Jazz (We've Got)

"Jazz (We've Got)"
Single by A Tribe Called Quest
from the album The Low End Theory
B-side"Buggin' Out"
ReleasedNovember 27, 1991
Recorded1991
GenreJazz rap
Length4:09
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest singles chronology
"Check the Rhime"
(1991) 		"Jazz (We've Got)"
(1991) 		"Scenario"
(1992)
Music video
"Jazz (We've Got) Buggin' Out" on YouTube

"Jazz (We've Got)" is the second single from A Tribe Called Quest's second album The Low End Theory. The original material sampled in the song was provided by Pete Rock, and was then recreated in a similar way by Q-Tip.[1][2] Although Pete Rock is not officially credited, Q-Tip credits him in the outro of the track, rapping "Pete Rock for the beat, ya don't stop."[3]

Rolling Stone lists "Jazz (We've Got)" on their list of 20 essential songs from the group.[4] On their list of 10 lyrics that prove Phife Dawg's talent, Pitchfork included a rhyme from "Jazz (We've Got)": "Make sure you have a system with some phat house speakers / So the new shit can rock, from Bronx to Massapequa."[5] The article notes that, "these kinds of stunt rhymes may not have been the most common component of Phife's lyrical arsenal, but they were usually the most 'oh shit' moments in any given verse, since they sounded so unexpected without really feeling forced."[5]

Music video

In the music video, directed by Jim Swaffield, the group travels around New York City while rapping about the beauty of jazz. Q-Tip starts off the first verse followed by Phife Dawg, who rhymes after the second chorus. After Q-Tip's second verse, he pauses and says, "now check it out", at which point the music stops and Ali asks, "Check what out?". Phife answers, "Check this out", and the video shifts into color for "Buggin' Out" with Phife beginning to rap his verse. This was the first time a track cut into its B-side within a single music video. During the "Buggin' Out" sequence, the two rappers are seen wearing eye caps that make their eyeballs appear to be very large. Half way through the song, the music stops, and the video once again cuts back to black and white, with Q-Tip finishing his rhyme from "Buggin' Out" a cappella.

Remix

A remix (called a "Re-Recording") was done for "Jazz (We've Got)" and was featured on The Love Movement and Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller. "Your mic & my mic, come on, yo, no equal”, a Q-Tip line on "Jazz (We've Got) (Re-Recording)" can be heard in the chorus on "No Equal" by The Beatnuts from their 1993 EP Intoxicated Demons: The EP.

Samples

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1992) Peak
position
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[6] 19

References

  1. ^ Wax Poetic interview - Pete Rock - tribe.net Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Exclusive: Q-Tip Interview. MOOVMNT.com. Retrieved on 2016-12-16.
  3. ^ "Wax Poetic interview - Pete Rock - tribe.net". Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  4. ^ Harris, Christopher R. Weingarten,Jon Dolan,Mosi Reeves,Jason Newman,Keith; Weingarten, Christopher R.; Dolan, Jon; Reeves, Mosi; Newman, Jason; Harris, Keith (2016-03-23). "A Tribe Called Quest: 20 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-10-08.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b "A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg: 10 Lyrics That Prove His Prowess". Pitchfork. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  6. ^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2022.