What do you think?
Rate this book
33⅓ Main Series #47
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
One of the finest hip-hop albums ever made, A Tribe Called Quest's debut record (featuring stone-cold classics like "Can I Kick It?" and "Bonita Applebum") took the idea of the boasting hip-hop male and turned it on its head. For many listeners, when this non-traditional, surprisingly feminine album was released, it was like hearing an entirely new form of music.
In this book, Shawn Taylor explores the creation of the album as well as the impact it had on him at the time - a 17-year-old high-school geek who was equally into hip-hop, punk, new wave, skateboarding, and Dungeons & all of a sudden, with this one album, the world made more sense. He has spent many years investigating this album, from the packaging to the song placement to each and every sample - Shawn Taylor knows this record like he knows his tattoos, and he's finally been able to write a fascinating and highly entertaining book about it.
In this book, Shawn Taylor explores the creation of the album as well as the impact it had on him at the time - a 17-year-old high-school geek who was equally into hip-hop, punk, new wave, skateboarding, and Dungeons & all of a sudden, with this one album, the world made more sense. He has spent many years investigating this album, from the packaging to the song placement to each and every sample - Shawn Taylor knows this record like he knows his tattoos, and he's finally been able to write a fascinating and highly entertaining book about it.
128 pages, Paperback
First published April 20, 2007
7 people are currently reading
409 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 30, 2021
I loved this edition of the 33 1/3 series. I love hearing people talk about albums that they love and doubly loved reading about Shawn’s Tribe love and appreciation for hip hop.
Shawn Taylor gave me everything I needed in a musical read today. He gave me place & time, he gave me emotional recollection of his life and how this album influenced him and other young black men at the time. Men and boys who didn’t fit into the boxes that society had outlined for them. The heads who stood a little bit outside the realms of money, hoes and clothes that has always been the macho default line in hip hop.
He gave me a history lesson on hip hop and the culture at the time, a little bit of connected stories on other artists in the Native Tongues movement. He took me on a mental journey with him as he put ATCQ’s PIT&TPR through his triple trial listens in the past and his updated/current viewpoints on the record.
He gave me 20 questions at the end with the record’s sound engineer/producer, and an un-intrusive look into the group. He gave me reflections on the album in various settings from house parties to road trips and college radio.. to a chill morning ride on the BART vibing.. to the street corner with him and some kids who were hearing tribe for the first or maybe second time in their lives.
He literally took me on an instinctive travel through city life and growing up in situations that we are all too familiar with, with a record that has been in the background for so much of my life. This was for the hip hop heads but it wasn’t trying to stunt or chalk me full of information. With this edition, it felt like Shawn Taylor as trying to share something special with me. It felt like he was trying to translate a particular experience and I feel like he succeeded.
Shawn Taylor gave me everything I needed in a musical read today. He gave me place & time, he gave me emotional recollection of his life and how this album influenced him and other young black men at the time. Men and boys who didn’t fit into the boxes that society had outlined for them. The heads who stood a little bit outside the realms of money, hoes and clothes that has always been the macho default line in hip hop.
He gave me a history lesson on hip hop and the culture at the time, a little bit of connected stories on other artists in the Native Tongues movement. He took me on a mental journey with him as he put ATCQ’s PIT&TPR through his triple trial listens in the past and his updated/current viewpoints on the record.
He gave me 20 questions at the end with the record’s sound engineer/producer, and an un-intrusive look into the group. He gave me reflections on the album in various settings from house parties to road trips and college radio.. to a chill morning ride on the BART vibing.. to the street corner with him and some kids who were hearing tribe for the first or maybe second time in their lives.
He literally took me on an instinctive travel through city life and growing up in situations that we are all too familiar with, with a record that has been in the background for so much of my life. This was for the hip hop heads but it wasn’t trying to stunt or chalk me full of information. With this edition, it felt like Shawn Taylor as trying to share something special with me. It felt like he was trying to translate a particular experience and I feel like he succeeded.
December 3, 2021
Æ bynne å bli ganske så veldig glad i den serien her, selv om det e veldig hit or miss med hvert album va den her bare jævli dritbra!!
Har ikke særlig forhold til albumet fra før av, men no har æ blitt glad i skiva bare på grunn av premissan for og omstendighetan rundt Quest hele åtte år før æ droppa! Kosa mæ veldig med forfattern sin personlige gjennomgang av forholdet sitt til skiva oppgjennom åran:)
Har ikke særlig forhold til albumet fra før av, men no har æ blitt glad i skiva bare på grunn av premissan for og omstendighetan rundt Quest hele åtte år før æ droppa! Kosa mæ veldig med forfattern sin personlige gjennomgang av forholdet sitt til skiva oppgjennom åran:)
May 3, 2025
It's the mark of a great group of artists such as A Tribe Called Quest that they are able to inspire passionate work from eloquent writers. Hanif Abdurraqib's Go Ahead In The Rain, Harry Allen's copious liner notes to the 25th Anniversary re-issue of "People's Instinctive Travels", and this slim volume make for some very good reading. As for whatever apologies Shawn Taylor makes for the quality of writing from his 17 year old self, he really shouldn't: that kid had it going on.
February 17, 2012
I liked the idea of this book, but the execution was off. Taylor is very self-involved, which is fine in this case because he is able to astutely write about how he feels and how things affect him. So, we get a lot of insight into Taylor, but not much into A Tribe Called Quest. Also, there is an interview at the end of the book with the engineer of the album that is particularly useless. Overall, some interesting observations that would probably be better used in a fiction book.
September 22, 2015
One of my personal favorites of the 331/3 series really only because Shawn Taylor shows us the world the ATCQ posits. I also like the brief moment that he writes on the context with which ATCQ's music exists within the constantly changing world of Hip hop. For some of my age Tribe seems to blossom seemingly out of nowhere in the nineties along with the Native Tongues Posse but Taylor shows that hip hop's afrocentric idea has been coming in and out of focus for some time before tribe started.
July 19, 2007
I think this guy must have coined the term "wino frogger," which is what he used to have to play every day on his way home from school. I am really enjoying this -- other ones from the series have been a little "behind the music" but this one's different.
October 9, 2009
This is probably one of the better books in the series, at least in the last few that I've read. It's got personality, especially in the beginning, and the use of listening trials is something real music geeks do, and if they don't, they now have a new way spend their listening time.
July 4, 2020
Like other books in this series, the author (Shawn Taylor) effectively employs their own unique approach to tackling the respective album. For this installment, Taylor taps into and leverages his own experience with the album to mostly solid results.
The contrast between how the author’s younger and current self experiences the album is a highlight of the book, and the “trials” (i.e. the system through which Taylor evaluates albums, including ATCQ’s debut album) is both easily understood yet uniquely his own. While the notion of “trials” isn’t at all novel, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into the specifics of how another individual lives (and revisits!) an album. Further, I am thankful that Taylor used the opportunity to share how his own lived experiences (as a native of NYC, an emergent adult and person of color in the late 80’s/early 90’s) shaped his relationship with the album, music writ large, other individuals, and society.
Aside from an out-of-place interview with Bob Power that feels both tacked on and misaligned with the intimate flavor of the book, this book does an excellent job of positioning one Tribe fan’s perspective squarely into your palms. While this book will not satiate the needs of ATCQ fan on the search for a more fly on the wall perspective of the making of this classic, it fills a niche for Tribe fans who will enjoy hearing about another individual’s journey through and with the album.
The contrast between how the author’s younger and current self experiences the album is a highlight of the book, and the “trials” (i.e. the system through which Taylor evaluates albums, including ATCQ’s debut album) is both easily understood yet uniquely his own. While the notion of “trials” isn’t at all novel, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into the specifics of how another individual lives (and revisits!) an album. Further, I am thankful that Taylor used the opportunity to share how his own lived experiences (as a native of NYC, an emergent adult and person of color in the late 80’s/early 90’s) shaped his relationship with the album, music writ large, other individuals, and society.
Aside from an out-of-place interview with Bob Power that feels both tacked on and misaligned with the intimate flavor of the book, this book does an excellent job of positioning one Tribe fan’s perspective squarely into your palms. While this book will not satiate the needs of ATCQ fan on the search for a more fly on the wall perspective of the making of this classic, it fills a niche for Tribe fans who will enjoy hearing about another individual’s journey through and with the album.
February 6, 2018
Having read a few of the very divergent reviews on Goodreads before diving in to the text, I was a bit nervous, people seemed to love or disrespect the book.
I can cosign the criticisms of the book as not really similar to others in the 33 1/3 series, with the deep dive into the production, origins and process of the album featured. This volume is much more a memoir of the the author's experiential context of the album in his life and a distinct historical period.
Lucky for the reader, Shawn Taylor, identifies an interesting angle for examining the album, juxtaposing his youthful documented sentiments of the album when it came out, against his fresh ears reflections 17 years later as an adult. Utilizing the same "trials" methodology for both, the reader is treated to reflections on, not just the album, but how it plays for a listener over time.
I generally had similar feelings as the author when it came out. Given our mirrored demographic/age, I felt very much at home with the author's insights and impressed with his reflections of it as a mid-life adult.
This book is geared towards a self-selecting audience, and given the reader is interested in more than just the practical/logistical aspects of the album this volume stands up in an albeit different way to it's other "33 1/3 series" volume peers.
I can cosign the criticisms of the book as not really similar to others in the 33 1/3 series, with the deep dive into the production, origins and process of the album featured. This volume is much more a memoir of the the author's experiential context of the album in his life and a distinct historical period.
Lucky for the reader, Shawn Taylor, identifies an interesting angle for examining the album, juxtaposing his youthful documented sentiments of the album when it came out, against his fresh ears reflections 17 years later as an adult. Utilizing the same "trials" methodology for both, the reader is treated to reflections on, not just the album, but how it plays for a listener over time.
I generally had similar feelings as the author when it came out. Given our mirrored demographic/age, I felt very much at home with the author's insights and impressed with his reflections of it as a mid-life adult.
This book is geared towards a self-selecting audience, and given the reader is interested in more than just the practical/logistical aspects of the album this volume stands up in an albeit different way to it's other "33 1/3 series" volume peers.
March 31, 2022
If this was a series of blog posts where the author related his personal experience with this album and his growth into the early 2000s as a music critic and community activist, it would have been really good. As a 33 1/3 book about the album, less so.
As a person from the Bay Area, the anecdote where he happens upon a Cipher of rapping kids with a boombox at Powell Station and hips them to the album seemed a bit contrived, but also an authentic reflection of an East Coast Head trying to come to terms with these West Coast Kids.
Bob Power interview was great. Wish there had been more of that actual content and less of the author's memoir.
As a person from the Bay Area, the anecdote where he happens upon a Cipher of rapping kids with a boombox at Powell Station and hips them to the album seemed a bit contrived, but also an authentic reflection of an East Coast Head trying to come to terms with these West Coast Kids.
Bob Power interview was great. Wish there had been more of that actual content and less of the author's memoir.
February 22, 2023
Not one of my favorite 33 1/3 books. The writing is unpolished and scattered but there are some interesting things in it: the energy level and spirit of the author is high, the framework of listening to this album in three different "Trials" as a teenager and then repeating the experiment as an adult is a nice concept, and the interview with recording engineer Bob Power adds some context and perspective. I didn't learn a ton about the process of the album's creation or its effects on the culture at large, but I now know a lot more about Shawn Taylor and Shawn Taylor's opinions about all kinds of barely related topics.
September 6, 2017
Terrible. I look to this series for insight on how classic albums were made. Instead, Shawn Taylor spends nearly the entirety of the book reminiscing about the first time he heard it. He then attempts to contact the band (without success) and in the end manages to conduct an AIM "interview" with engineer Bob Power. For a sample-based, ground-breaking debut album there's very little useful information here. A true failure on Taylors part.
October 4, 2017
This is exactly what I wanted about this series. It is mostly a personal recounting of Shawn Taylor's personal experience of the album and does just a bit of subjective review of the album. It's the passion and the way he writes about this album that makes me really enjoy this book. This is so well done that I feel it has made a significant way to how I enjoy music with Taylor's perspective on music in general.
June 14, 2022
Overall I liked the book as an examination of PITatPoR but man this guy really treads the line. This is a good album but his analysis and critique of hip-hop culture at the time makes you think ATCQ is a Hopsin-type hip hop group. Imagine thinking in 2006 that criticizing STD victims is braver than criticizing the government?? I'm looking forward to reading more in the series
June 11, 2024
Gifted from my hip hop professors because of my interest into the native tongues. Read like a memoir analysis of the album, which I was hesitant of but really enjoyed. Despite pre-conceived expectations, this book did more that I thought it would have for me, like realizing how shallowly I have been listening to my music (when I thought I was digging deep)
October 16, 2019
Fun-sized read for any hip-hop history fan. This particular book from the series gives you insight on the cultural impact of ATCQ through the author's personal relationship with the album and how it's changed overtime.
August 16, 2019
The worst of the 33 1/3 series I’ve read. He made it more about himself than the actual album which was extremely disappointing.
May 20, 2020
A little self-praising, a little boring, wasn't what i thought it was going to be.
May 8, 2022
A nice yet kinda uninteresting, in parts, reflection on ATCQ’s first album. The story he tells at the end of the book about the boys he meets at the basketball court was great!
January 2, 2023
Cute insight into the world the author lived in when the album in question was released, but was particularly self absorbed and subjective. Interesting, but far from a deep dive into the album
August 12, 2013
Love the album, semi on the book. When author, Taylor talks about his personal history and how that informed how much the album appealed to him when he was introduced to it, he was on pretty strong ground. But his analysis of the music came off as mostly pretty amateur and facile even the second time around as an adult (he shares his journals from when he first played the album as a teenager in the book). I just watched the movie, Fruitvale Station this weekend so the part near the end of the book where he shares his love of the album with a group of young MC's ciphering in a BART station and tells the tale of their encounter with a transit cop was extra poignant.
July 21, 2008
Another of those addictive 33.3 books. What's really interesting is how the author makes it a point to compare and contrast how his opinions about the album have evolved alongside his own personal evolution. And, yes, it did make me go back and re-evaluate the album. Even the author concedes this is not Tribe's best album, but certainly one worth the time and consideration.
November 14, 2009
Interesting and fun to read in parts, made me listen to a few of the cuts again, but it was too much about one person's interpretation of the music, and really more about their EXPERIENCE rather than review. Maybe that's the point, I dunno....
January 16, 2011
Loved this. A nice balance of cultural history, hip-hop theory, and personal experiences. The chapter where he replicates his "third trial" as an adult is deeply moving, too. And, of course, it made me want to listen to the album again.
August 16, 2016
Amazing. Shawn Taylor gives this album justice. Not only do us readers get a track by track analysis but Taylor goes around New York asking for the opinion of other people on this genre defining album, thus giving the book a fun edge.
August 11, 2008
Amongst the better of the 33 1/3 books. It's pretty similar to Colin Meloy's take on Let It Be - full of personal history, but not annoyingly so.
September 11, 2019
Being a rap nerd has it's rewards and this book is one of the best.
July 7, 2014
More memoir than review, but enjoyable nonetheless. Made me appreciate how different ATCQ was from everyone else in hip hop--even the rest of the native Tongues family.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews