The Renaissance
Q-Tip
2008
Album Summary
The Renaissance is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Q-Tip, released November 4, 2008, on Universal Motown Records. The follow-up to his solo debut album, Amplified (1999), it was recorded after Q-Tip's Kamaal the Abstract (2009) was initially shelved in 2002 by his former label Arista Records and his proposed effort Open was shelved by Universal Motown, both deemed commercially inadequate by the labels. The Renaissance was produced primarily by Q-Tip and features guest contributions by D'Angelo, Norah Jones, Amanda Diva, and Raphael Saadiq. The album debuted at number 11 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 34,219 copies in its first week. It produced three singles and has sold 131,200 copies in the United States. Upon its release, The Renaissance received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised Q-Tip's lyricism and production aesthetic, and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album.
WikipediaI was initially planning to listen to the first few songs and then finish the rest later, but the album was so constantly engaging that I finished the whole thing in one sitting. I think that deserves 5 stars. I loved how Q-Tip's delivery felt precise but free, how the structure of the songs was loose and not rigidly determined, and how the songs were sequenced in such a way that there was a good mixture of continuity and contrast between songs, keeping up the album's momentum till the end.
Still one of the sexiest voices in rap along with... hm... Heems? That requires further study. Anyway, while this is a leeeetle too smooth and low key for me, especially considering the heights he hit before and after, it has enough bounce to keep the dangers of easy listening at bay. And I appreciate that he always raps with a point plus one to prove.
My first thought was, yuck, another hip hop album. Not my usual fare. About halfway through I was amazed how much I liked it. This is something I wouldn’t have listened to without this site, and I’m glad I did. This is my favorite album discovery this year.
One of the best hip-hop albums I've ever listened to. Smooth-- like a good bourbon with sick beats and lyrics to match. Q-Tip taking bodies.
Q-Tip is just a boss! Excellent sampling and production from one of the best, no thug nonsense here, just mellow beats and rhymes to keep your body moving.
Made it almost to the end of track 6. Really not my sort of music and I am unable to appreciate it at all. 1/5.
Very similar to other same genre music but worse, so why would you ever want to listen this?
Some of the music tracks were okay. Rap just doesn't do it for me, and this entire album was monochromatic.
Jazzy and groove-filled - excellent lyrics and flow to the entire production
Deliciously tasty and laid back hip hop. Surprised I haven't heard of this one before.
I adore Q-Tip... Another album I was already familiar with. That voice is like dripping honey...
Good sounding music with rap. Sometimes drive, sometimes chill, great for listening.
Fantastic mix of jazz, funk, soul, rock and hip hop. Q-Tip has a fantastic flow as well. The transitions are great and the use of samples is perfect
Loved it. I've listened to it like 4 times already. No time to dig into the history but that's coming for sure!
Great album. Huge fan of old TCQ and most Native Tongues stuff from back in the day and I didn't think an album like this was possible anymore. Love the samples, scratch, beats and old skool vibe of The Renaissance. Below are some great highlights that have occupied my ears for the past couple days: Gettin Up WeFight/WeLove ManWomanBoogie Move If this was a solo album it makes me wonder what the other four members of Tribe Called Quest were doing in the studio.
Very cool hip-hop album. Q-Tip has a unique flow, very jazzy/R&B instrumentation. Highly recommend.
Favorite of the series so far. Fantastic album really loved track 2 “Won’t Trade”
1.Good intro 2.Super good song :) (ADD) this album is 5/5 im not doing more notes, this mans cadence is so good ok nvm the song you is bad imo dance on glass is FIRE
Great stuff. Didn’t know it. Jived with the Tribe called Quest and Digable Planets stuff I enjoy.
Wow, this was good. Best rap/hiphop album so far on the list. I only knew Q-Tip by way of A Tribe Called Quest, but having heard this, I should definitely check out his other solo albums as well.
Had this album as a 4* album, liked it at the time, but of course it was difficult not to compare to A Tribe Called Quest. Now after so many years it actually turned out to be much better than I remembered. It is just a very strong album and I can see why it was included on the list.
Really really liked this album. Felt like a 90s rap classic even tho it came out in 2008. Really liked the first track and move
Really like his slow punchy style of rap, especially over the jazz like backing tracks. Every track after and including "Move" is really good.
this was great! really good production, really good lyrics, enjoyed it a lot.
No dull songs in the whole album. Very consistent. The aesthetic throughout is amazing.
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Johny is dead, Won’t trade, You, Manwomanboogie, Life is better, Believe
Fresh production, excellent lyrics, musically interesting samples. What's not to love. Favorites: Move, Believe, ManWomanBoogie. This one of the most fun albums suggested so far. A real pleasure to listen to.
Приятный альбом Группу A tribe called quest я знаю, а вот сольник одного из их участников нет 🤓 Не знаю, насколько я права в своих ощущениях, но такой вот нью-йорк vibezzzzz Остается в моей медиатеке определенно 🏙
10/10 from the album cover, I was expecting something new-wave but was pleasantly surprised to hear a really awesome, progressive, electronic hip-hop album honestly, those beats slapped like a mother fucker all around fantastic
I wasn’t excited to put this in at first but it was a banger front to back. Would listen again.
:pepejam: My bose ad began with the words 'when the world gets in the way of your music.' I would like to unsubscribe from self aware ads. Fantastic production. I'm not done but i'm feelin a 5/5 today Favorite songs: Johnny Is Dead and ManWomanBoogie
Loved this album. Neo soul, hip hop, funk, experimental. Great lyrics.
Fantastic album by Q-Tip. I loved the melodies in the hooks, the laid back feel, and his flow is just so unique to him.
This was one of my favorites on this list in a long time. Excellent alternate hip hop.
Loved loved loved this album! I thought I had combed over most of the highlights of Tribe and the individual members, but this one must have totally passed me by. This was pure quality. The Norah Jones record was amazing!! D’Angelo feature at the end was so up my alley, like right in the center of my zone. I love q-tip’s delivery, I love the funkiness of the record, I love the BASS PARTS. WHO IS PLAYING THESE BASS PARTS. The sample selection is amazing, harmonically in a totally different zone if it’s own. This is really really great. Sad to have missed this album for so long.
Side one is pitch-perfect, and side two is still very good, even though I had high hopes Q-Tip would preserve the momentum until the end, (which is not exactly what happened here). Overall, *The Renaissance* doesn't exactly have that insanely *high* level of quality the first three A Tribe Called Quest albums had. But it's still often brilliant and groovy. I should have listened to that one earlier. Thanks to this app, I just did. 4,5/5, rounded up to 5 here. Because this thing deserves to have a higher overall score. And also, I'm pushing for the maximum grade because I'm sick and tired of weirdoes in here who go to the bottom of the reviews, where the 1/5 assessments are, so as to select unoriginal ones, going "It looks OK for fans of the genre, but I don't like rap" (a perfectly valid opinion per se), and then "like" those short uninteresting assessments so as to put them in the forefront of the review section. Tell me you have a problem with rap merely *existing* without telling me you have a problem with rap existing. Jeeze, I wonder why you can't see that happening with other genres like country or rock, huh? 🤔 Number of albums left to review: 643 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 179 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 84 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 100
My One Album A Day for today was Q-Tip's The Renaissance. The first couple of tracks didn't do much for me and was worried I wasn't going to love it but it really builds up and is a Good Album
feels older than it is, probly becuase hes a 90s hip hop dude and the recording apparently started in fuckin 2002. how the hell did this take so long to make?? like its pretty good but its not THAT good. solid tunes, was a good time.
great album, never listened prior some real gems here, you & we fight/we love, so good
Q-Tip is still one of the best MCs to ever grace the mic. It's a solid record with some good beats and bars. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Gettin Up", "WeFight/WeLove", "Shaka"
I'm an unabashed fan of experimental hiphop and this fits the bill. The lyricism is clever, the content is (for the most part) interesting and, at times, real heavy. I like that. The biggest issue with it that the tracks start to sort of blend together about a third of the way through. There are a few that break the mold but, for the most part, it's a pretty one-note album. No bangers, very little fire. Still real good, though. Just not 5-star fare.
Super chill and easy to listen to. Really enjoyed it. Kind of jazzy, feels positive, but a little old school style. Like a more upbeat Tribe Called Quest.
Mmm det e bra! Oldschool, men ändå modern rap. Man rycks med! Lite hissmusik för coola personer.
Like the sound of this with the combination of live instrumentation and samples. Really natural and organic feel and flow. Also like that it's simply Q Tip as the MC and not bogged down in too many guest MCs. He brings in singers to sing but not to rap. Bonus points with me: he covers/samples Can on "Manwomanboogie"
Super funky hip-hop album by an artist I'd never encountered before. I really, really enjoyed it. I was a bit hesitant at first as I'm not a huge fan of a lot of post 90s hip-hop, but every song felt like some banger that I'd known all along. Outstanding album with some really introspective and interesting themes & lyrics.
First few times I heard Q-Tip was randomly on the radio, and each time I would be like WHO IS THIS?? It was not like anything else I had heard. Something about the combination of his unique voice and the jazz and funkiness of the samples keep his sound really tight and fresh, and is showcased well on this album.
So smooth, so funky - sounds great whether you're tuning into the lyrics or not. Fave track - "Move", for the awesomely funky sample usage. Apparently that track was produced by J Dilla, who I know has an amazing reputation, but I've never really got what the fuss was about...
Jazz funk fused with Hip-hop, very cool sound. Lyrics are well thought out as well.