The Blue and White Music

1 Song, 100 Words: Excursions by A Tribe Called Quest

By Matthew Bu

The placement of the album title is quite questionable.
The placement of the group’s name is quite questionable.

“Back in the days when I was a teenager.” That lyric is the opening line to ‘Excursions’, the first track on the seminal A Tribe Called Quest album, ‘The Low End Theory’. This song is hip-hop in its raw form: the bustling bass line, the energetic drums, and one hell of a good MC. The production is like a locomotive, sweaty hip-hop brigade swiping their machetes through a grimy jungle. As Q-Tip says in the song, it gets me hooked like a crack head junkie. Lyrically, the Abstract touches on different topics, but ultimately it’s his buttery flow that captivates my ears. Even though the song is more than 20 years old, it still sounds fresh each listen.

Stream the song here:

Peep the lyrics here: http://rapgenius.com/A-tribe-called-quest-excursions-lyrics