On the heels of DJing his own Beats 1 Radio Show, Q-Tip recently showed fans how to DJ a set and really brought out a lot of Hip Hop history in the process.
Recently speaking with Complex about the set, among other topics, the former Tribe Called Quest producer and emcee spoke about not only Hip Hop history but where current-day occurrences fit into that history.
When asked about the Drake and Meek Mill beef, Tip says that more important than the details of the battle between the two emcees is the conversation it sparks.
“This is not about Meek. It’s about the culture,” he said when asked about the back-and-forth. “I want this to be something that spurs conversation and interest. I want people to be like, ‘How come you didn’t put this? How come he put too much of that?’ I want to see people talk about it. I want to see people engage in it. Like, ‘I didn’t even realize he said that!’ I want people to have that kind of conversation. You can hit certain subjects and it’s just as fresh as when they first said it. When you listen to, ‘Just A Friendly Game of Baseball,’ it’s just so timely. It was so ill. It was really unique and it was a specific innovation to those lines, those bars, that choice of words, the cadence. To have that living next to ‘Fuck niggas up, laugh about it’ is just interesting. The concepts of it all are really interesting.”
Q-Tip also says that Kendrick Lamar’s verse on “Control” took him back to the early days of Hip Hop beef and cited some old Queensbridge lore involving Roxanne Shante’s beef with numerous emcees during the late 1980s.
“I was just happy for that. I love that,” he said. “I felt like, as MCs and artists in hip-hop, we’ve kind of strayed a little bit from that. I think the last person who called a whole bunch of people out was probably LL or Shante. Roxanne Shante is just a beast. I feel like she’s really unheralded. She had her first battle when she was 10. Her mother took her to this contest because there was a prize of $50. The DJ had to take the records out of the crate for her to stand on top of the crate so she could battle this dude. All she was battling were dudes. And she won. She had this crazy aptitude to come off the top of the head.”
In addition, Q-Tip spoke about a lot of his early influences growing up in New York and says Slick Rick, Kool Mo Dee, Melle Mel, Rakim and others really sparked what he was doing early on. Read the full interview here.
For additional Drake – Meek Mill coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
People are blowing this ghostwriter thing out of the water…Drake has been in the game for years before Quentin Miller…he has featured on tracks with some of the biggest lyricists in the game (Jay Z, J Cole, K Dot, Lil Wayne, Eminem) and every time he held his own….know the facts before you assume that Drake uses people to make him sound good…im not even a Drake fan, im a fan of music….i support both Drake and Meek….even though Drake won this beef….Nicki lost a friend in Drake, Rick Ross has lost a powerful muscial ally in Drake
Andy,
I guess you don’t realize how bad it is getting for Drake. He has burned a lot of bridges over the years. Meek, Nicki, and other MayBach Music artist are just the latest. Almost all of Roc Nation is not feeling him, and a bunch of solo artist. I wouldnt be surprised to see him get hurt. He is not from the states and doesn’t understand our culture. He thinks he is safe and so did a lot of other people back in the day. My guess is, we will see less of Drake by next year.
@Andy not sure what him coming from Canada has anything to do with him understanding the culture and his safety. No offence but listen to the artists from MMG Ricky Rosay included – it is absolute garbage (and I’m not hating) I still like their music on a musicality tip but you got to understand the “culture” everyone keeps talking about has been dying for the last 15 years the music the content keeps getting watered down there is no more politics and social commentary that’s why true hip hop heads (myself included) rate KDot so highly and I am from Toronto. It is a big show there is no reality to it or loyalty just money relationships fake or otherwise. Record sales count more than “truth” sorry but that is why Meek got clowned so bad. Can’t say this whole QM thing real or fabricated has left a bad taste in my mouth because as a city watching Drake come up the way he did we have so much faith in him and his talent. Will he get hurt? No we have moved so far away from Biggie and Tupac or even 50cent and Jarule these are different times. Meek will need to be smart moving forward he is truly beyond words stupid for coming at Drake the way he did and he got punished for it and lost a lot of respect because of it I think of anything he got hurt way worse he just dragged a few people down a lot by doing it Nicki (who has played it smart and kept quiet all week) and Drake included.
Man get Q-Tip the fuck outta here now
Thank u
Respect the cats who gave you this shit.
Tip is the man…the reason why a lot of producers are producing and artist are artists….sit you ass down and respect a rap god.
This is the problem with the new gen. No intelligence.
Stop making excuses for this dude. A real n!gg@ who believes in his pen would NEVER spit another dude’s verse. That’s a violtion. I know y’all young dudes don’t agree and that’s fine but don’t ever bring Drake up in a convo with anybody who came up i he 80’s or 90’s. This type of thing wasn’t allowed back then. Dude doesn’t write his own raps but gets mentioned as one of the dope lyricists of his era… LMMFAO
Most of the guys in NWA didn’t write their lyrics and Dr Dre has probably never written a thing in his life, it was definitely tolerated back then, you just didn’t have the internet to find out about it.
Drake is a great artists either way. People are trying to discredit him but how many real lyricists are as popular as Drake? Like Kendrick Lamar said, “If it was all about rapping, Killer Mike would be platinum.” Let’s put a rest to all these old rules once and for all.
So, Drake can’t use credited writers but Jay-Z (90s) can?
Got it.
The media is playing their drake hand too strong here. Making it obvious that real rap is not tolerated.
Respect to Native Tongue. Good insight by Q.T..real MCs should be authentic..but there are subgenres/levels to hip hop..the culture is about soul an feeling not sales an popularity..that being said K dot won. Peace
“I think the last person who called a whole bunch of people out was probably LL or Shante.”
LL called out between 1 to 3 people generally. 50, 2Pac and Dre/Snoop slightly more.
The only thing I “wanna know”is why didn’t Meek let his sister ghostwrite his comeback diss record for him. She did better on youtube.
So I’m dearing any mc in the game to step out position and say my name ..Dearing any emcee !!!! That was llcool j
Okay Drake may not be from the states but what does that have to do with Meek putting his foot in his mouth. Meek Mill wrote a check his ass couldn’t cash. Far as burning bridges Drake seems unbothered. Rick Ross last album was a epic fail. Let’s face it music has greatly depreciated in talent and value. I’ll stick to my old school Snoop, Dr Dre, Ice Cube, The Dog Pound, Dipset, DMX, Easy E Brotha Lynch, E-40, 2pac, Biggie, Sick Rick, LL Cool J, Nas, Jay Z, Trina, Lil Kim, Remy Ma, i cant forget at Mos Deaf , my play list goes on and on.
Can’t forget about Big L though
fuck is Q-Tip talking about when Consequence has gone on record saying he was helping Tribe Called Quest with lyrics and no one has ever disputed it.
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Times have changed haters, whether you like it or not. I’m sure rappers from the 80’s ( Rakim, Shante, LL ) didn’t care for the changes & rap artists of the 90’s, some of which got very violent ( Tupac & Biggie) but had to accept shit for what it was. Obviously rap battles today have changed too but the most important thing is there are still rap battles. Hip Hop is still here & still moving forward. It’s ok to be a little nostalgic about the times & artists you grew up hearing…but all the negative rhetoric about today’s Hip Hop is unnecessary. If you wanna stay stuck in your era rap- wise , you might as well start talking about your days using 2-way pagers or Star Tac cell phones but no one really cares lol.
Is it OK for a mc to have a ghost writer?
So besides being a drake dick sucker you are also ignorant. Forget history right? Who cares right? Are you benzino?
Droop do yourself a big favor and learn to use your brain better to understand what I was saying…before making some dumb ass comment a elementary school kid would make. Nobody said anything about forgetting HISTORY. Let me dumb shit down for you, I said people need to stop complaining about how hiphop , its artists and its battles of 20 or 10 years are better than those of today and instead embrace new shit and old shit positively. I didn’t say a thing about dickriding Drake or forgetting history like how your bird brain interpreted my comment. Evidently you are the ignorant one. Move around lol.
@riz if Jay Z can use credited writers why can’t Drake?
Who ever riding with Drake just shows how fake you are too and shows you know nothing about our hiphop culture. Meek just let us know who’s really real about their craft not someone else’s craft. Everybody still sleeping on that boi Killa Kyleon 30 days 30 death’s he told these rappers step they game up not go get a ghost writer. Lol why these cats riding with someone don’t REALly do this foREAL. I’m done if you don’t get it by now. I don’t care how much you like him or not I did too, but real recognize real. He makes good music but so does Rihanna. Different types is all I’m saying.
Really listen to wat they said u can either have a legacy like the lox or be commercial as fuck n flexible like a stripper to make millions
Drake is an actor first why the fuck is niggas jus catching this shit he never had to use his own words he’s been reading scripts for tv n now does the same with rap .. this nigga could be getting Grammy an Oscars at the same damn time it’s ok tho it jus shows how fake mfers are u fake the music u listen to is fake fuck drake u can see Meeks whole life on YouTube n that’s no movie it’s real life nappy braids n barz nigga u feel th as real hip hop not this light skin Keith sweat shit
Its all entertainment.Thats it that’s all.
I could care less about either. Tip go tour with tribe instead of bringing further attention to this spectacle
Drake is a great song maker. Meek is a real rapper. Hip hop has changed from a two bedroom apt. To a mansion with 25 rooms. From check the rhyme to flicka da wrist I’m still a fan. But J.Cole and Kendrick is the battle of words that I want to see. Meek is MC Search Drake is Hammer. “What ya say Hammer proper… “
“..Rap is not pop, if you call it that, then stop.”
That you DJ Quik?
So, are we saying its OK for other people to write your raps?
If you were going to be upset about the fact rappers use credited writers you should of shared that opinion when Jay Z used them almost a generation ago.
The lives MC out is Eminent.He proved this on Sway in the Morning.Now that’s what I call a lyrical genius.None that are out can mess with him.
Yeah but the so called niggas that’s doing it for real, dying and broke. I want to hear good shit over and over not read a niggas obituary. And since ain’t none of these niggas biggie or pac, I’m looking for the best entertainer. Cause you so called real niggas yall are not talking about shit. Fortune is gained by businessmen not thugs. Thugs gain only by downing somebody else’s shit. Fuck bitches, fuck the police,fuck this fuck that. If a thug said fuck a goat yall would be down for that too. Yall already decided fuck education,fuck morals,fuck goals, fuck pride.
Lol! Funny but true!
Well said sir!
Oops, I mean ma’am.
But you won’t be saying this if Meek Mill was the one that got ousted for having ghostwriters. The fucking double standards. There are 4-5 reference tracks. No matter how much people come to his defense, Drake’s reputation as one of the top rappers is tarnished forever. I guess you already count him as just an entertainer, cool. But we never wanna hear him say he is still the only one still doing this shit man, because all we hear him doing is spitting Quentin Miller’s lines.
Who the fuck ever said Drake was a top rapper? Thats a matter of opinon. Q-Tip been around alot longer then Drake and will still be here when Drake falls off. It has begun. Lol
Drake started from the bottom remember? Lol What a fuckin joke. What were you Drake fans thinking when you heard that one? Lol The signs are there. Its obvious dude isnt who he pretends to be.
My name is Aubrey I play the only black guy on a Canadian public access tv show. I started from the bottom of the upper middle class “ghetto” I rep the “6” whick is like the most gangsta hood ever that no one ever heard of it till I started rapping about how “hood” it is.
My name is Aubrey I play the only black guy on a Canadian public access tv show. I started from the bottom of the upper middle class “ghetto” I rep the “6” which is like the most gangsta hood ever that no one ever heard of it till I started rapping about how “hood” it is. Please buy my album! Lil Wayne thinks im cool and I write all my own lyrics.