The Low End Theory
by A Tribe Called Quest
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A Tribe Called Quest bestography
The Low End Theory is ranked as the best album by A Tribe Called Quest.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
Listen to The Low End Theory on YouTube
The Low End Theory track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 85 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
The Low End Theory rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 3 hours ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |  ExTeaSea | Top 72 Music Albums of 1991 | 35/72 | 3 |
| 2026 | araidernomore | Top 67 Music Albums of the 1990s | 40/67 | 8 |
| 2026 | adbrack1988 | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | 82/100 | 4 |
| 2026 |  Norman Bates | Top 100 Music Albums of 1991 | 8/100 | 5 |
| 2026 |  ffudnebbuh | Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | 62/100 | 39 |
| 2026 | Drbassexpert24 | Top 91 Music Albums of the 1990s | 64/91 | 6 |
| 2026 | sunnydhamm | Top 15 Music Albums of 1991 | 4/15 | 4 |
| 2026 | bonnequestion | Best albums from '85 to '94 | 17/100 | - |
| 2026 |  PanheadWarrior | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | 99/100 | 0 |
| 2026 |  LebowskiRams | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | 5/100 | 19 |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 1,017 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 9,643 | |||
The Low End Theory collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 409 members
The Low End Theory ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this album. | Show all 1,149 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 5 days ago |  joyofdivision | 242 | 94/100 |
| ! | 5 days ago | Siromynian | 1,773 | 74/100 |
| ! | 09/16/2026 18:17 |  imimesis | 2,126 | 81/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 84.6/100, a mean average of 82.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.4.
The Low End Theory favourites
Showing latest 10 members who have added this album as a favourite | Show all 251 members
The Low End Theory forum mentions
pedro1976 3 days ago in What album are you listening to? (cont.)
BestEverAlbums 09/30/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5451): By ffudnebbuh BestEverAlbums 09/23/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5444): By RomanelliThe Low End Theory comments
Top Comments First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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40footwolf 01/11/2010 04:49 | #8301 | TOP COMMENT
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Very possibly, no hyperbole, the best hip-hop/rap album ever. It just taps into the soul in a way I haven't experienced with other music from the genre. Incredible. (Edited)
This album came out at a time when glocks and dope were the topic of choice for MC's. These guys went on to inspire groups like The Roots, Talib Kweli, De La Soul (great in their own regard) and Kanye West. Nobody was doing it like these guys in 91.
joedec 01/13/2013 06:39 | #61302 | TOP COMMENT
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In my opinion, The Low End Theory is the best hop album ever made. It's a perfect merger of hip hop and jazz, and thought-provoking lyrics. Lyrically, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg are at their best. Standouts include "Check The Rhyme", "Jazz", & "Scenario".
Mr. Shankly TOP 100 COMMENTER 07/02/2009 05:02 | #5032 | TOP COMMENT
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This has to be one of the best hip hop albums ever.
The album that got me into Hip-Hop. The jazzy flow is supreme, with Ron Carters bass on Verses From The Abstract, being the highlight. 25 years old, and still one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.
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