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Last Updated: May 7th, 2008 - 09:47:42 |
Hidden Originality
Q-Tip is perhaps best known as the front man for A Tribe
Called Quest; his slick, unique voice is instantly recognizable on any track. But few people know just how artistic and innovative Q-Tip is, due to the fact that he has only had one commercially released album. That album, Amplified, was lackluster and seemed to ride on the coattails of ATCQ’s last album, The Love Movement.
Although I personally liked “Vivrant Thing” (a single from Amplified), even I couldn’t justify the album’s overall mediocrity. But just when I had condemned one of my favorite emcees as a has-been, I learned something that shocked me: Q-Tip had finished two more albums but they were never released because the music industry believed they did not have commercial appeal.
The two albums, Kamaal The Abstract and Open, were created three years apart, in 2002 and 2005. Both albums were shelved and stowed because they did not cater to Q-Tip’s traditional audience. They were both extremely experimental, fusing jazz with pop and soul for a very chill vibe. Q-Tip sang more on these unreleased works but balanced his vocals with his rhyme.
This virtual censorship calls into question the goal of the music industry. Has music become so commercial that every innovative record and experimental sound is cast aside for the sake of money? I had to scour every corner of the Internet just to find copies of Q-Tips unreleased material. Should it really be that hard to find good music that should be on your local store’s shelves? If you are a fan of Q-Tip or A Tribe Called Quest, do some searches online for his other albums. You won’t be disappointed.
Nas’ Greatests Hits
Greatest hits albums are usually tricky because there will always be someone unsatisfied and someone’s favorite song excluded from the mix. More often than not, people will just throw up their hands in disgust, retreat to their iPods, and make their own playlist from their favorite CDs. But this is a pretty good compilation of Nas’ work.
‘Surviving The Times’ is a new track, sampling The Wiz’s ‘What Would I Do If I Could Feel’ and chronicling Nas’ rise to fame and fortune. This track also stirred up some controversy, as another less recognized emcee, Wordsmith, accused Nas of stealing his song. This accusation was later retracted. Another new addition is “Less Than An Hour,” a song featuring Cee Lo initially from the “Rush Hour 3” soundtrack. But as for the hits themselves, many favorite oldies make an appearance, including “One Love,” “One Mic,” “Got Urself A Gun” and “Made You Look.” Personally, I was disappointed that “Ether,” Nas’ vicious diss of Jay-Z, didn’t make an appearance, as it is widely hailed as the greatest diss record of all time. But, of course, that’s just a personal issue. Nas’ Greatest Hits is a well put together compilation, for the most part. Fans should enjoy it.
Liberation Now
Talib Kweli has always had the annoying habit of flying high under the radar. His quick-witted lyrics and fresh delivery has only recently been gaining the attention of mainstream America; however, his underground reputation has been solid for years. Bet you didn’t even know he had an album out produced entirely by Madlib. And I bet you probably don’t even know who Madlib is.
Released more than a year ago, Liberation was available only by Internet download for a week then was taken down. Running nine tracks long, the album was produced entirely by super-producer Madlib, well known for his work with MF DOOM (Madvillainy) and the late J Dilla (Champion Sound).
While nine tracks may seem somewhat short for a hip-hop album, they are put together skillfully and arranged with the full brilliance of the minds that created them, differing greatly from the traditional but lazy setups of regular album releases. Kweli’s concepts are fresh as well, ranging from tales of being forced into being a getaway driver for an armed robber (“Engine Runnin”), to biographical anecdotes of his entire family tree (“Happy Home”). His wordplay on the latter song is particularly sharp: “He had two sons, Stanley and Perry/ who went together like brandy and sherry/ or coke and Marion Berry.” As for the beats, Madlib is at his finest with his arrangements and samples. The two make a very fine couple…musically, of course.
The only negative for this album in my opinion is the length. It seems to end before it should.. But, everything considered, Liberation is an excellent piece of hip-hop that gets both the backpacker’s and mainstream listener’s heads noddin’.
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