Q-Tip Album: “The Renaissance”

Q-Tip's solo career reads like a bad joke. As A Tribe Called Quest's frontman, he led the alternative hip hop movement and helped establish hip hop as a literate and creative art form during the 90s. After the Native Tongues moved on and ATCQ disbanded, Tip released his solo debut

in 1999 and looked forward to a career of production and performing as his abstract genius and legend would warrant. And after ten years, at least three inexplicably shelved LPs (most notably "Kamaal the Abstract," which got as far as promo pressings), and countless record labels, Tip's long awaited follow-up "The Renaissance" arrived almost silently. Release delays date back years, and since rumors of "The Renaissance" have floated for so long, the quick and quiet release seems odd, especially given his huge fanbase and genre-defying appeal.

At 43 minutes and twelve tracks, it's a concise and focused listen and is immediately enjoyable. While it emits a spirit somewhat comparable to a Tribe recording and shows a hint of the smooth Soulquarians vibe of the late-90s, I'd say it's most similar to

. However,

's most frequent criticism is that it is too forced and pop-oriented, and "The Renaissance" does not have that problem. The music is comparably playful, upbeat, and bouncy, but is less poppy and more mature and soulful than its predecessor. The production, mostly piano-based, is layered with a range of artistic instrumentation that sounds classy despite its fun and appealing nature. It's a very clean and consistent sound, and transitions are so fluid that the first half seems like variations upon a single idea.

Tip still has the charm and wit of the wily teen from

, but his focus has shifted with time and maturity. He's happier to drop a clever one-liner or a latently insightful verse than elaborate upon social ills as he did in the 90s. He doesn't often display the style that led to his "abstract rapper" tag; instead his lyrics concern different manners of love, music, and levels of inspiration. The hooks are strong and his approach is well-rounded, seemingly intent upon the combined quality of the music and rap. No guest MCs appear, but vocal contributors include Raphael Saadiq, D'Angelo, Norah Jones, and Amanda Diva.

The disc opens to the pleasant, bouncy guitar strums of "Johnny Is Dead," which give way to an appealing arrangement with rumbling bass and piano chords and a strong performance from Tip. The breezy "Gettin' Up" and "Official" are similar in approach, structure, and sound to the opener and achieve the same appeal as well. "We Fight/Love" is an excellent collaboration with a particularly airy Raphael Saadiq, who complements Tip nicely over a great arrangement. Another highlight is the hidden title track after "Move," which has a hypnotic beat and the album's most insightful lyrics. "Dance on Glass" picks up when the rich beat finally kicks in about a minute through, and the Norah Jones duet "Life Is Better" is smooth, inspired excellence. "Won't Trade" is clever, and "You" is a decent love song that sounds good but moves too slowly. However, "Believe" with D'Angelo is wonderful musically and lyrically, and the closer "Shaka" is the track that most resembles a classic Tribe cut.

"The Renaissance" is not the revolutionary opus that some might expect from Tip after such a long layover, but as Dr. Dre should soon learn, hype builds around years of delays. The music is totally enjoyable and well-produced even if not totally uncharted (granted, some of these tracks are years old), and the LP reminds me why I had so eagerly anticipated Q-Tip's return a few years ago. This album is a great listen and should not disappoint.

First of all, I kinda got beef with Tip cuz it took him damn near A DECADE to drop this album! I can't belive 'Amplified' came out in .....1999.

1999! Dear God, I was still....young! (Ahhh man, Im fuccin old lol) But it's cool because 'Amplified' sounded so fresh and futuristic - that it will still hold up with TODAY'S music.

Q-Tip, as we all know, started out with the legendary hiphop group - A Tribe Called Quest. The Tribe dropped 3 classic albums and 2 solid efforts. Then Tip went for dolo; but he still delivered the goods as a solo artist on 'Amplified' and other features.

-And once again, the Abstract Poetic delivers the sonic goods with 'The Renaissance'!

This album was meticulously hand-crafted and it shows! This is a COMPLETE ALBUM - not a CD with 2 radio singles and a bunch of ringtones. Nah playah - this is REAL MUSIC. Each track stands alone as an accomplished effort, flowing smoothly one into the other.

Not too many albums in popular music (especially, i hate to say, Black music) will sound this complete and well-produced. The sound we have today is so robotic, so cheesy, and so mass-produced.... we think we all forgot what really GOOD music sounds like. Well Q-Tip reminds us - and this album gets better every time you listen it. It just sounds - GOOD.

It sounds good while driving to work.

It sounds good while AT work.

It sounds good while bumpin' it at nite.

It sounds good chillin' with the fam.

It sounds good to my 7-yr old son.

It sounds good at cook-outs.

It sounds good at social sets.

It sounds good at art galleries.

It sounds good on the elevator.

It will sound good as a soundtrack.

Now, THAT my friends is what you call a CLASSIC.

Seeing as his Tribe joints from the 1990s sound just a dope as ever - and 'Amplified' still sounds hott to this day - and this new one took 10 years to deliver - My guess is that 'The Renaissance' will hold us down until 2018...

..I think I can live with that :o)

· Johnny is Dead: 10/10 - Q-Tip picks up right where 'Amplified' left off - blasts outta the gate - and sets us up for something special. It gets better from here on.

· Won't Trade: 8/10 - Nice soul sample/piano loop. Q runs on the track.

· Getting' Up: 9/10 - ultra-smoove radio single. This will song will sound good forever.

· Official 8.5/10 - Q-Tip ain't foolin me; he switched up this beat from `Let's Ride'. That's not a bad thing tho.

· You: 9/10 - The Love joint. Tip asks her: "We can ascend if you're commited/ your heart, is it in it?"

· We Fight/We Love: 8.5/10 - Jazzy joint - Can NEVER go wrong with Raphael Saadiq.

· Manwomanboogie: 8.5/10 -Fast-paced and frenetic. ManWoman get down! ManWoman makes it all go round! Good God make it easier! Love it!

· Move: 10/10 - Tip reworks his classic Chemical Brothers joint - `Don't Hold Back' -and adds a dash of Black Sheep. THEN - flips it and smoooves it out! Damn Q!

· Dance on Glass (Keep Hookin'): 8.5/10 - Get past the 1st minute of acapella and this song kicks into a funky ATCQ groove! Tip says he's the 'Luke Cage of the loose page' - thats game-over right there!

· Life is Better: 10/10 - I'm not even a Norah Jones fan -BUT- she damn sure sounds butta smoove singing a hiphop hook! Dare I say she's a new Vinia Mojica?

· Believe: 8.5/10 - D'Angelo come out of hibernation and sings on the hook! Vintage!

· Shaka: 8.5/10 - Ahhhh....the great Tribe sound! Timeless.

The verdict: 5 out of 5 Stars

Beats: A+

Lyrics: B+

Songs: A+

Overall: A+

No doubt about it. I haven't had this much fun with a hip-hop album since Little Brother's

. I have to admit I haven't listened properly to a lot of the stuff that's out there at the minute but if this doesn't win some kind of award for hip-hop album of the year somewhere, then all hope is truly lost.

Mostly produced by the man himself (except for "Move", which is produced by the late, great J Dilla) this is precisely the kind of thing I'm looking for when I buy a hip-hop album. I don't claim to be a connoisseur but the with the use of a couple of cleverly used samples here and there, music's tight, the beats are tight and Tip is at his lyrical best. He drew criticism for his last album

and while I remember dancing to "Breathe And Stop" and "Vivrant Thing" until I thought my legs were gonna fall off, I can see what people were saying. It was definitely more radio-friendly and more pop-oriented that we ever remembered ATCQ being in their heyday.

No such concerns here. Guests like Raphael Saadiq, D'Angelo and Amanda Diva pretty much deliver what one might expect of them but Norah Jones sounds like I've never heard her sound before and never thought I would. Good on her and wise choice, Mr Q-Tip.

If you like your hip-hop authentic and are looking for an album that's solid from start to end, you most definitely need to check this one out. You'll be bouncing and bobbing all the way through. "Joyfully motivational" was how my local newspaper described the album and I couldn't agree more.

And the most remarkable thing of all? No profanity. Hence the lack of a parental advisory sticker. My buddy Derek might love this.

Rap Music at It's Purest Form!!!!!!!!!!

This is the most pleasing album I've heard in a long time. Q-Tip is an artist first and comes through very well. I always loved A Tribe Called Quest.

It's a shame this recording will not get any air play. I am not surprised because radio stations hate conscious rap music that uplifts your mind and makes common sense. I am so disappointed with African American radio stations because they continue to whore themselves for money from record companies and refuse to play conscious music.

If you were around during the "golden age era of Hip Hop", you will not be disappointed. It's up to date with positivity. I will continue to purchase rap albums of great quality music.

I am in awe of Q-Tip's sophomore LP, "The Renaissance." "Getting Up" captivated me from the first listen and inspired me to listen to the album which featured it. It's easily one of the best rap tracks I have heard in a very long time. This album is indulged with a neo-soul/1990's hip hop feel; Q-Tip rhymes over each beat effortlessly and effectively. He still has that distinctive voice and his ¬lyrical skills are as good as they have ever been. Yes, the lyrics on this album are a force to be reckoned with; he obviously devoted much time into writing these songs. "Shaka" is a song which pay tribute to those who have passed away. "Johnny is Dead" is full of great one-liners. This track has a rock feel to it and Q-Tip does a fine job with delivering the lyrics. Raphael Saadiq lends his vocals to the track, "We Fight/We Love" and the result is marvelous. Both Saadiq and Tip are "abstract artists."

This album exemplifies good hip-hop and all are encouraged to add it to your music collection.

Mikeisha's Top 5

1. Getting Up"

2. "We Love/We Fight"

3. "Official"

4. "Shaka"

5. "Life is Better"