Check the Rhime

"Check the Rhime"
"Check the Rhime"
Single by A Tribe Called Quest
from the album The Low End Theory
B-side	"Skypager"
Released	September 9, 1991
Genre	Alternative hip hop
Length	3:36
Label	Jive
Songwriter(s)	Roger Ball; Malcolm Duncan; Kamaal Fareed; Steve Ferrone; Alan Gorrie; Ali Shaheed Muhammad; Onnie McIntyre; Minnie Riperton; Richard Rudolph; Hamish Stuart; Malik Taylor; Leon Ware;
Producer(s)	A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest singles chronology
Audio sample
	Check the Rhime file; help;
Music video
	"Check the Rhime" on YouTube

"Check the Rhime" is the first single from A Tribe Called Quest's second album The Low End Theory.^[1] The song was written by group members Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. It was recorded at the legendary Greene St. Recording studio in New York City. The song peaked at number 59 on Billboard on November 16, 1991.^[2] Rolling Stone listed "Check the Rhime" as one of the group's 20 essential songs, noting that Phife Dawg "quickly proves himself Q-Tip's lyrical equal."^[3]

Music video

The music video, directed by Jim Swaffield, starts out in front of houses and moves to a dry cleaning business in St. Albans, Queens, New York City, where the group performs on the roof in front of a large crowd. The dry cleaners shop featured in the video is still at the corner of 192nd St. & Linden Blvd. in St. Albans. In 2016, a mural was commissioned on the wall of the business after the death of the group's founding member, Phife Dawg.^[4]^[5]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)^[6]	28
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[7]	59
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)^[8]	1

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[9]	Gold	500,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Seidman 7/27/2013, Lacey. "VH1 ALBUM-VERSARIES: A Tribe Called Quest Reminisces About The Low End Theory At 20 (PART II of II)". VH1 News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved 2020-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "A Tribe Called Quest". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
^ Harris, Christopher R. Weingarten,Jon Dolan,Mosi Reeves,Jason Newman,Keith; Weingarten, Christopher R.; Dolan, Jon; Reeves, Mosi; Newman, Jason; Harris, Keith (2016-03-23). "A Tribe Called Quest: 20 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-10-08.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "A Tribe Called Quest share documentary on 'Check The Rhime' mural". Fact Magazine. 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
^ "See the new A Tribe Called Quest mural in Queens, NY in new documentary". NME. 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
^ "American single certifications – A Tribe Called Quest – Check the Rhime". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2021.

[1] Seidman 7/27/2013, Lacey. "VH1 ALBUM-VERSARIES: A Tribe Called Quest Reminisces About The Low End Theory At 20 (PART II of II)". VH1 News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved 2020-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[2] "A Tribe Called Quest". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-06-15.

[3] Harris, Christopher R. Weingarten,Jon Dolan,Mosi Reeves,Jason Newman,Keith; Weingarten, Christopher R.; Dolan, Jon; Reeves, Mosi; Newman, Jason; Harris, Keith (2016-03-23). "A Tribe Called Quest: 20 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-10-08.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[4] "A Tribe Called Quest share documentary on 'Check The Rhime' mural". Fact Magazine. 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2021-10-08.

[5] "See the new A Tribe Called Quest mural in Queens, NY in new documentary". NME. 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2021-10-08.

[sc_Billboarddancesales_A_Tribe_Called_Quest-6] "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2022.

[sc_Billboardrandbhiphop_A_Tribe_Called_Quest-7] "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2022.

[sc_Billboardrapsongs_A_Tribe_Called_Quest-8] "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2022.

[United_StatesA_Tribe_Called_QuestCheck_the_RhimesingleCertRef-9] "American single certifications – A Tribe Called Quest – Check the Rhime". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2021.

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