Tag: Q-Tip

The Abstract Poetic: The Legacy of Q-Tip

This man’s contribution in hip hop is what makes him the legend that he is today. Started off in a group, went solo, also DJ’s, produces, act and has a pen game and voice that’s easily recognizable when you hear it. Definitely someone whose one of a kind and shares the same zodiac as me. Someone whose a huge influence to me both personally and creatively, he also told me to my face that he liked my style, and I could never forget that. He goes by name Q-Tip aka The Abstract Poetic. The story of Q-Tip begins back in the 70’s when he was a child living in St. Albans, Queens and met his would be close friend, almost brothers and group mate named Malik Taylor aka Phife Dawg. Together these two were peanut butter and jelly, ketchup and mustard, they’re one of hip hop’s greatest duos together on the mic. Fast forward to 1985, Q-Tip gets his name and it represents “on the Queens tip.” At this time, he also had another name as a solo artist named MC Love Child and would occasionally team up with high school friend and DJ, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and together they were a rapper and DJ duo. They made demo tapes along with Phife, he was known as Crush Connection but the group, later on known as the group we all know and love today as A Tribe Called Quest, was fully complete when Jarobi joined and Phife only joined because of Jarobi. They got their name in 1988 when the Jungle Brothers gave them their name. The Jungle Brothers is another legendary hip hop group who also attended the same high school. The guys signed a demo deal with Geffen Records and created a 5 song demo that was later included on their debut album the year. Before their debut album released, Q-Tip appears on 2 songs on the Jungle Brothers debut album called “Black Is Black” and “The Promo.” The group signs with Jive Records and on April 10th, 1990, also Q-Tip’s 20th birthday, “People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm” was released. The album was a very youthful, friendly and uplifting but dope. Frontman Q-Tip being heard on most of the songs. We didn’t start to see the real lyrical side of the group until 1991’s “The Low End Theory.” This is album is my favorite Tribe album because majority of my favorite songs from the group are on this album, “Midnight Marauders” was the perfect album though. No skips, it was a banger from start to finish. “Beats, Rhymes and Life” had a more laid back vibe and it introduced the sounds of the late great J Dilla. It also introduced is to Q-Tip’s cousin Consequence. Definitely gotta get used to him when listening to that album. “The Love Movement” isn’t an album I’m crazy about but it’s ironic that the word “love” is in it’s title but it was the beginning of the end for the group but they reunited in 2006 and recently released their latest album “We Got It From Here, Thank You 4 Your Service” 5 months ago. It’s an incredible album I heard only twice. I like to wait until the hype slows down a bit to enjoy things. Gotta find the right time to without everybody throwing out their opinions while you’re still getting used to it. Outside of the group, Q-Tip had a dope solo career on his own. He’s appeared on other’s people’s projects to write, produce and collaborate on songs. He created The Ummah, a production team with Ali Shaheed and J Dilla, he acted in Poetic Justice only in the beginning of the movie, and on “Prison Song” along with Fat Joe and Mary J. Blige, he was featured of Janet Jackson’s “Got Til It’s Gone” on her 1997 “The Velvet Rope” album, he produced “One Love” for Nas on his “Illmatic” album, Mobb Deep’s “Give Up the Goods” and the list goes on. Can’t forget to mention his solo music. With singles like “Vivrant Thing”, “Breathe and Stop”, “Gettin’ Up”, “Move”, “Life Is Better”, just to name a few. His solo stuff is nothing like Tribe’s and that to me is make Q-Tip great at what he does. Finding your own identity when it comes to your solo stuff and not it reminding the fans of the group you were in. Same energy and voice but a different vibe completely. Recently, he hosts his own radio show on Apple Music’s Beats 1 station, which is called “Abstract Radio.” His goal with the show is not to keep up with what’s trending but instead find ways to bridge the gaps into one and celebrate good music altogether. With so much that he has accomplished, Q-Tip is easily one of hip hop’s greatest of all time for being part of a group that introduced Jazz sounds samples in hip hop. His incredible creativity and style is timeless and it’ll always be celebrated. They don’t call him The Abstract for nothing.

The Low End Theory: The 25th Anniversary

2 months ago, “Beats, Rhymes & Life” turned 20, now here we are on September 24th, 2016, and another classic Tribe album has an anniversary. “The Low End Theory”, my favorite ATCQ album turns 25. Before I get into this album track by track, I spent some time on Phife’s Instagram account and it still hurts that he’s not here. It’s surreal, I think about this man everyday. I just wish he was here to see “Beats, Rhymes & Life” turning 20, 2 months ago and now “The Low End Theory”, turning 25. This album is known for it’s jazzy sounds that influenced a lot of other hip hop artists and albums. “Excursions”, the opening track on the album is a head nodder and Q-Tip rips this joint. The next joint “Buggin’ Out”, is the joint you hear at the end of the “Scenario” music video and this time Phife is who we hear first and then Tip comes in afterwards. It’s the classic yin and yang thing that the fellas do in their music. “Rap Promoter” has a beat that knocks a little bit more harder than the first two joints on the album and bit more bass too. The next joint “Butter” is one of my all time favorite Tribe joints. This song always plays in my head out of all the Tribe joints there are and it’s my favorite song to listen to when I’m on the train just cruising on my way downtown doing what I usually do, shopping or going to visit family in Queens. Haha, how ironic, Queens is the hometown of Tribe, except Ali Shaheed, he’s from Bed-Stuy. Just like hook goes the joint is strictly BUTTER. “Not no Parkay, not no margarine but strictly butter baby!” The next joint “Verses From the Abstract” is a smooth joint from the Abstract himself. It has a cypher kinda style where a couple of guys come together randomly on the sidewalks and just nod their heads to a dope beat like this joint and do their thing. “Show Business” is another favorite joint of mine on this album. It’s a catchy joint about having the guts and courage to deal with dealing with the rap industry, questioning those who are willing and dedicated to do this. “Vibes and Stuff” has the perfect title. It’s just vibes and stuff. Dope smooth beat and a head nod. “The Infamous Date Rape”, a song that touches on the subject of date rape. An important topic should be discussed more so that people understand what does it mean when someone says NO! The next joint “Check the Rhime”, the first single released from this album and of course a classic. I loved how the video had everyone from the neighborhood Kickin’ it with Tribe. By the way, the ATCQ mural on Linden Boulevard is the exact same place where the video for this joint took place 25 years ago. I’m just glad I was there. Word. “Everything Is Fair” is one of those Tribe joints where they obviously use a sample that takes over the entire the song. This joint coulda been an instrumental and it would still work. “Jazz (We’ve Got)”, awwww maannnn! This is my all time favorite Tribe joint. I am obsessed with this joint all the way yo! Everything was perfect about this joint. The beat, the jazzy horns sounds, Tip, Phife, the simple rhythmic hook “We’ve got the jazz, we’ve got the jazz.” My favorite part on this joint is the beginning of Phife’s part when he uses his Trinidadian accent and goes “Competition dem Phifer come sideway, but competition dey mus me come straightway.” I lose it at that part all the time. “Skypager” was cool. The beat is dope but that’s pretty much it. It was more like an interlude or a short skit to me. “What?”…… The perfect title for it. Didn’t like this joint and of course the album ends with “Scenario.” Another classic Tribe joint with the help from Leaders of the New School, Busta Rhymes original rap group. It was Busta, Charlie Brown, Cut Monitor Milo and Dinco D. The video was perfect for the song too. It was just as hype as the song. Another hip hop classic right here, from beginning to end. This album is always up for debate with “Midnight Marauders” amongst hip hop and Tribe fans about which is Tribe’s better album and whose is what favorite. Once again, much love and peace to my man Phife Dawg. Rest in peace King.