The Renaissance

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.

I 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.

This is like the Yacht Rock of rap with a pleasant 70's soul slow jams vibe.

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.

This is amazing.

idk what it is about him, but i just can never fully get with Q-Tip. Just like with most things I've experienced from him, there are a lot of good things, a lot to like. But it's never the whole thing. Just parts of this song, or this approach, but not the subject matter.

Very cool hip-hop album. Q-Tip has a unique flow, very jazzy/R&B instrumentation. Highly recommend.

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.

Qtip is one of the best rappers of all time. Love this album

Jazzy and groove-filled - excellent lyrics and flow to the entire production

Damn! This is exactly the kind of hip-hop I love.

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.

pleasant surprise

Was okay, mix of rap and electronic but didn't listen much to it

decent hip hop album, can't say that any songs stood out much

Fucking shit

Some of the music tracks were okay. Rap just doesn't do it for me, and this entire album was monochromatic.

Very similar to other same genre music but worse, so why would you ever want to listen this?

Not the worst thing ever, but rap and hip-hop aren’t my thing. Sorry

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.

Never hear of him before, but this was great. Great beats with an old school feel, nice lyrics and flow.

Never heard of that record but wow, this was amazing! The beats and the lyrics were both great. But what else do you expect from Q-tip?

He's called Q-Tip because his songs get stuck in your ears. The more I listen to this the more I like it. Jazzy, funky, the mix of in-studio instruments and samples, lyrical and nimble rapping, what more could you want? Groovy bass playing? Check. Phat beats? Check. A good time from start to finish? Check.

I love this. Very good album. Great beats, steady progression, excellent raps. Should have realized the Tribe connection sooner. Bomb.

I adore won't trade the rest is pretty good aswell

it really blows my mind that Q-Tip doesn't come up more in conversations about the greatest rappers of all time, not to mention how talented he is as a producer. this is so funky and groovy & lyrically dense and cool, especially when you put it up against almost all of its contemporaries

It's been one of my favorite albums since it came out.

Big fan of Q-Tip. Love his voice for rap.

“well what good is an ear if a q-tip isn’t in it?” used to bump gettin’ up at parties, fuckin love this album

Track and Flow, what more could you want?

Ayer miércoles dije que era hoy. ¿Hoy es hoy? Toca nuevamente hip-hop, género para seguir curioseando. Siento vibras de Kendrick Lamar, unos años antes que él. Me he dado cuenta que éste tipo de hip-hop, ése subgénero, me agrada más que otros más "gritados" o en los que los artistas se muestran como gángsters. Un gran trabajo con tremendo groove.

Q-Tip might be my favorite rapper. I can understand everything he says. His whole vibe has always been chill. This is really nice. Saving tracks left and right. This is exactly my speed rn. 5/5

Yo Tip, why'd you drive so far for? 5/5

My weekend my start late but it sure started in style!! Super solid album, detailed, creative and fun! Nothing like my usual tunes but I can't score it anything less than perfection tbh

Always a pleasure. Q is qing.

Oh my. A delightful treat for my tired ears. The music has texture and layers! It's playful. The rap is smooth and insightful. Will definitely listen to again.

90s hip hop with a little bit of soul. I should listen to the lyrics more

Outstanding. Catchy. Amazing album.

Great running album, will relisten at some point for the lyrics

I didn’t know Q tip had a solo album

Honestly, loved this album. Not usually a fan of hip-hop but this album reminded me of driving around on a sunny day

Fun

Will be buying this one, never listened to any solo Q-Tip, ATCQ will forever be one of my favorites.

So smooth and chill. I love what Tribe records I've heard, but Q-Tip's solo work was new to me. Always fun to discover a new thread to follow from a familiar source.

The boost I needed on a crappy Monday. Prince-like funky soul with a shot of hip-hop and a slick electronica layer of polish.

funky fresh hip hop for funky fresh individuals. big beats, vinyl flips and luscious lines from q-tip all meld together to create nothing short of a hip-hop masterpiece. the album's title makes perfect sense, this album does feel like a renaissance period when it comes to this kind of material.

Oh man. This is really good. This generator has gotten me to listen to a lot of great hip hop records. God bless. Highlights: Johnny Is Dead, Gettin' Up, You, ManWomanBoogie, Life Is Better

I’ve always said that Q-Tip has one of my favorite voices in rap music. He also happens to be a fantastic producer. And the dynamic he had with the other members of A Tribe Called Quest was second to none. So I was intrigued to hear what he would be capable of by himself. Safe to say I was not expecting something to this level of quality. But why should I really be surprised? This man has been one of the most talented MCs since the groups inception. This was released in 2008, just about in the middle of Tribe’s extended hiatus period, and there is a clear evolution of his sound. Although he was 38 here, he somehow manages to sound younger than he did on his earlier work. Even ten years after The Love Movement, age has not affected this man. And with this semblance of youth comes a new kind of production style. A cleaner one. A kind that is more adjacent to soul than jazz. And while I love the jazz rap work they did with albums like The Low End Theory, I welcome this new sound. And it pays off. Because every beat is amazing. I’m really fond of the bass lines and synth patterns here. It definitely feels like it’s taking inspiration from newer modern pop rap beats. Almost all songs are produced by Fareed, and he even samples great artists like Can, Jackson 5, and Steve Howe from Yes. I do have to give a shoutout to the song Move, especially the first part, since it’s produced by the late but great J Dilla. Even with age, Fareed’s lyricism, writing capabilities, and wittiness hasn’t changed at all. And every feature is stellar, especially the ones from Raphael Saadiq and Norah Jones. They provide a beautifully melodic twist to the slick instrumentals. Fareed even provides some singing himself, like with his vocal harmonies on Gettin Up. I was really blown away by how good this is. There is not one bad song. And although it might be blasphemy that I like this more than something like The Low End Theory, doesn’t change that those are still amazing records. This just happened to go above and beyond for me. Rating: 10/10!

Makes me wish I listened to more Tribe Called Quest back in the day...

Really loved this album! A whole vibe. Classic feel...mmm.

Life Is Better, w Norah Jones! Can’t believe I’d never given this a full listen. Vibey rap

Awesome

Went into this not expecting a ton but wow this was really great. Strong from start to finish. What makes it great: Q-Tip is the only artist on the large majority of the album (something I like seeing, particularly in hip hop, where artists feature other artists on the album so to help fill their album) and no interludes. 9/10.

This is good hip hop! It’s a solid album.

The production on this is so funky and cool. Reminded me of Nujabes at times. Loved it honestly, gonna be coming back to this one.

Bardzo przyjemny chill-hop.

Great surprise. Listened twice.

Fantastic, sexy, fun, interesting, a great listen and my first new discovery

8/10 - Big surprise

Great hip hop album by an artist ive never heard of. Kanye like

The fact that this is literally my 50th album and I am just now listening to a hip hop album is horrendous. Ironic but also shameful. However I’ll let that slide since THIS was the first rap album that was given. Q-Tip is already a legend and an icon within music culture due to his pivotal role as 1/3 of the ATCQ. And it was always a bummer that I didn’t get a chance to explore his artistry outside of that…… UNTIL NOW. This is a bonafide classic. Hip hop at its core is the epitome of spoken soul music and Tip took that fact to the absolute maximum with this one. As a rap fan, if you’re reading this and haven’t heard this then you, my friend, are doing yourself a disservice. NECESSARY HIP HOP LISTENING. 6 stars.

Lyrics, flow and beats all flawless. Everyone since he started has borrowed from him, some more heavily or obviously than others. Even the younger rappers who maybe aren't ripping him off directly, they are influenced by artists influenced by Tip. He is the Prince of hip hop for me - a genius who had success but has also inspired a generation (or two) of a movement.

Anyone who doesn't write this a five is an idiot

Used to own on cd. Very cool still

16th May 2023 Listened on the drive in to London. Stayed at Cox and Dan’s overnight on my own! I loved this. 90s rap and hip hop with a soulful, funky twist.

simply amazing. the fact that he can flow for an entire minute before the beat kicks in just shows how he works a mic. i love how he went back to boom bap roots all the way in the late 00’s, yet the production still completely holds up. also the funk and jazz fusion UGH

This my first time listening to any standalone Q-Tip tracks, my only knowledge of him being from his collabs with The Chemical Brothers on "Galvanize" and "Go". Wasn't really sure to what to expect from a full Hip-Hop album of his, but I ended up really enjoying it. Really smooth and quite chill but never boring. Amazing lyricism and flow throughout. Pure vibes. Favourite: Move

Thought this was absolutely excellent

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

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

The kind of hip-hop i really like

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.

Woowwwww!!!!!!

This was one of my favorites on this list in a long time. Excellent alternate hip hop.

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 just hit a perfect spot for me.

so cool

i felt things

Loved this album. Neo soul, hip hop, funk, experimental. Great lyrics.

Surprisingly refreshing

So good

Yes. More of this, please.

Very nice. Normally not a genre I listen to. Pleasantly surprised

: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

I wasn’t excited to put this in at first but it was a banger front to back. Would listen again.

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

Fishy~

Really influential. 4.7⭐

АБСТРАКТ ЕДИНСТВЕННЫЙ МУЖЧИНА ЗАСЛУЖИВАЮЩИЙ ПРАВА

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 🏙

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.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Johny is dead, Won’t trade, You, Manwomanboogie, Life is better, Believe

No dull songs in the whole album. Very consistent. The aesthetic throughout is amazing.

Would buy

Man, ya gotta love Q-Tip. A model of consistency.

Hip Hop ISN'T dead

Really solid hip hop.

this was great! really good production, really good lyrics, enjoyed it a lot.

Really like his slow punchy style of rap, especially over the jazz like backing tracks. Every track after and including "Move" is really good.