Spin (12/93, p.119) - Highly Recommended - "...the way Q-Tip and Phife trade solos evokes the spontaneity of an improv jam session, but the smoke in the room is cheeba, not tobacco..." Entertainment Weekly (11/12/93, p.65) - "...[A Tribe Called Quest's MIDNIGHT MARAUDER] sounds as fresh as their first...rappers Phife and Q-Tip manage to hold attention without resorting to gun references or expletives..." - Rating: A Q (12/93, p.125) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...another phat and funky platter simply oozing positive vibes and street-sussed style..." Vibe (11/93, p.103) - "...on MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS [Tribe Called Quest] counter with beats that are less jazzy and more jeep-centric...a rap classic..." The Source (12/93, p.88) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...With their third album, MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS, Quest do what they've always done - ignore all of the current trends in hip-hop and deliver a solid collectable..." Melody Maker (11/27/93, p.41) - "...A Tribe Called Quest have expanded their vision with a lyrical gravitas and a musical lightness of touch that has hitherto eluded them across a whole album...." Musician (1/94, p.92) - "...MARAUDER's varied, sophisticated themes hold your attention even as the grooves lull you into head-nodding..." Village Voice (3/1/94, p.5) - Ranked #21 in the Village Voice's 1993 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. NME (Magazine) (11/27/93, p.32) - (7) - Very Good - "...MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS is [Tribe Called Quest's] most complete work to date..."

Rovi

Though the abstract rappers finally betrayed a few commercial ambitions for Midnight Marauders, the happy result was a smart, hooky record that may not have furthered the jazz-rap fusions of The Low End Theory, but did merge Tribe-style intelligence and reflection with some of the most inviting grooves heard on any early-'90s rap record. The productions, more funky than jazzy, were tighter overall -- but the big improvement, four years after their debut, came with Q-Tip's and Phife Dawg's raps. Focused yet funky, polished but raw, the duo was practically telepathic on "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" and "The Chase, Pt. 2," though the mammoth track here was the pop hit "Award Tour." A worldwide call-out record with a killer riff and a great pair of individual raps from the pair, it assured that Midnight Marauders would become A Tribe Called Quest's biggest seller. The album didn't feature as many topical tracks as Tribe was known for, though the group did include an excellent, sympathetic commentary on the question of that word ("Sucka Nigga," with a key phrase: "being as we use it as a term of endearment"). Most of the time, A Tribe Called Quest was indulging in impeccably produced, next-generation games of the dozens ("We Can Get Down," "Oh My God," "Lyrics to Go"), but also took the time to illustrate sensitivity and spirituality ("God Lives Through"). A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders was commercially successful, artistically adept, and lyrically inventive; the album cemented their status as alternative rap's prime sound merchants, authors of the most original style since the Bomb Squad first exploded on wax. ~ John Bush

Rovi