Spring Break
Q-Tip kicks it old school on The Renaissance
Max Elliot Irlander
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Entertainment
11/21/08 - It's been about nine years since rap artist Q-tip (originally part of the legendary group A Tribe Called Quest) has released any new solo work. The wait is over Q-tip's latest album The Renaissance doesn't hesitate to bring back that old school nostalgic jazz feeling.
Though the album is nice to listen to, it's not one that should be compared to that of Tribe's. Unlike most rappers today, Q-tip seems to bring a new type of funk to the table that definitely doesn't disappoint. His jazz rap style is catchy and is very easy to listen to. Considering the Q in Q-tip stands for Queens, it's no wonder why he brings about a flow and style of rap that screams New York City.
The featured artists on this album don't fall short in their role of laying down catchy hooks to each of their respective songs, like Norah Jones on the song "Life Is Better." Other collaborations include artist such as Raphael Saadiq, Amanda Diva and D'Angelo.
The difference is on Q-tip's last solo album nine years ago, the late Jay Dee, also known as J Dilla, produced just about every track. The Renaissance is somewhat the opposite of his previous album, Amplified, because Q-tip produced every track on the album except "Move."
The world of hip-hop has changed since the old days when it first reached out and became part of our culture. It used to be about telling stories through music. With the exception of a few, hip-hop has become a way for artists to talk about the large sums of money and drugs that they have acquired.
With help from Q-tip's latest album, we are reminded of why we originally started listening to hip-hop in the first place. The Renaissance is full of upbeat tracks that tell stories of Q-tip's past and present, with songs like "Believe" featuring D'Angelo, and "Life Is Better" featuring Norah Jones.
The track "You" tells a love story gone bad. It's the story of a women who was cheating on Q-tip, and he couldn't help but still love her. With lines like "I couldn't take it/ but the spell of love /I couldn't shake it /even though I would discover/ that there was somebody else /it was your lover /you gave me up."
Q-tip was successful in creating a good album: The Renaissance is easy to listen to, smooth and is a nice taste of the old days. For all those A Tribe Called Quest fans out there, this is definitely an album that is easy to suggest. If you're looking for something reminiscent to that feeling, and you're not in search of music with sharp, hard-hitting, metaphorical lines, this is the album for you.
Though the album is nice to listen to, it's not one that should be compared to that of Tribe's. Unlike most rappers today, Q-tip seems to bring a new type of funk to the table that definitely doesn't disappoint. His jazz rap style is catchy and is very easy to listen to. Considering the Q in Q-tip stands for Queens, it's no wonder why he brings about a flow and style of rap that screams New York City.
The featured artists on this album don't fall short in their role of laying down catchy hooks to each of their respective songs, like Norah Jones on the song "Life Is Better." Other collaborations include artist such as Raphael Saadiq, Amanda Diva and D'Angelo.
The difference is on Q-tip's last solo album nine years ago, the late Jay Dee, also known as J Dilla, produced just about every track. The Renaissance is somewhat the opposite of his previous album, Amplified, because Q-tip produced every track on the album except "Move."
The world of hip-hop has changed since the old days when it first reached out and became part of our culture. It used to be about telling stories through music. With the exception of a few, hip-hop has become a way for artists to talk about the large sums of money and drugs that they have acquired.
With help from Q-tip's latest album, we are reminded of why we originally started listening to hip-hop in the first place. The Renaissance is full of upbeat tracks that tell stories of Q-tip's past and present, with songs like "Believe" featuring D'Angelo, and "Life Is Better" featuring Norah Jones.
The track "You" tells a love story gone bad. It's the story of a women who was cheating on Q-tip, and he couldn't help but still love her. With lines like "I couldn't take it/ but the spell of love /I couldn't shake it /even though I would discover/ that there was somebody else /it was your lover /you gave me up."
Q-tip was successful in creating a good album: The Renaissance is easy to listen to, smooth and is a nice taste of the old days. For all those A Tribe Called Quest fans out there, this is definitely an album that is easy to suggest. If you're looking for something reminiscent to that feeling, and you're not in search of music with sharp, hard-hitting, metaphorical lines, this is the album for you.
