By Fawn Renee

Show me a rapper with as much charisma, intellect and tenacity as Q-Tip, and I will promptly redirect you to one of the most groundbreaking albums in Hip-Hop history, Midnight Marauders. As one third of the critically acclaimed Hip-Hop group A Tribe Called Quest, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, widely known as Q-Tip, has always harbored the ability to fuse his innovative flow with the group’s jazz-infused style, seamlessly.

After the group disbanded in 1998, Q-Tip took his first step toward solidifying his place in Hip-Hop as a solo artist with the release of his debut album Amplified. While singles such as “Vivrant Thing” and “Breathe and Stop” were big radio and club hits, this wasn’t exactly a major leap for Hip-Hop, which is what we have come to expect from Hip-Hop’s golden child.

Everyone makes mistakes; the world is filled with second and third chances. Lucky for the masses, Q-Tip took full advantage of that second chance with The Renaissance, a silent gem created after, what is now, his highly anticipated third album, Kamaal the Abstract. Though the labels couldn’t see its potential nine years ago, this album, light-years away from any of the puerile, redundant work that Hip-Hop is laden with today, is a wonderful mesh of Q-Tip the rapper and Abstract the producer.

The first track, “Feelin’” sets the tone for what you’re about to experience for the next hour with its organic fusion of techno and jazz. Next up, Q-Tip displays his vocal chops over the carefree, melodic jam “Do U Dig U,” in which Q-Tip enlists the help of former Miles Davis flutist Gary Thomas. “A Million Times” and “Blue Girl” are both light and refreshing, and the furthest thing from what the Hip-Hop purist, longing for the old days, would be expecting. For them, Q-Tip offers “Abstractionisms,” a funky, drum-heavy track with legendary saxophonist Kenny Garrett; regretably one of the only offerings of conventional Hip-Hop on the album, along with “Even If It Is So.”

Much of the album teeters on a fine line that carries the soulfulness of Maxwell and the eccentricity of Lenny Kravitz, with the undeniable influence of the late, great J. Dilla, creating an album worthy of it’s title-Abstract.

Whether you’re a Hip-Hop head or a Neo-Soul hippie, Kamaal the Abstract, is a breath of fresh air. For those waiting for the resurrection of 1988 Hip-Hop or the next new club banger, it may be hard to appreciate his vision, but Q-Tip will forever be a pioneer within the Hip-Hop community for his ability to think outside the box. Let there be no mistake- before there was Gnarls Barkley, Outkast, Slum Village or Kid Cudi, there was Q-Tip. The score has changed, but he remains the same. Check the rhyme, ya’ll.

Out Of 5

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