5. De La Soul "Plug Tunin' (12" Version)" (1989)

Producer: De La Soul & Prince Paul
Album: 3 Feet High and Rising
Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.

On first listen "Plug Tunin'" probably sounds muted, even placid, but in actuality it is a massive, genre-changing record. Pos and Dave debut their "Plug style of speak," a form of rapping that sounds easygoing and almost talky, but is also filled with dense metaphors and odd word choices. As a song on a demo tape, "Plug Tunin'" caught the attention of DJ and fellow North Amityville, Long Island, resident Prince Paul, convincing him that De La Soul were not the average local rap crew. As a 12" single, it ushered in the "D.A.I.S.Y. Age" and foretold the death of Kangol-and-Pumas superficial shout-rap.

4. A Tribe Called Quest "Check the Rhime" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Low End Theory
Label: Jive/RCA

"Check the Rhime" converted all and any doubters who expected Tribe to fall off after their first album. Part back-and-forth rhyme cipher and part celebration of their lower-middle-class Queens roots, "Check the Rhime" boasts a great sample from Average White Band's "Love Your Life" and one of Phife's most inspired verses. Q-Tip's verse is purposely understated but effective, and it contains a nice little jab at MC Hammer.

3. Black Sheep "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" (1991)

Producer: Black Sheep
Album: A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Label: Mercury/Polygram

"The Choice Is Yours" is Black Sheep's "Me Myself and I." They will forever be known as the group that made the "this-or-that engine-engine-number-nine song." Fortunately, such pigeonholing comes with royalty checks for television advertisements and new opportunities to tour and release music. Plus the song is a classic banger, and thus can never really get played out, and that's the main take-home message of the song anyhow. Play this and rap along enthusiastically.

2. De La Soul f/ Queen Latifah, Monie Love, The Jungle Brothers & A Tribe Called Quest "Buddy (Native Tongues Decision) " (1989)

Producer: Native Tongues
Album: 3 Feet High and Rising
Label: Tommy BoyWarner Bros.

The album version of "Buddy" is a great song in and of itself, but the "Heartbeat"-sampling remix is the definitive Native Tongues posse cut. It's a song that is essentially about chasing tail in nightclubs, but the real draw is to hear the entire Native Tongue crew rapping together and having the time of their lives.

1. A Tribe Called Quest f/ Leaders of the New School "Scenario" (1991)

Producer: A Tribe Called Quest
Album: The Low End Theory
Label: Jive/RCA

Face it, you know every word to this song and can recite it in a coma backwards. You've played it a million times in your lifetime. Whenever you purchase a new iPod, you make sure to sync at least one playlist that features it. You've debated with your friends over whether Phife, Dinco, or Busta had the best verse. When this song comes on at a bar or a house party you forget that you're an adult and turn right back into an adolescent rap nerd. You have pretended at some point that you could die happily never hearing "Scenario" again, but here you are again, rapping along to it while you read this blurb. "Oblighetto" plus Jimi Hendrix drums equals win.