The Low End Theory

First off, let me preface my comments by saying that the following sentences might seem a bit offensive for they are as forthright and honest as possible. On numerous occasions, I have encountered with utterly negative and deprecatory statements about the genre of hip-hop. Or at least with a shrug accompanied by exalted, pompous grimaces. These reactions are not restricted only to people experiencing a midlife crisis, however. No, this phenomenon is not limited by age. The reserved attitude towards this musical form stems greatly from a mix of disinterest, contempt, and a fortiori sheer ignorance. This general conjecture is of course generally misguided. But what is more ironic and iconic at the same time - the general surmise that this sort of music is flat out bad is usually ventured by people that to some extent appreciate blues and jazz forms notwithstanding the fact that all these genres, hip-hop included, come from the same cultural centre and thus share stark similarities - the core of the music has remained pretty much the same.

A Tribe Called Quest - Excursions

The Low End Theory, a premier album of the 20th century, reflects on the indelible connection of the aforementioned genres with hip-hop. The initial song of the album called "Excursions" is one of the most elaborated and decorated tunes ever recorded. The staccato rhythm entrenched by Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the first-class neoplatonic poetry of Q-tip were altogether instrumental in intellectual flowering in the field of lyrics writing as well as musical composition at the peak of the 20th century. Another fascinating thing about this song is that it is played in 4/4 time that is typical for the repetitive twelve bar blues progression.  The most evident sample in the song is the bass part by Blakey's Jazz Messengers that is originally played in highly improvisational be-bop 7/8 time. Furthermore, this continual change, transition is amply noted by Q-tip himself as he starts off the song:

Back in the days when I was a teenager
Before I had status and before I had a pager
You could find the Abstract listening to hip hop
My pops used to say, it reminded him of Bebop
I said, well daddy don't you know that things go in cycles

So yeah, to conclude that the second and last revolutionary musical form since the 1920s is negligible is wrong, asinine, off the mark, positively stupid and absolutely blasphemous. Because Tribe is "prominent like Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe or Langston Hughes."