Q-TIP (RAPPER)

'Q-Tip' (born 'Jonathan Davis', April 10, 1970, in Brooklyn, New York), is a North American hip-hop emcee, actor, and hip hop producer, and was the leader of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest. He converted to Islam in the mid-1990s, and changed his name to 'Kamaal Ibn John Fareed'.^[1] The ''Q'' in Q-Tip's stage name stands for Queens, the borough of New York City from which he hails. It is also said to be a name that represents his ability to get into one’s ears. He also refers to himself as 'The Abstract' and 'Kamaal the Abstract'.

Contents

Biography

Early career

Solo career

Discography

Solo albums

Singles

Featured appearances

Films

External links

References

Biography

Early career

Q-Tip's first appearance on record was on the Jungle Brothers' ''Straight Out the Jungle''. Besides performing with his popular and successful jazz-influenced hip hop group, Tip also did production work (under his production alias "the Abstract" or often — along with fellow Tribe member Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the late Slum Village member Jay Dee — as part of the Ummah) for artists such as Nas ("One Love," from ''Illmatic'', 1994), Mobb Deep (co-producer on "Give up the Goods (Just Step)," "Temperature's Rising," and "Drink Away the Pain," from ''The Infamous'', 1995) and even R&B divas Mariah Carey ("Honey," from ''Butterfly'', 1997) and Whitney Houston ("Fine," from ''Greatest Hits''). He has also made numerous guest appearances, including spots on songs by Nas, Mobb Deep, and Janet Jackson.

Solo career

A Tribe Called Quest disbanded in 1998, after which Q-Tip pursued a solo career. His first solo singles, "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe and Stop," were far more pop-oriented than anything he had done in A Tribe Called Quest, as was his solo debut LP for Arista Records, ''Amplified''. His 2002 follow-up, ''Kamaal the Abstract'', although critically acclaimed and issued a catalog number, was never released because the label believed that it did not have commercial appeal. His next album, ''The Renaissance'', is scheduled to be released October 2007.^[2]
A Tribe Called Quest reunited in 2006 and played a limited number of dates. The group was comprised of its original lineup, including Tip and occasional member Jarobi White. Early the next year, Tip signed a new solo deal with Motown/Universal Records.
As of late, Q-Tip has been very active, once again happily reunited with the full line-up of A Tribe Called Quest on the 2K7 NBA Bounce Tour and regaining control of his previously label-owned MySpace page. He has filled the page up with demos and rarities, (some of them from ''Kamaal the Abstract''), and has announced he is negotiating for the ownership of the masters of earlier material from his previous labels and plans to release them independently. Currently, he resides in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Q-Tip has recently stated that he will be forming a hip hop group with fellow rapper Common, called "The Standard." [2]

Discography

Solo albums

★ 1999: ''Amplified''

★ 2002: ''Kamaal the Abstract'' (Previously Unreleased, To be released in 2007)

★ 2005: ''Open'' (Unreleased)

★ 2007: ''The Renaissance'' (Dec 18, 2007)

Singles

★ 1999: Vivrant Thing

★ 1999: Breathe & Stop

★ 1999: Let's Ride

★ 2007: Work It Out

Featured appearances

★ 1988: "Black Is Black" (from the Jungle Brothers' album ''Straight Out the Jungle'')

★ 1988: "The Promo" (from the Jungle Brothers' album ''Straight Out the Jungle'')

★ 1989: "Buddy" (from the De La Soul album ''3 Feet High and Rising'')

★ 1990: "Groove Is In The Heart" (from the Deee-Lite album ''World Clique'') (US #4, UK #2)

★ 1991: "Don't Curse" (featuring Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Grand Puba, CL Smooth, Pete Rock) (from the Heavy D album ''Peaceful Journey'')

★ 1994: "Get It Together" (from The Beastie Boys album ''Ill Communication'')

★ 1994: "One Love" (from the Nas album ''Illmatic'')

★ 1994: "Get Down (Q-Tip Remix)" (Craig Mack ''Get Down'' single)

★ 1995: "All The Way Live" (from the Tha Alkaholiks album ''Coast II Coast'')

★ 1995: "To Each His Own" (from the INI album '')

★ 1995: "Drink Away The Pain (Situations)" (from the Mobb Deep album ''The Infamous'')

★ 1995: "Me and My Microphone" (from the A+ album ''Latch Key Child'')

★ 1995: "Extra Abstract Skillz" (from the Mad Skillz album ''From Where???'')

★ 1996: "Ill Vibe" (from the Busta Rhymes album ''The Coming'')

★ 1996: "Ital (Universe Side)" (from The Roots' album ''Illadelph Halflife'')

★ 1996: "3 MCs" (from Da Bush Babees' album ''Gravity'')

★ 1997: "Stolen Moments Pt. 3" (from the Common album ''One Day It'll All Make Sense'')

★ 1997: "Got 'Til It's Gone" (from the Janet Jackson album ''The Velvet Rope'')

★ 1998: "Body Rock" (featuring Mos Def and Tash) (from the album ''Lyricist Lounge, Volume One'')

★ 1999: "Get Involved" (Raphael Saadiq and Q-Tip) (UK #36)

★ 1999: "Showdown" (from the Black Moon album ''War Zone'')

★ 2000: "Hold Tight" (from the Slum Village album ''Fantastic, Vol. 2'')

★ 2001: "Girls, Girls, Girls" (from the Jay-Z album ''The Blueprint'')

★ 2000: "Makin' It Blend" (from Lyricist Lounge 2)

★ 2002: "In the Sun" (from the Large Professor album ''1st Class'')

★ 2003: "Poetry" (from The RH Factor album ''Hardgroove'')

★ 2003: "1,2 To The Bass" (from Stanley Clarke's album ''1,2 To The Bass'')

★ 2004: "The Outsiders" (from R.E.M.'s album ''Around the Sun'')

★ 2005: "Galvanize" (from the The Chemical Brothers album ''Push the Button'') (UK #3)

★ 2005: "We can make it better" (bonus track on the Kanye West album Late Registration)

★ 2005: "For The Nasty" (Busta Rhymes & Pharrell)

★ 2006: "Like That" (Black Eyed Peas featuring Talib Kweli, Cee-Lo, & John Legend)

★ 2006: "The Frog" (from the Sergio Mendes album ''Timeless'')

★ 2006: "Enuff" (featuring Lateef the Truth Speaker, from the DJ Shadow album ''The Outsider'')

★ 2006: "Get You Some", "You Can't Hold A Torch" (from the Busta Rhymes album ''The Big Bang'')

★ 2006: "Keep It Moving" (from the Hi-Tek album '')

★ 2007: "Just A Lil Dude" (from RZA’s soundtrack to '')

Films

★ 1993: ''Poetic Justice''

★ 2000: ''Disappearing Acts''

★ 2001: ''Prison Song''

★ 2002: ''Brown Sugar''

★ 2004: ''She Hate Me''

★ 2007: '' Zodiac''

External links

★

★ Village Voice interview

References

1. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,992761-2,00.html
2. [1]