PEOPLES INSTINCTIVE TRAVELS and the PATHS OF RHYTHM
With its superb debut album, A Tribe Called Quest established itself as leaders of alternative rap — a term also applied to De La Soul, Digable Planets and The Pharcyde.

Though De La had a strong influence on Quest, the experimental New York group projected a highly appealing personality of its own. Quirky, abstract and cerebral, the album lacks the immediacy of more hardcore rap and wasn't as big a seller as many of the gangster rap CDs released in 1990. In fact, much of its support came from alternative rock aficionados, who were drawn to its complexity.

Jazz is a strong influenced here, and like many jazz recordings, this is an album that necessitates several listenings in order to be fully appreciated and absorbed. — Alex Henderson for allmusic.com