Check the Rhime

The lead single from The Low End Theory, released in September 1991, was written by Phife Dawg, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad and recorded at Greene St. Recording in New York. It established the back-and-forth between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. It samples Average White Band's Love Your Life, which is why members of that band are credited. It peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 16 November 1991. Q-Tip's lines about industry rule number 4,080, and record company people being shady, are among the most quoted in hip-hop.

The video was directed by Jim Swaffield and filmed in front of houses and at a dry cleaner in St. Albans, Queens, at 192nd Street and Linden Boulevard, where the group performs on the roof. After Phife Dawg's death in 2016 a mural was painted on the wall of the business. Rolling Stone included the song among 20 essential tracks by the group, noting that it shows Phife Dawg to be Q-Tip's lyrical equal. It appears in 35 of the 64 logged setlists that list songs, from Daytona Beach Bandshell on 20 March 1992 to the group's final concert.