General Description
Artist/Band: Q-Tip
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Album Title: The Renaissance
Year: 2008
How I Got Into This Music
I’m still a total fan of A Tribe Called Quest. Haven’t paid any attention to any of his previous albums, but with this release I thought I’d just give it a try.
Reviews:
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Videos:
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Have a listen on: ![]()
Tracks that got my attention:
Johnny Is Dead
But what good’s an ear if a q-tip isn’t in it?
Heheh, nice one.. Guitar intro and the chorus are kinda not happening, love the keyboards and bass line.
Won’t Trade
Kinda catchy, enjoyed it the first coupla times, but now it’s almost a bit bland. Weird.
Gettin’ Up
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Great track, so mellow. The keyboard intro/loop is very sweet and the bass just reeks of nostalgia
It’s an incredibly simple setup, production-wise, but it’s very effective and catchy. The late great J Dilla in the producer’s seat.
This one of those Walk In The Park tracks, love it!
Official
Very strong scratchwork and samples. Makes me wish D’Angelo was doing the backing vocals. Damn it, the whole song triggers D’Angelo vibes. Like it very much.
You
Think this one’s my favorite track. Now let’s see if I can explain why.
The staccato rap flow. The simple and subtle yet funky bassline. The lyrics trigger some old memories. The very tight setup.
We Fight For Love feat. Raphael Saadiq
Meh.. Just the great bassline, but not really working for me.
Manwomanboogie feat. Amanda Diva
Triggering memories of his Breathe And Stuff period, which is a bit dubious to me. Don’t get me wrong: I liked the track, but like Vivrant Thing it was too much of the Hype Williams videos that turned me off.
Again a very nasty bass..
Move
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Maybe later on I’ll learn to understand and/or like this track. But for now: me no likey.
Dance On Glass
The intro of this track: 1 full minute a capella of pure excellence. And the flow when the music joins in is blissfully well produced.
Life Is Better feat. Norah Jones
Wow! Guaranteed hit, release the track as a single as soon as friggin’ possible!
But.. what I don’t get, is the way the track’s produced: you got the excellent vocals by Miss Jones and somehow the choice was made to use a (very well performed) dedication rap as main theme. It doesn’t work for me; I’d prefer a simple love theme or whatever, but this?
Still, hope they release it soon!
Believe feat. D’Angelo
Heheh.. When will D’Angelo finally represent his shit like he used to a while back? I was lucky enough to see him perform live at the North Sea Jazz in the 90s, but we need to see him in action again!
Ehm.. Back to the track: this is how Life Is Better should’ve been produced. Sweet, laidback and sexy.
Conclusion
Like blkbetty said: this album’s a creeper. It really grows on you. I wasn’t really impressed the first coupla times I listened to it, but then I found myself playing the album over and over, getting a better understanding and feeling of the vibes and stuff..
Wonder if I’ll still be listening to it in three months. Not sure, but for now, it’s a very sweet album to listen to.
Rating: 


















