Midnight Marauders is a great album, but it's a bit more of its time. The Low End Theory's production is sparser and more directly jazz influenced. It's an easier listen, the smoothest rap album ever to my ears. Q-Tip also completely dominates The Low End Theory, while he shares the spotlight with Phife more on Midnight Marauders. And Q-Tip clearly is the better rapper. But mostly it's moments like "Ron Carter is on the bass. Yes, my man Ron Carter is on the bass." The Low End Theory is endlessly listenable. When I first heard them, I remember thinking they were pretty even and maybe even siding with Midnight Marauders. Midnight Marauders is fuller and more hook-driven. But The Low End Theory holds up better because it leans on a firmer bedrock, more driven by jazz than anything else.
I listen to both of these somewhat regularly, both much more than I listen to People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. But there's no doubt that The Low End Theory is the more comforting album.
Now stop tearing my burritos, @
Fig.