Q-Tip Reveals Details of First Album in Nine Years

(Swiped From Pitchfork Media)

It's been nearly a decade since butter-voiced A Tribe Called Quest MC Q-Tip dropped his solo debut, Amplified, and pretty much ever since, he's been talking about the follow-up(s). According to a Billboard.com report, the long wait for at least one new disc from the one they call the Abstract is just about over. Universal Motown will issue The Renaissance this fall (Billboard.com notes an October 14 release date, but a Q-Tip rep suggests this is tentative). Either way, about damn time!

Billboard.com writes that the nine-track set "blends live instrumentation, scratching, and samples for a sound reminiscent of the rapper's work in A Tribe Called Quest." That sentence alone should have anybody with ears clamoring, but they go on. Pending clearance of the sample, the album will open with "Shaka", which matches excerpts from a speech from presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama with a "guitar-tinged beat." There's "Fight/Love", wherein the Tipster-- alongside Raphael Saadiq-- recounts the stories of a young lady going through a bad relationship and a young soldier in Iraq. There's also the Norah Jones-assisted "Life Is Better", which finds Tip paying homage to a few of his favorite rhymers.

But wait, there's more! Amanda Diva features on a track called "ManWomanBoogie", which we're gonna guess is kind of a love song thing. There's a 1960s-flavored cut called "Won't Trade", as well as "Believe", which sporting some help from the incomparable, reclusive D'Angelo. And there's the recently Forkcasted easy on the ears first single "Gettin Up", which certainly bodes well for the rest of the set. Here's hoping this thing hits the shrinkwrap machine soon.

Ooh, and maybe this means we'll finally see Kamaal the Abstract in 2017? Or a collaboration with Nigel Godrich?

Q-Tip and the rest of the recently re-reunited Tribe Called Quest are currently out on the road with a coterie of rap royalty on the Rock the Bells tour, and Q has been supplementing the Tribe sets with a little solo Renaissance showcase.

ATCQ:
08-02 Miami, FL - Bayfront Park Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells)
08-03 Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells)
08-09 Devore, CA - Glen Helen Pavilion (Rock the Bells)
08-16 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells)
08-23 Englewood, CO - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells)
09-06 George, WA - The Gorge (Rock the Bells)

Stream: Q-Tip: Gettin Up [from the forthcoming The Renaissance LP]