Q Tip The Renaissance Rare
K amaal the Abstract is not a great record by any means. But it is an interesting one, a unique effort by an artist struggling to mesh two disparate musical systems, gambling that inherent internal friction could spark some excitement. Unfortunately, the road to 6.3 is paved with experimental intentions.
Q Tip Renaissance Album
Kamaal the Abstract first leaked at the beginning of the decade, the follow-up to Tip's solo debut Amplified. While the status of the latter record has only grown in the ensuing years, thanks largely to Dilla's rise as a cult production hero, Kamaal's nature as an experimental cul-de-sac feels more cemented with time. But the ink never dries in the history books; if anything, the 2000s may have finally given Kamaal and Kamaal an opportunity for creative redemption.The collision of jazz and hip-hop, of course, isn't a new concept, especially for an artist who worked with Ron Carter on Tribe's second LP.
The Renaissance. This album shows a man infatuated with love and life without sounding maudlin: 'Gettin' Up', produced by Q-Tip, takes an old early 1970s Black Ivory single, makes it gleam with modern sheen and lets Tip loose on the kind of love jones you'd expect from a man with 15 years' worth of relationship experience. The Renaissance (Produced by Q-Tip unless noted) Universal Motown Records 2008 1 Johnny Is Dead 3:02 4 - 4.5 The way the piano creeps up, and then the guitar jams and the bubbles squiggle, really grows on you. Category People & Blogs; Song Johnny Is Dead (Album Version) Artist Q-Tip; Licensed to YouTube by UMG (on behalf of Mr. Incognito Productions); CMRRA, LatinAutor, UMPG Publishing, Kobalt Music.
But with Tribe, never mind Digable Planets, Guru, or US3, incorporating jazz often felt like more of a stylistic affect than concrete engagement, just a couple of looped bars and a brief instrumental solo from a big name on a track outro. Since bebop revolutionized jazz in the 1940s, attempts to integrate the genre with pop forms have been risky. Tip's pops used to say hip-hop reminded him of bebop for a reason; at their best, jazz and rap both feature interconnected conversations and content being generated over a short time in their parallel worlds. But rap music's complexity is tied up in language, the melodic and harmonic aspects stripped down so as to focus the listener on the verbal. Post-bebop jazz usually hinges on harmonic complexity.Kamaal the Abstract, to its great credit, is unafraid of (messily) combining these values.
Tip seems to have focused primarily on jazz's harmonic intricacies, evident on opener 'Feelin' or 'A Million Times', which are unafraid to eschew pop song structure to get at the meat of what makes post-swing jazz harmonically interesting. But sometimes this nuanced backdrop sounds an off-note for the subject matter; while a bunch of ideas were going on in any Tribe-era Q-Tip verse, Tip's redundant boilerplate womanizing over Steely Dan-style chord changes on 'Heels' just doesn't fit. Even worse, Tip's singing throughout the record - a shallow signifier for this more 'soulful' approach, perhaps? - feels unnecessarily cautious. Very Andre 3k.But jazz gets shortchanged, too.
For the most part, the solos feel safe and not particularly notable. Guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel's presence followed the release of an exciting, adventurous solo LP The Next Step, so it's confusing to hear his cameo reduced to rhythm guitar on the extended, platitudinous jam 'Do You Dig U?' Even the incredible Kenny Garrett, who does get an extended solo feature on the stop-start funk “Abstractionisms,” seems to be holding back. It feels like the soloists were so conscious of the album's pop music concessions, they felt they had to dumb it down, afraid to cut loose, as if they were recording for “The Late Show” or a random studio session. Despite Tip's willingness to combine the stylistic approaches of jazz and hip-hop, many songs feel imbalanced this way, with potentially exciting material undercut by underwhelming performances or half-finished ideas.
It is worth recognizing that the Miles and Mizells of the world were extraordinarily rare. Few artists could perfectly balance of jazz's intricate complexity as a live performance with lightning-in-a-bottle pop perfection as a piece of recorded art.Which is why 'Even If It Is So' is such an accomplishment. With a simple repeated piano vamp over acoustic guitar, the song features the rapper riffing compassionately about single motherhood alongside a memorable horn hook. The music perfectly reflects the song's theme of subdued respect, the incredible beauty of strength in the most harrowing situations. It also leaves you wanting more, the kind of song you'd love to hear extended and embellished, perhaps in a live setting. Which is the key to this record's possibility; each track is a loose framework of unfulfilled promise.
There's been a lot of talk about the growing importance of the live show to artists in the RapidShare era. While Kamaal isn't the brave, experimental success it wants to be, it doesn't exactly feel like the cul-de-sac it once did.
It suggests a promising future, where the world of live shows offers Q-Tip and these soloists a chance to stretch out, while recalling their roots in entertainment, which isn't so evident here.
The Renaissance is just Q-Tip’s second album in the ten years since A Tribe Called Quest called it quits. Q-Tip handled the production duties himself, and this lean collection of tracks adheres to his old-school values but still sounds remarkably fresh, and even innovative. “Gettin’ Up” and “Won’t Trade” incorporate classic soul samples on songs that represent Q-Tip at his buttery best.
Q Tip The Renaissance Zip
Few rappers have a better ear, and it is to Tip’s credit that tracks like “ManWomanBoogie” and “Dance On Glass” work as well in a club setting as through the headphones of the young hip-hop faithful. Now pushing 40, Tip’s flow is as swift and charming as it was twenty years ago, and he easily sidesteps playing the grumpy old rapper, a trap that has befallen many of his golden-age peers. The Renaissance demonstrates that a lot of time and acumen can make an offering that adeptly blends the old with the new. The Renaissance is just Q-Tip’s second album in the ten years since A Tribe Called Quest called it quits. Q-Tip handled the production duties himself, and this lean collection of tracks adheres to his old-school values but still sounds remarkably fresh, and even innovative. “Gettin’ Up” and “Won’t Trade” incorporate classic soul samples on songs that represent Q-Tip at his buttery best. Few rappers have a better ear, and it is to Tip’s credit that tracks like “ManWomanBoogie” and “Dance On Glass” work as well in a club setting as through the headphones of the young hip-hop faithful.
Now pushing 40, Tip’s flow is as swift and charming as it was twenty years ago, and he easily sidesteps playing the grumpy old rapper, a trap that has befallen many of his golden-age peers. The Renaissance demonstrates that a lot of time and acumen can make an offering that adeptly blends the old with the new.