People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (Jive, 1990) by A Tribe Called Quest

Tribe put out a fantastic debut album.  The production on "Bonita Applebaum" is ridiculously good.  And "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" is really great too.  The album is certainly a classic piece of work, but it didn't see Phife reach his full potential as an emcee.  Fortunately, the group realized this too and made the necessary adjustments for their sophomore masterpiece.  

Midnight Marauders (Jive, 1993) by A Tribe Called Quest

Tribe's third album is fantastic; they're one of the only groups who put out three classic albums in a row (props to Run-D.M.C. and Outkast as well).  This album, though not at widely remembered as The Low End Theory, is just as good.  "Oh My God" is an excellent beat, and "Lyrics to Go" is absolutely amazing.  This is also an album that needs to be played from beginning to end.  It really is an experience listening to this album.  I think it's cool that the Wayans Bros. used "Electric Relaxation"  at the opening of their show too.

The Low End Theory (Jive, 1991) by A Tribe Called Quest

The fact that ATCQ got jazz legend Ron Carter to play double bass for "Verses from the Abstract" proves that the group had the intelligence and ambition to take hip hop past the confines of a drum machine.  And it was just that connection, the one between rap and jazz, that ATCQ will forever be remembered for.  However, that is far from all this album has to offer.  "Check the Rhime" is one of the best hip hop singles ever and "Scenario" is one of the greatest collaborations ever put on wax.  Last, but not least, the other thing that is very noticeable about this album, when compared to the group's debut, is that Phife Dawg has much more of a presence this go round.  The interplay between him and Q-Tip is flawless and often times gives off an improvisational feel- much like the jazz culture that this hip hop album so masterfully embraces.