Hip-Hop Classic #29: A Tribe Called Quest - Stressed Out (Raphael Saadiq Remix) (Chosen by Roy Thomas)

'Stressed Out' is the second single from A Tribe Called Quest's fourth studio album, Beats Rhymes & Life, which was released in 1996 on Jive Records. The Raphael Saadiq remix featured on the B-Side of the single's release and was also re-released in 2006 on 'The Lost Tribes' compilation, which was released exclusively in Japan. The original was produced by The Ummah (Jay Dee, Ali Shaheed & Q-Tip), but Saadiq took the single and put his own unique style on the track, whilst adding some of his own vocals, which worked perfectly alongside Faith Evans' original hook/chorus and the Anita Baker sample. The single reached #56 in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Chart and didn't make it into the Billboard Top 100 - however, the album reached #1 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Billboard Top 100, and becoming certified platinum on October 27, 1998. Many people (purists) believe that this album can't even be compared to the first three Tribe releases, but for me it's one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all-time.

Roy Thomas: "So hard to choose just one track, but this is mine..."