Anyone who witnessed A Tribe Called Quest on the 2K7 Sports Bounce tour last fall witnessed an amazing hip-hop experience…no, an old school hip-hop revival. I mean, even Jarobi was there. Here in Atlanta at the Tabernacle, you could literally feel the rafters shake when the group dropped “The Scenario.”
Yes, it’s always nice when Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammed get together for a reunion tour. You’d figure that a Tribe album would come next, right? No…instead we get another Q-Tip album.
Actually, if The Renaissance actually makes it to stores, it will be the Abstract Poet’s first solo set since 1999’s Amplified. His 2001 album Kamaal the Abstract never came out, although promos were sent to press (and greeted with a raft of negative reviews). According to a Billboard story, Q-Tip got the Kamaal masters from Arista and will release them legitimately soon. But first…The Renaissance.
A bootleg version called Live at the Renaissance has floated around since last fall. This 16-track version features D’Angelo (on “I Believe”) and Andre 3000 from OutKast (on “That’s Sexy”).
In the Billboard story, however, Q-Tip mentioned that Common will also be on The Renaissance. His website at Universal Motown lists another song: “Do the Nasty,” a clubby track featuring Busta Rhymes and Pharrell Williams. “I wanted a hip-hop sonic feel, something pure to the sound of hip-hop with real drums, real emotion and people taking solos,” he told the magazine. “In that sense this record feels like we’re moving in a new direction … something hip-hop should do.”And for those who shuddered at the prospect of Q-Tip singing on Kamaal, rest assured that he raps and sings this time around.
The Renaissance is tentatively scheduled for spring release on Universal Motown. Let’s hope it actually comes out.
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