A personal, unique project compared to Amplified (Q-Tip's first under his own name), Kamaal the Abstract fittingly sounds more like a solo album; whereas Amplified merely built on the digital soul of the last Tribe Called Quest album (The Love Movement), this one is wide-ranging and diverse, a relaxed, loose-limbed date. Q-Tip lays way back on these cuts, rapping in a quick, low monotone for the opener, "Feelin'," even while the song breaks into some restrained guitar grind on the choruses. Guitars, in fact, crop up all over this record. Setting aside comparisons to the contemporary record by N.E.R.D. (the ock side project of hip-hop super-producers Neptunes), Q-Tip crafted a record that pays homage to the last gasp of organically produced mainstream pop in the '70s and '80s, paying a large compliment to Prince and Stevie Wonder, even as he proves himself far more talented than D'Angelo (if not quite as soulful). The beats are pointed and clipped, to be expected on a Q-Tip record, but he allows plenty of space for the arrangements to speak, like the trim trumpet lines pacing "Even if It Is So" or allowing plenty of room for extended blowing from a flute on the warm, pastoral "Do You Dig You." The former is one of the best tracks here, Q-Tip introducing his story song with a fluid, ten-second speed-ap that says more about the plight of the single mother he adores than any other rapper could with an entire album. This wasn't the kind of record that lights up the charts -- which could account for the reason it didn't appear on the shelves in late April 2002, as expected, and only earned an official release in 2009 -- but in many ways it's superior to the released Amplified. [The 2009 release via Jive included a bonus track, "Make It Work."]
For all the talk of it as experimental, Kamaal the Abstract satisfies and soothes more than it challenges or questions.The first song on Kamaal the Abstract is titled “Feelin’”. That seems about right. So much of what A Tribe Called Quest was up to in their 10-year career was trying to capture a feeling, a vibe. When they proclaimed “We got the jazz”, it wasn’t just about the music, bu
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Q-Tip - "Blue Girl" from By Any Means T.V. on Vimeo.Above he discusses making "Blue Girl" and after the jump, "A Million Times." Q-Tip's Kamaal The Abstract drops on September 15th.
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Q-Tip: Kamaal The Abstract (Out Sept. 15th 2009) from By Any Means T.V. on Vimeo."Q -Tip talks about the making of his highly anticipated upcoming album, Kamaal The Abstract. Set for release September 15, 2009 on Battery/Jive Records. by: Mills Miller | Produced by: By Any Means"
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For all the talk of it as experimental, Kamaal the Abstract satisfies and soothes more than it challenges or questions.The first song on Kamaal the Abstract is titled “Feelin’”. That seems about right. So much of what A Tribe Called Quest was up to in their 10-year career was trying to capture a feeling, a vibe. When they proclaimed “We got the jazz”, it wasn’t just about the music, bu
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI2ubiCuN9k]Did the ninja from Angel just take a swig from a flask? Gulliest. Shit. Ever. Kamaal The Abstract, in stores now.
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This Tuesday is gonna be a huge day for music releases! For those waiting for an official release of Kamaal The Abstract, the wait is over. Q-Tip talks about the making of this album above.For those...* Summary only. Visit the site for full article!
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Yeah, we know you’re rocking to QTip’s The Renaissance, which was released earlier this year, but we have good news for Tip die-hards.His long-delayed album Kamaal the Abstract, slated originally for release in 2001, is finally dropping September 15th (my bday, what what?) on Battery Records. A musical hybrid, Kamaal was commendably avant-garde at [...]
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When an artist is on a major label, it can seem like they have to go walkin’ in artistic no-mans-land sometimes, especially when you read reports that the new album you’ve been hearing about and clamoring for is getting shelved. This is what happened in 1999 to Q-Tip’s record Kamaal The Abstract , the intended follow-up to his first solo outing, Amplified. And like most shelved albums, it le
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This album has a history. You’ve heard stories of albums being shelved for one reason or another. Usually it’s because of timing or politics, or some combination of the two. Example: Crooked I had two albums shelved at Death Row because Suge Knight wanted to focus on other artists. What happened to Tip was different. [...]
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His long-delayed album "Kamaal the Abstract", that originally was set to be released back in 2001, is finally dropping September 15th on Battery Records. The album has been re-mixed and re-mastered for sonic impact with a new track added, "Make It Work". Can't Wait! 1. Feelin’2. Do You Dig U? (feat. Gary Thomas & Kurt Rosenwinkel)3. A Million Times4. Blue Girl5. Barely In Love6. Heels7. Abstrac.
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Battery Records is going to release the shelved Q-Tip album Kamaal the Abstract in September. Kamaal the Abstract is an intensely idiosyncratic and revealing record. To that end, Q-Tip produced the entire album himself, even playing several instruments. What comes from Kamaal is a daring mélange of soul, supa-cool jazz, headnodding hip-hop, and organic pop [...]
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Here's Tip performing "Barely In Love" with the help of The Legendary Roots Crew live at the Jimmy Fallon Show. This track will be on his long-awaited album, "Kamaal the Abstract".Previous: Q-Tip - kamaal the abstract (cover + tracklist)mucho props to B.Dot
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Q-Tip - "Blue Girl" from By Any Means T.V. on Vimeo.Above he discusses making "Blue Girl" and after the jump, "A Million Times." Q-Tip's Kamaal The Abstract drops on September 15th.
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A decade later, and Q-Tip finally gets to put his album out. On September 15, Kamaal the Abstract officially sees the light of day. “In 1999, I just came out of putting out the song ‘Vivrant Thing’ and ‘Breathe and Stop’ off the Amplified album. Clive Davis signed me to Arista,” [...]
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Q-Tip is back baby and he’s got something special for his fans!! Starting today, Jive/Battery Records will be releasing daily webisodes created by Q-Tip where he discusses every track of his highly anticipated album, Kamaal The Abstract, available everywhere September 15th.There are a total of 11 webisodes: the first one can be found today at [...]
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Q-Tip: Kamaal the Abstract Q-Tip's Kamaal the Abstract is due September 15th on Battery Records and is also expected on Vinyl. I think the above is the new version of the album art. Q-Tip: Kamaal the Abstract [Earlier Version] Here's an earlier version that has seen wide...
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As we mentioned before, Q-Tip's long shelved album, Kamaal The Abstract, will finally be seeing a proper release on September 15th via Battery Records (even though it has been floating around the internets for years). In the clip above, Kamaal explains how the project came to be, and why it didn't drop in 2001 like he originally intended. Below you can listen to a few select tracks from the pro...
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Q-Tip: Kamaal The Abstract (Out Sept. 15th 2009) from By Any Means T.V. on Vimeo."Q -Tip talks about the making of his highly anticipated upcoming album, Kamaal The Abstract. Set for release September 15, 2009 on Battery/Jive Records. by: Mills Miller | Produced by: By Any Means"
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Feelin' |
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| 2 Do You Dig U? |
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| 3 A Million Times |
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| 4 Blue Girl |
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| 5 Barely in Love |
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| 6 Heels |
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| 7 Abstractionisms |
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| 8 Caring |
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| 9 Even If It Is So |
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| 10 Make It Work [*] |
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 "Kamaal the Abstract")
