Culture of the Week: Q-Tip

breathe and stop.

Hey guys. I'm back from my trip and here with the culture of the week. This is my "weekly" installment of things that I like that I think you should at least give a chance. Like Obama, for example. We all see how that one worked out :)

Anyway, I just got Q-Tip's new album The Renaissance. I hope you remember Q-Tip from the 90s hip-hop establishment A Tribe Called Quest, and from his solo endeavors "Breathe and Stop" and "Vivrant Thing". I just had a very deep spell of listening to Midnight Marauders on repeat, and I wanted to see what his new stuff was like. One of my friends once told me that Q-Tip's voice meshed so well with hip-hop instrumentals because it was like an instrument itself. The way his sing-song nasal tone flows over the tracks is really soothing, and definitely one of the best combinations to vibe to.

The difference between Tip and other rappers is that he sticks to the fundamentals of music; he succeeds at telling a story (no matter how ridiculous), and doesn't get caught up in anything else. That's what I liked about that era of hip hop, and that's why I've always respected rappers like Q-Tip. Check out this clip and buy the album if you like it. I did. And I liked Obama, if that's any sense of my judgment.

boom bip, bip-boom bip.