A Tribe Called Quest

When one of the greatest and most-influential hip-hop groups disbanded and record execs were trying to squeeze a little more juice out of A Tribe Called Quest, this is the compilation that should have been dropped rather than the unimaginative and useless The Anthology. Rather than giving us cuts from Tribe’s flawless catalogue that all fans own and love, Hits, Rarities & Remixes serves up just what it claims and is actually a necessary addition for admirers who didn’t exactly fancy buying the Men In Black soundtrack in order to snag "Same Ol’ Thing.” The largest appeal with this gathering are the rare cuts, especially the lost "Mr. Incognito,” which was virtually impossible to get your hands on until now; with its heavy snare breakbeat it’s no wonder people were looking so hard. The remixes are tight and the soundtrack cuts are finally pieced together for easy access — add the masterpieces like "Jazz (We’ve Got)” and "Electric Relaxation” that have been rocking walkmans of hip-hop purists for the past 13 years and you finally have a worthy tribute for these living legends.