We’re off to a cracking start here. This is exactly how a modern Tribe Called Quest song is supposed to sound – Phife and Tip play off each other’s vocals over a rolling track which is equal parts energetic and melodic and recalls the better moments of Beats, Rhymes, and Life.

Warning: Q-Tip sings poorly here. At least it’s in the name of social commentary rather than a sappy lurve song, but still. This is best described as one part late-career Beastie Boys, one part Kamaal The Abstract and one part Disposable Heroes of Hip-Hop.

This beat is great. It resembles a chopped-up version of Kurious’ ‘Mansion and A Yacht’ with some dub sounds blended in. More of this, please.

Here we find Eminem’s bestie Elton John singing the hook to the tune of ‘Benny and The Jets’ and processed to sound like it’s being cut-up. Then everyone starts double-time rapping and it goes to shit.

Joel McHale from the now-cancelled E! Network slag-fest The Soup once quipped that the current Busta Rhymes looks like the guy who ate the old Busta Rhymes. Now, it seems, the rapper actually sounds like he ate Busta Rhymes. Other than that, this is good times and another enjoyable ATCQ jam.

Andre 3000 is never going to be honoured for his services to the CRC, but he gets the job done here well enough I guess.

Some of that Renaissance-era Q-Tip smoove shit, over an absolutely cracking track which is either a fantastic loop or Jack White working some magic in between punching the guys with glasses from the Black Keys.

The ‘punk-smoove shit’ jawn which reminds me that the ‘Bonita Applebum’ remix truly was lightning in a bottle.

Cons and Busta team up for a mildly entertaining song which struggles to justify its place on a Tribe Called Quest album.

The token Phife Dog raggamuffin style track which I’ve forgotten about before it’s even finished, but I can’t fault its inclusion, given the circumstances.

Talib appears to kill everybody’s buzz as usual, as do the droning strings.

A dedication to fallen comrade Phife. I don’t really dig the beat and hook but it seems like bad taste to complain given the subject matter.

Coincidentally, my enjoyment of this album is on the same trajectory as the title of this song.

The inevitable Kendrick Lamar cameo quickly dissolves into an awful ‘progressive’ musical journey. Sure to be the pick-hit of rap scenesters everywhere.

This starts off sounding like something rescued from RZA’s old beat tapes and has me imagining that we’re going to get some incredible ‘Scenario’ remix type of hardcore rap moment. Alas, that doesn’t happen as Tip seems reluctant to embrace that Low End Theory minimalism whole-heartedly at this point. Still a good track though.

Not sure what’s going on here but I’ve well and truly lost interest at this point. Wasn’t Kanye meant to be on this somewhere?

The first half of this album sounds far stronger than perhaps even the most dedicated Tribe fans might have imagined. At some points it feels like the crew are breaking new ground on their own terms, making some salient points while still enjoying the ride, without neglecting to cater to the nostalgia factor. Unfortunately, after ‘Melatonin’ the pressure to be ‘progressive’ and be viewed as ‘Grown-Ass Hip-Hop’ rather than just great rap songs bogs down proceedings to the point where it begins to resemble a tribute mixtape rather than a proper Tribe Called Quest LP, as it proceeds to get lost up its own ass. But given the failing health of Phife and the fact that these guys haven’t shared a studio in some 18 years, the quality of the stuff that does work is nothing short of remarkable. If nothing else, I’m happy to throw ‘The Space Program’ on repeat for the next hour.