Hells yeah! After years of setbacks, label politics, and permanently shelved albums...it looks like Q-Tip will finally be releasing another solo album after all. After dropping "Amplified" in 1999, the one-time Tribe frontman caught a bunch of bad breaks as his 2002 follow-up "Kaamal The Abstract" never hit shelves because his label Arista claimed it "wasn't commercial enough" and pulled the plug right before it's scheduled release date. Although a bootleg advance version eventually made it onto the 'net, it still hasn't been officially released. Even after taking a long recording hiatus, Tip wasn't able to get his third album "Open" out after creative differences with yet another label. Shit...even his current project; "The Renaissance", has been many years in the making, going through multiple incarnations until it has finally been greenlit to be released through Universal Motown on Election day, November 4th.
The album's first single "Work It Out" has been in steady rotation over the past few months and the second single is expected to drop in the coming weeks leading up to the release. "The Renaissance" is scheduled to feature appearances from an eclectic group of artists including Raphael Saadiq, D'Angelo, J. Dilla, Norah Jones, and even some sound bites from Barack Obama. And although no production credits have been confirmed yet, there have been reports that Tip worked with Kanye West, Madlib, Will.i.am, Pete Rock, Large Professor, and even a track with Dilla that was recorded prior to his passing. You can also expect dude to contribute his own production on at least a few tracks on the LP. In addition to the rumored producers, Tip also mentioned in a couple interviews that he also recorded tracks with Lupe, Common, + Andre 3000 for the album, so we'll have to wait and see if they make the final cut.
But to hold y'all over 'til the album drops, you can check out the current single "Gettin' Up" as well as the latest leaked cut "Believe" which features the return of D'Angelo! You can also peep the dope cover art & tentative track listing below. Also, if you want more info on what Tip's been up to over the past few years, click here to check out a dope interview he did with the L.A. Times a few months back...
Q-Tip ft. D'Angelo - I Believe
Q-Tip - Gettin' Up
Q-TIP - THE RENAISSANCE (RUMORED TRACKLIST)
01. Johnny Is Dead
02. Won’t Trade
03. Gettin’ Up
04. Offishal
05. You
06. Fight/Love (ft. Raphael Saadiq)
07. ManWomanBoogie
08. Move (ft. Dilla)
09. Dance On Glass
10. Life Is Better (ft. Norah Jones)
11. I Believe (ft. D'Angelo)
12. Shaka (ft. Barack Obama)
Oh and just another quick tidbit...while doing a little research just now I discovered that Q-Tip has recently retained all the masters from his unreleased 2002 album "Kamaal The Abstract" and is currently in the process of securing indie distribution and will finally release the album in early 2009. Dope!!! I hope he drops it just as it was supposed to be heard...kinda like how Cormega did with 'The Testament" a few years ago.
