Perfection Goes Fourth

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
Midnight Marauders (November 9, 1993)
1. Steve Biko (Stir It Up)
2. Award Tour (Chorus By Trugoy the Dove a.k.a. Dave of De La Soul)
3. •8 Million Stories (Problems)
4. Sucka Nigga
5. Midnight (The Night Is On My Mind)
6. We Can Get Down
7. Electric Relaxation
8. Clap Your Hands
9. Oh My God
10.†Keep It Rollin' (Featuring Large Professor)
11. The Chase, Part 2
12. Lyrics to Go
13. God Lives Through
14. Money Maker
15. Hot Sex
16. Oh My God (Remix)
17. Jazz (We've Got)
18. One Two Shit (Featuring Busta Rhymes)
19. Scenario (Remix) (Featuring Leaders of the New School)
Produced by A Tribe Called Quest (essentially Q-Tip), except:
•Produced by Skeff Anselm
†Produced by Large Professor

In 1993, street-oriented hip-hop was hitting the mainstream, and although A Tribe Called Quest already had established their own formula for success, they decided to roll with it. While the jazz samples prominent on People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and The Low End Theory are still there, the drums hit much harder, helping to give the beats more of an edge. The album has a narrator who appears throughout*, suggesting Tip, Phife, and Muhammad were quite aware they were releasing one of hip-hop's definitive albums. The pictures of many hip-hop legends on the cover of Midnight Marauders are consistent with this assumption. The artists pictured, according to Wikipedia, include:

• Afrika Bambaataa
• AMG
• Ant Banks
• Awesome Two
• Beastie Boys (Mike D, Adrock, MCA)
• Black Moon
• Busta Rhymes
• Casual
• Chi Ali
• Chuck D
• Cold Crush Brothers (Almighty KG, Charlie Chase, Easy AD, Grandmaster Caz, DJ Tony Tone)
• Daddy-O (of Stetsasonic)
• Dallas Austin
• De La Soul (Posdnuos, Dave & Mase)
• Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
• Diamond D
• Doug E. Fresh
• DJ Jazzy Joyce
• Kool DJ Red Alert
• DJ Ron G
• DJ Silver D
• Dr. Dre
• Grandmaster Flash
• Heavy D
• Ice-T
• Jazzy Jay
• Jungle Brothers (Afrika Baby Bam, Mike G)
• DJ Kid Capri
• Kool Moe Dee
• Large Professor
• Lords of the Underground
• MC Lyte
• MC Serch
• Neek The Exotic
• Organized Konfusion
• The Pharcyde (Fat Lip, Imani, Romye, Slim Kid Tre')
• Prime Minister Pete Nice
• Rashad Smith
• Rock Steady Crew (Crazy Legs, Mr. Wiggles, Pee Wee Dance, Ruel)
• Sean Combs
• Skeff Anselm
• Souls of Mischief
• Special Ed
• Sweet Tee
• Too Short
• Whodini (Grandmaster Dee)
• Zulu Nation Supreme Council (Zulu King Muhammad, Unknown)

Basically, if somebody asked me what hip-hop was (I'm a hands-on guy), Midnight Marauders might be the first album I played for that person. It's about as perfect as an album can be.

*The version I have linked is a re-release that includes six additional tracks recorded between 1991 and 1993, but (for the most part) sacrifices the narration.