Q-Tip: Between Your Ears

Q-Tip, aka the Abstract, aka the Abstract Poet, aka Kamaal the Abstract, aka Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, original Jonathan Davis, has perhaps one of the smoothest deliveries ever to come through hip hop. Isn't that saying a lot. Yes, it is, I know. But if you've ever listened to Q-Tip bounce lines off of Phife Dawg, his old partner on Tribe Called Quest, then you've listened to poetry put to a funky grove.

But he's more than just about Q-Tip songs or Q-Tip lyrics. The man is also a deeply religious Muslim who grew out of his original roots in Harlem and then Queens. He is also a paramount producer of some of rap's most classic tracks. Which? Who? We're talking such acts as with Mobb Deep and Nas. And he is also a solo artist and now commercially successful singer.

And on top of all of that, Q-Tip has also had his fair share of scenes in the movies. Yes, you can find the man all the way back in 1993's "Poetic Justice," back when he was just making it big with Tribe Called Quest. From there, he had a series of appearances in such movies as "Disappearing Acts" in 2000, "Prison Song" in 2001, "Brown Sugar" in 2002, and "She Hate Me" in 2004.

The Tribe

But perhaps we all know the man from the Q-Tip lyrics he spun with the triple team (originally the quartet) known as Tribe Called Quest. Such albums as the "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm," or the megahit that was "The Low End Theory" defined a generation of hip hop stars to come and set the tone for an alternative rap scene in the 1990s that contrasted the hard edge of East Coast, West Coast gangsta rap.

Then there was "Midnight Marauders," the 1993 album that to some truly was one of the best rap albums ever produced. Q-Tip lyrics bounce around and flow between the beats on such classics as "Oh My God" and "Electric Relaxation."

"Beats, Rhymes and Life" was a commercial success for a group that didn't need popstar status to feel dominant about themselves, followed by the eclectic collection called the "Love Movement" in 1998. And then it was over.

Post-Tribe

Tribe Called Quest disbanded, and Q-Tip did not waste time. By 1999, the first Q-Tip album was out, "Amplified." The sound of the album won over a lot of more commercial success for him, with Q-Tip songs such as "Breathe and Stop" and "Vivrant Thing." How commercial has he gotten? We're talking TV commercial appeal here.

Still, the second solo Q-Tip album, "Jamaal the Abstract," was so commercially unappealing, according to Arista, that they didn't even release it. The third solo Q-Tip record, "The Renaissance," was slated to come out last year, but now word is it could come out June 2008.

All the while, Q-Tip has reunited with Tribe Called Quest, first for a 2006 tour, followed by the 2K7 NBA Bounce Tour. The ebbs and flows of his life are as abstract and hard to decipher as some of his poetry.

From Q-Tip to Hip Hop Music