'Renaissance' hip-hop man returns
Brady Tackett
Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Lifestyles
The master of minimalist hip-hop is back, still spitting fire after almost a decade of record label exile. Q-Tip's second official solo release (his last two records were axed by unsatisfied label bigwigs), The Renaissance, finds the industry veteran flowing and crooning atop restrained R&B compositions, a modern twist on A Tribe Called Quest's jazzy grooves. Lead single "Gettin' Up," which has been in circulation for a few months now, embodies everything the record stands for, from its serene piano line to its decidedly romantic lyricism.
If The Renaissance is anything, it's a love record. "Man and women get down," Q-Tip commands on the pulsing, disco-inflected "Manwomanboogie." Witness Q-Tip's duet with Norah Jones aside a charming stand-up bass on "Life Is Better." "WeFight/WeLove," a pause in the album's incredible pacing, sees Q-Tip weighing the bliss of true love against loss of personal identity.
The Renaissance somehow straddles nostalgia and innovation. For every old-school splash of a cappella ("Dance on Glass," "Johnny Is Dead") comes the snap, crackle, pop of a drum machine or squawking synth.
Stylistic flourishes aside, Q-Tip still is producing the most refreshing hip-hop in the genre. He's still the same musical genius he was 20 years ago, and he probably always will be.
If The Renaissance is anything, it's a love record. "Man and women get down," Q-Tip commands on the pulsing, disco-inflected "Manwomanboogie." Witness Q-Tip's duet with Norah Jones aside a charming stand-up bass on "Life Is Better." "WeFight/WeLove," a pause in the album's incredible pacing, sees Q-Tip weighing the bliss of true love against loss of personal identity.
The Renaissance somehow straddles nostalgia and innovation. For every old-school splash of a cappella ("Dance on Glass," "Johnny Is Dead") comes the snap, crackle, pop of a drum machine or squawking synth.
Stylistic flourishes aside, Q-Tip still is producing the most refreshing hip-hop in the genre. He's still the same musical genius he was 20 years ago, and he probably always will be.
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