20 Years Later, Listen to A Tribe Called Quest’s “Midnight Marauders” (Stream) Posted by Nathan S. on 11/11/13 | Filed under Streams, A Tribe Called Quest

I'm sure there's the new best song ever that came out today and Miley Cyrus did something and etc., but to be honest, I just don't really give a fuck. I think today will just be all about listening to amazing music. So I couldn't throw up a stream of Wu-Tang's "36 Chambers" without also acknowledging another classic album that, through a twist of hip-hop fate, also dropped 20 years ago this weekend: A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders". 

While "36 Chambers" defined the gritty sound that would inform a lot of east coast hip-hop throughout the '90s (and beyond), "Midnight Marauders" become, along with others like De La Soul, a foundation of the more relaxed and ecclectic scene that ran paralell to Wu-Tang in the '90s. Or to put it way less seriously, I could listen to "Electric Relaxation" and "Award Tour" until the day I died and die happy. Word to Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

And as I mention on the Wu-Tang post, I'm doing this post for the old hip-hop heads who've already memorized this album, and those who've never heard it. Everyone's welcome, there will be no "you haven't heard this???" berating here. 

In that spirit, I'll openly admit that I usually turn to "Low End Theory" over "Midnight Marauders", if only because "Low End Theory" was the first time I ever heard Tribe, how I fell in love with them, and you always return to your first love. I can't say I have all of "Midnight" memorized, so this will be a dope chance for me to re-appreciate this album too. 

Enjoy....

1. "Midnight Marauders Tour Guide"  
2. "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" 
3. "Award Tour" (featuring Trugoy the Dove) 
4. "8 Million Stories"  
5. "Sucka Nigga"  
6. "Midnight" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)   
7. "We Can Get Down"   
8. "Electric Relaxation"    
9. "Clap Your Hands"
10. "Oh My God" (featuring Busta Rhymes)
11. "Keep It Rollin'" (featuring Large Professor) 
12. "The Chase, Part II"  
13. "Lyrics to Go"  
14. "God Lives Through"