Beats, Rhymes And Life

Rolling Stone (8/8/96, p.58) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...near-flawless....few hip-hop acts have so sharply captured the surreal quality that defines what it means to be African-American, a quality in which poker-faced humor and giddy tragedy play tag team with reality..." Spin (9/96, pp.149-150) - 7 (out of 10) - "...Q-Tip still flows like Rakim's stuffy-nosed brother, slipping over the beat here, bumpin' against it there, and dispensing high-end rhymes like he's spinning them in his PJs over breakfast. Phife, with a few new ragga moves, sounds tougher and more playful than ever..." Entertainment Weekly (8/9/96, p.58) - "...already has heads buzzing about the return of playful yet potent hip-hop. This time, they tackle everything from O.J. to spirituality with trademark Tribe originality....Can they still kick it? Yes, they can." - Rating: A Q (10/96, p.172) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...as refreshingly straightforward as the title suggests....the meat as ever is Q-Tip's whimsical, bright and faintly squeaky stream of rapular consciousness..." The Source (9/96, p.145) - 4 Mics (out of 5) - "...Maturity and spirituality are the underlying, predominant themes bounced between Q-Tip and Phife on their fourth go-round....BEATS proves the Ummah to be the most proficient in the rap game at using samples as instruments in themselves..." Melody Maker (10/12/96, p.18) - "...Providing both their best and worst thus far, BEATS is magnetic yet frustrating..." NME (Magazine) (8/10/96, p.51) - 7 (out of 10) - "...a chameleonic beast--revealing hip-hop's hidden hypocrisy one minute, and knocking out friendly grooves for the discerning bongaholic the next....by turns oppressive, startling, hilarious and zonked-out..."