Q-Tip (born Jonathan Davis, April 10, 1970, in Harlem, New York), is an American hip-hop emcee, actor, and hip hop producer, and was the leader of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest. He converted to Islam in the mid-1990s, and changed his name to Kamaal Ibn John Fareed. The Q in Q-Tip's stage name stands for Queens, the borough of New York City from which he hails. It is also said to be a name that represents his ability to get into one’s ears (as the Q-Tip cotton swab). He also refers to himself as the Abstract' (originally the Abstract Poetic) and Kamaal the Abstract.
Q-Tip has been a resident of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Biography
Early career
Besides performing with his popular and successful jazz-influenced hip hop group, Tip also did production work (under his production alias the Abstract or often—along with fellow Tribe member Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the late Slum Village member Jay Dee—as part of the Ummah) for artists such as Nas ("One Love," from Illmatic, 1994), Mobb Deep (co-producer on "Give up the Goods (Just Step)," "Temperature's Rising," and "Drink Away the Pain," from The Infamous, 1995) and even R&B divas Mariah Carey ("Honey," from Butterfly, 1997) and Whitney Houston ("Fine," from Greatest Hits).Solo career
A Tribe Called Quest disbanded in 1998, after which Q-Tip pursued a solo career. His first solo singles, "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe & Stop," were far more pop-oriented than anything he had done in A Tribe Called Quest, as was his solo debut LP for Arista Records, Amplified. His 2002 follow-up, Kamaal the Abstract, although critically acclaimed and issued a catalog number, was never released because the label believed that it did not have commercial appeal. His next album, The Renaissance, was scheduled to be released October 2007 but its current release status is unknown.A Tribe Called Quest reunited in 2006 and played a limited number of dates. The group was composed of its original lineup, including Tip and occasional member Jarobi White. Early the next year, Tip signed a new solo deal with Motown/Universal Records.
As of late, Q-Tip has been very active, once again happily reunited with the full line-up of A Tribe Called Quest on the 2K7 NBA Bounce Tour and regaining control of his previously label-owned MySpace page. He has announced that he is negotiating for the ownership of the masters of earlier material from his previous labels and plans to release them independently.
Q-Tip has recently stated that he will be forming a hip hop group with fellow rapper Common, called "The Standard."
Discography
Solo albums
- 1999: Amplified
- 2002: Kamaal the Abstract (unreleased)
- 2005: Open (unreleased)
- 2008: Abstract Innovations
- 2008: The Renaissance (2008)
Singles
- 1999: "Vivrant Thing"
- 1999: "Breathe & Stop"
- 2007: "Work It Out"
Featured appearances
- 1988: "Black Is Black", "The Promo" (from the Jungle Brothers' album Straight Out the Jungle)
- 1989: "Buddy" (from the De La Soul album 3 Feet High and Rising)
- 1990: "Groove Is In The Heart" (from the Deee-Lite album World Clique)
- 1991: "Don't Curse" (featuring Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Grand Puba, CL Smooth, Pete Rock) (from the Heavy D album Peaceful Journey)
- 1991: "La Menage" (from the Black Sheep album A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing)
- 1991: "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"" (from the De La Soul album De La Soul Is Dead)
- 1994: "Let's Organize" (from the Organized Konfusion album Stress: The Extinction Agenda)
- 1994: "Get It Together" (from The Beastie Boys album Ill Communication)
- 1994: "One Love" (from the Nas album Illmatic)
- 1994: "Get Down (Q-Tip Remix)" (Craig Mack Get Down single)
- 1995: "All The Way Live" (from the Tha Alkaholiks album Coast II Coast)
- 1995: "To Each His Own" (from the INI album Center of Attention)
- 1995: "Drink Away The Pain (Situations)" (from the Mobb Deep album The Infamous)
- 1995: "Me and My Microphone" (from the A+ album The Latch-Key Child)
- 1995: "Extra Abstract Skillz" (from the Mad Skillz album From Where???)
- 1996: "Ill Vibe" (from the Busta Rhymes album The Coming)
- 1996: "Ital (Universe Side)" (from The Roots' album Illadelph Halflife)
- 1996: "The Remedy" (feat. Common, from Get On The Bus Soundtrack)
- 1996: "3 MCs" (from Da Bush Babees' album Gravity)
- 1997: "Stolen Moments Pt. 3" (from the Common album One Day It'll All Make Sense)
- 1997: "Got 'Til It's Gone" (from the Janet Jackson album The Velvet Rope)
- 1998: "Body Rock" (featuring Mos Def and Tash) (from the album Lyricist Lounge, Volume One)
- 1998: "You" (Lucy Pearl and Q-Tip)
- 1999: "Listen" (from the Heavy D album Heavy)
- 1999: "Get Involved" (feat. Raphael Saadiq, from The PJ's Soundtrack)
- 1999: "Showdown" (from the Black Moon album War Zone)
- 2000: "Hold Tight" (from the Slum Village album Fantastic, Vol. 2)
- 2001: "Girls, Girls, Girls" (from the Jay-Z album The Blueprint)
- 2000: "Makin' It Blend" (from Lyricist Lounge 2)
- 2002: "In the Sun" (from the Large Professor album 1st Class)
- 2003: "Poetry" (from The RH Factor album Hardgroove)
- 2003: "1,2 To The Bass" (from Stanley Clarke's album 1,2 To The Bass)
- 2004: "The Outsiders" (from R.E.M.'s album Around the Sun)
- 2005: "Galvanize" (from the The Chemical Brothers album Push the Button)
- 2005: "We can make it better" (bonus track on the Kanye West album Late Registration)
- 2005: "For The Nasty" (Busta Rhymes & Pharrell)
- 2006: "Why You Wanna" (T.I. featuring Q-Tip)(Mick Boogie Remix)(From the T.I. album KING)
- 2006: "Like That" (from the Black Eyed Peas album Monkey Business)
- 2006: "The Frog" (from the Sergio Mendes album Timeless)
- 2006: "Enuff" (featuring Lateef the Truth Speaker, from the DJ Shadow album The Outsider)
- 2006: "Get You Some", "You Can't Hold A Torch" (from the Busta Rhymes album The Big Bang)
- 2006: "Keep It Moving" (from the Hi-Tek album Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip)
- 2006: "Love You Can't Borrow" (from the M-1 album Confidential)
- 2007: "Just A Lil Dude" (from RZA’s soundtrack to Afro Samurai)
- 2007: "Stop, Look, Listen" (from the Statik Selektah album Spell My Name Right: The Album)
- 2007: "Lightworks" (featuring Talib Kweli) (from the Busta Rhymes mixtape Dillagence)
- 2007: "Too Blessed" (from the Kevin Michael album Kevin Michael)
- 2008: "Sandcastle Disco" (from the album "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams" by Solange)
Films
- 1993: Poetic Justice
- 2000: Disappearing Acts
- 2001: Prison Song
- 2002: Brown Sugar
- 2004: She Hate Me
References
External links
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Last updated on Monday July 21, 2008 at 08:26:18 PDT (GMT -0700)
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