Thirty years ago today (September 24), genre-bending hip-hop group, A Tribe Called Quest, released its groundbreaking record, The Low End Theory, which bridged jazz and hip-hop and changed the way many people felt about both genres.
The band, which featured frontmen emcees, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, formed the group in 1985. They released their debut LP, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, in 1990. But it was their second album that brought them fame.
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The Low End Theory, which features hits like “Jazz (We Got)” and “Scenario” is also credited with launching the mainstream career of major rapper, Busta Rhymes.
Listen to the entire record, which went onto influence artists like Dr. Dre and Kanye West, here:
Fans and media outlets took to Twitter to remember the album:
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 29: (L-R) Bruce Watson and Luis Maldonado of Foreigner perform onstage during The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis 39th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner on September 29, 2025 at the New York Hilton Midtown raised millions of dollars to support the pioneering work of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miamiโs Miller School of Medicine and the worldโs premier research center targeting spinal cord and brain injury and other neurological disorders and diseases. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis)







