VIDEO: Q-Tip - Vivrant Thing ft Prince (Live)

Whoa. Props to iknowtheledge

VIDEO: Q-Tip - Renaissance Rap (Directed by Rik Cordero)

VIDEO: Busta Rhymes Live @ The Knitting Factory

Busta Rhymes performed at The Knitting Factory in New York City last week. Q-Tip and Consequence guested. More on the night here.

NEWS: Q-Tip To Work With Nigel Godrich

If you’re imagining any of the usual rap rainmakers — Timbaland or the Neptunes, Pete Rock or DJ Premier — you’d be wrong. Try Nigel Godrich, the British engineer-producer whose densely layered, atmospheric sound has become closely identified with Radiohead. In fact, Godrich is sometimes referred to as the morose Brit rock group’s “sixth member” for producing every album it’s put out since 1997’s “OK Computer.” But he’s also racked up an impressive list of characteristically downbeat, brooding albums for the likes of Beck and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Air and Pavement.

Godrich is hardly the no-brainer choice for Q-Tip — himself a Zelig-like figure who turns up all over the pop culture grid and has never been confined by a narrow view of what hip-hop is and isn’t supposed to be — although it remains to be heard how the two’s musical sensibilities will mesh.

“He’s a big fan of rap,” Q-Tip said of the producer. “It’ll be cool working with him. We’re going to make a film out of the project too.” (Full article here.)

Whatever happened to under-promising and over-delivering?

Via DS.

VIDEO: S.O.U.L. Purpose - Lesson B ft. Q-Tip

Old school sensibilities in full effect.

Spotted over at Eskay's

LISTEN: Q-Tip - Midnight '08 (Prod. by Cool & Dre)

DOWNLOAD Q-Tip - Midnight '08 (Prod. by Cool & Dre) (MP3)

Part of the alcoholic remixes and I feel any moment Rick Ross is about to drop a verse right in the middle of this track.


Previously:
KRS One/DJ Premier - 'Criminal Minded '08' (download)
Common/Just Blaze - 'The Light '08 (It's Love)' (download)

PHOTOS: Q-Tip @ Gramercy Theatre (CMJ)

Q-Tip performed a show at the Gramercy Theatre as part of the CMJ Music Marathon. Eric sent over some great pictures exclusive to SDSU.

NEWS: Q-Tip On Fiascogate

Q-Tip spoke to HHDX about Fiascogate. This should be over now.


“...we all spoke on the phone with VH1,” continues Tip, “in a creative conversation, and everybody seemed cool. I got there the day of [the performance] and [I was] told that Lupe had some problems with the lyrics. So then I went to his trailer, just trying to extend myself, and I was like, ‘So I understand that you never heard a Tribe Called Quest joint?’ He smiled and said, ‘Well that’s not true. My sister used to listen to it. I didn’t really [listen to it], but my sister had the album with all the faces on it.”

He proceed to call the lyric mess up “No big deal, people mess up lyrics,” and has spoken to Lupe since to get additional clarification on post-performance comments. “I called him and I said, ‘You know, I just wanted to speak to you man-to-man so you know that I don’t have no beef with you. And he was like, ‘They attacking me.’ He explained himself to me, and I listened. We spoke about doing a tour together actually.” Now that would be a great end result of this bs moment in Hip Hop.

NEWS: Q-Tip Speaks On New Album

DOWNLOAD Q-Tip - Work It Out (MP3)

Q-Tip is set to release The Renaissance on Universal February 12th. Lead single, he criticizes ring tones, above.


"On the new album, it's got more of a band feel," says the 37-year-old rapper. "In hip-hop, the most important thing is the drums, and my drummer got the chops. So sonically, it's all there, man. It kinda sounds like a dusty, like the music could be a sample." Full interview at BaltimoreSun.

Related: Q-Tip is also planning a collaborative album with Common. They are also playing a show together October 10th at Nokia Theatre in NYC.

Q-Tip + Common + Kanye + DJ Premier + Pete Rock?

Status Ain't Hood interviewed A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip. He spoke about a few things, included the alleged collaborative album with Common.


You Com, you think they'll really let us do this?
Q:I'm going on the road with Common, actually. I start September 22nd, and I'm looking forward to that. He and I, we're going to do an album together, too.
SAH: An entire collaborative album?
Q: Yeah.
SAH: How's that going to work? Are you going to do beats?
Q: Yeah, definitely. I'm going to do a lot of that, and we'll reach out to a Premier or Ye or Pete Rock.

Sigh, if only that would really happen. Read the whole interview here.