ALBUM REVIEW: “The Renaissance” (Q-Tip)
THE GOOD: Eclectic mix of beats and samples, soulful tracks, classic Tip flow.
THE BAD: Stays a little too close to the above formula, coming off as two-dimensional at times.
BOTTOM LINE: Tip returns to fine form on the mic and behind the boards.
YFWB RATING: 
4.5 Out Of 5
Hip-hop is littered with the careers of veterans who once ruled the stage and the mic, but whose glory faded over years past. Even the hottest MC of their era, it seems, now only gets an invite to jump on stage at an awards show honoring past greats. Maybe its the speed at which this thing called hip-hop evolves or maybe its a lack of respect for the “elders” of the genre, but the rap community has little use for anyone who dropped an album before Y2K.
It, frankly, looked like legendary rapper Q-Tip was on track to follow that very same path. As the charismatic leader of A Tribe Called Quest, Tip had amassed the respect and loyalty of tens of thousands of hip-hop heads – for dropping The Low End Theory alone. Q-Tip ushered in the Native Tongue era, put Busta Rhymes on, spit on songs with Janet Jackson at the peak of her fame and put out at least three classic albums with his group. That’s a career right there.
But strangely, Tip’s solo work didn’t receive the same acclaim as his catalogue with ATCQ. Released in 1999, Amplified had some commercial success, achieving gold status. Tip’s first solo outing also had two solid hits in “Vivrant Thing” and “Breath & Stop”, but did not achieve the same classic Quest status. And that was nearly 10 years ago. Since then, and a shelved album (Kamaal The Abstract ) later, very little had been heard from the Queens MC. And time waits for no mic controller.
Apparently, Tip has been spending that time refining his craft. The Renaissance showcases a Q-Tip that is virtually reborn. If heads saw the “cipher” portion of the BET awards, you know what to expect: Tip has stepped up his lyrical content and his flow. He’s running with the young wolves. Indeed, with his latest offering, Q-Tip comes at listeners like he has something to prove. He is most definitely not content to rest on his laurels.
Throughout the album, Q-Tip is able to match his flow to the beat at hand. Tip steps it up with the urgent “Move” and showcases why he’s a franchise player on “Won’t Trade”. Tip shows he can flip his style entirely (“ManWomanBoogie”) while “WeFight/WeLove” could have been a Midnight Marauders, channeling the Quest of old directly.
Entirely produced by the artist, the tracks on Renaissance are a perfect eclectic match to Tip’s delivery. Heads will be relieved to hear the core Tip sound is intact: lots of stand-up bass, funky guitars and high hats to spare (see: “Official”). But maybe its the spirit of J Dilla running through these beats, but Tip has infused a real refreshing creativity to his boom-bap (“Johnny Is Dead”, “Gettin’ Up”).
On this solid outing, There are a few misses: “You” is a disjointed love letter that unnecessarily breaks up the album; the Norah Jones-assisted shoutout track “Life Is Better” may have been better if it wasn’t on the album. At the same time, the Dilla-inspired “Shaka” isn’t for everyone.
But overall, Q-Tip has dodged the career bullet. With The Renaissance , Tip whistles past the graveyard of past MCs and largely exorcises any demons of the past. The Renaissance goes against the idea that you need to be the next cat to generate a relevant album. In one fail swoop, Q-Tip shows hip-hop how these young cats still have a lot to learn. What good is an ear if a Q-Tip isn’t in it?
Tags: Q-Tip, The Renaissance
