"People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" has been described as "a celebration of bohemia, psychedelia and vagabondia", as well as "laid back". "The Los Angeles Times" described the album as consisting of "mostly happy hip-hop, featuring gently humorous, casual, conversational raps". Michael Blair from "XXL" wrote that "the innovative production on this album created an optimal platform for the group’s wildly inventive relationship with their words. From a lyrical standpoint, Tribe was both sophisticated and playful in the same breath".