Song · A Tribe Called Quest
“Check the Rhime” by A Tribe Called Quest
From the album The Low End Theory (1991)
“Check the Rhime” by A Tribe Called Quest appears on 5 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 2018 and 2023. It was first released in 1991 on the album The Low End Theory. Its best result is #225 on the KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,791 indie & aaa song of all time and #464 of the '90s.
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Video from YouTube (TribeCalledQuestVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Check the Rhime" led A Tribe Called Quest into The Low End Theory, landing on Jive in September 1991 as the lead-off single from album number two, and it's the sound of a group tightening every screw. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg trade verses with real swing, and a sample of Average White Band's "Love Your Life" rides underneath, which is why that band's members share the writing credit with Q-Tip, Phife and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. They cut it at Greene St. Recording in New York, with Bob Power recording and mixing alongside the group.
Rolling Stone later counted it among the group's 20 essential songs, crediting Phife with proving he could go toe to toe with Q-Tip. Jim Swaffield's video ends up on the roof of a dry cleaner in St. Albans, Queens, with the group rapping above a big crowd.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 625 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs | 892 |
| 2019 | 225 | KEXP | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time | 627 |
| 2021 | 746 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
| 2022 | 531 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s | 900 |
| 2023 | 396 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
Also listed as: Check the Rhyme; Check The Rhime.
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