The album kicks of with hard-beat of "Start It Up" where Q-tip flows in a very unique way. It's a cool song with a cool beat though the chorus is not the best when he says :"Don't hit me in the head with the bullsh*t bat" (They don't call him The Abstract for nothing).

"Find A Way" is a pure positive hip-hop/love song with a sing-a-long chorus that has a female voice in the background. Not really R&B. "Now you caught my heart for the evening.... Should I just sit back or come harder? Help me find my way" This is pretty cool song too though not very hardcore at all.

"Da Booty" is a funky ass song with a cool chorus: "Da Booty, if you're a crook then you takin' it! The booty, if you got one then you shakin' it!" It's about what everybody wants and what most pirates and crooks try to steal, says Q-tip. Unfortunately, the song gets very repetitious.

"Steppin' It Up" featuring Redman and Busta Rhymes is the dopest, most hardcore, and tightest song on the album. Everything about this damn' song is perfect.  Everyone's rhymes is dope and the beat is slammin'! Redman and Busta Rhymes kick some of the best lyrics I heard. Redman, as usual, is hilarious: "I'm 6-one with a big ass gun, to carry it, you need a waistline the size of Big Pun." This is pure hardcore hip-hop in its dopest form! After that, the album becomes a little weaker.

Here are the best songs: "His Name Is Muddy Ranks" is purely Phife Dawg's short reggee influenced jam. The beat is hard and his lyrics are flow rock steady. It's hard, humorous, and just plain on point.

"Busta's Lament" is pretty cool because the chorus has Busta Rhyme's sampled voice saying "Yo-yo-yo!" scratched by Ali Shaheed.

"Give Me" features Noreaga who basically steals the song even though his rhyme is very simple compared to Q-tip's. The thing that blows this song is the chorus. Q-tip uses the Boyz II Men "Motown Philly" melody: "Doin' out thing in Queens, we had dreams about being emcees. There was no concern about so an so and these record companies. But now we're all grown, and spots are getting blown. Boys II Men, ABC, BBD. No, we ain't none of them B. Give me, so give me, Nore, Phife Dawg, and Abstract". I know Q-tip is intelligent enough to think of something to replace the "Boyz II Men, ABC, BBD" mention in the song... For some reason, that bugs me.

"Common Ground (Get It Goin On)" has a good beat and good sentiments. It just doesn't stay with you afterwards like the others. There's nothing really wrong with the song though. "Against The World" is a dope song! Q-Tip and Phife go back and forth for the rap while on the chorus the female vocalist talks her way responding to Q-tip. Trust me, it's dope. Obviously, it's about love relationships.

"Pad & Pen" features D-life who just talks in the background through the whole song. He's kind of annoying but tolerable. I like the sentiments of the song because it deals with creating rhymes, which I love to do.

"Hot 4U" is pretty cool too. Another song about relationships. The chorus is pretty cool because it builds up with a strange sounding effect in the background which seems to lift the beat higher.

"Rock Rock Y'all" with Mos Def, Punchline,Jane Doe, and Wordsworth finishes the album. It has a family-feel to it. The chorus just comes in on the begining and end. The beat is cool but the song is missing Phife. The weaker songs are the following: "Like It Like That" has a clapping beat and a call/response chorus. They ask, "Do you like it? Say Yeah if you like it like that?" I mean, it's not a bad song... It's just not as strong as the previous I mentioned.

"4 Moms" features guitarist Spanky and is an instrumental. The beat and the guitar is cool but it seem unimportant compared to the rest of the album. Ali Shaheed should have added some scratches or fancy DJing to it instead of the basic beat.

"The Love" basically lists Q-tip's love for hs people and hip-hop. The sentiments are cool but it just doesn't hit as hard as the others. "We Do it for the love y'all! "

Since it is called, "The Love Movement", most of the songs are about relationships and not enough are about hip-hop. "Generic" is the word that comes to mind when I listen to this album. Even the plain, white album cover is generic looking. This is more like a generic form of The Tribe I once knew and loved! The lyrics (by Tip) are not as memorable or as deep as previous efforts. This is the worst Tribe lp without a doubt. There should be more scraches from Ali Shaheed. I've seen and heard him rip in on the tables and instead, he focuses on making music. Don't get me wrong, there are scraches but there aren't any of other records or other emcees except for Busta Rhymes on "Busta's Lament". Another thing, there's not enough Phife. I think Phife is a dope emcee! He almost stole the show on the last two albums. He's never annoying! Q-tip has a babyish noise with a nasel quality while Phife does not. He should have been in more songs.. definitely! There is not much gun talk, smoking weed references, or criminal activity. As always, there is no parental advisory sticker. It's a family hip-hop album that is not wack. If you're looking for positive rap about relationships, this is the joint. If you're looking for hardcore gun-blasting, weed smoking, criminals, pick up Onyx or Heltah Skeltah's dope new joints! The production is cool. The beats are thick and somewhat varied. For the most part, they are somewhat stripped down like on "Beats, Rhymes, & Life". The album does flow well together. No song is too long where it gets boring. Lyrically, however, Q-tip needs to rap on more topics beside relationships. There should be love for food, love for guns, love for violence, love for work, love for dirty sex, love for freedom, etc.. while Q-tip basically raps about love for rocking mics and women.Because most of the songs are all about relationships, points are lost in creativity. It is original, however. Overall, "The Love Movement" is a positive family record with wall to wall positive statements. If you're a ATCQ fan, you probably won't be dissapointed. A Tribe Called Quest did not leave their hearts in El Segundo.
Beats: 8.5/10,
Lyrics: 8/10,
Production: 8.5/10,
Flow: 8.75/10,
Originality/Creativity: 7 /10,
Hardcore Rating: 4/10.
[ Overall Rating: 7.3 / 10 ]

*Limited Edition CDs contain 6 extra tracks! "Scenerio (Remix)" is dope and brings back memories of "The Low End Theory" because it is old. Leaders Of The New School represents in their own dope way! It's a totally different song from the original "Senerio" and is totally dope at the same time. "Money Maker" is a new song which is cool too. Q-tip is alone on this one and has a really dope lyrical flow on it. Singing and rapping, he carries the song with the help of some effects on his voice. "Jazz (remix)" is old and has a hard beat. The lyrics are much different from the original and the horn loop is funky. "Oh My God (remix)" is very similar to the original but it does not have Busta Rhymes on the joint. It's pretty cool but nothing special compared to the other songs. "Hot Sex On A Platter" from the Boomerang Soundtrack is a dope song too. It's old, simple, and has a slamming beat. It brings back memories of Tribe's glorious days in the early 90's. Finally, the cd ends with the slamming "One Two Sh*t" with Busta Rhymes. I believe this came out around "Beats, Rhymes, & Life" but I'm not positive. Like "Steppin' It Up", this is a perfect hip-hop song! Every rhyme is dope. Every beat is dope and from begining to end, the song is tight. If you can find this special limited compact disc, pick it up! Any Tribe Called Quest fan will NOT be dissapointed. [This limited edition CD raises the overall rating from an 7.3 to an 7.7 (outof 10).]
-Todd E. Jones