A Tribe Called Quest Beats Rhymes & Life

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..."
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..."
"...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
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..."
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..."
"...Providing both their best and worst thus far, BEATS is magnetic yet frustrating..."
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..."