Q-Tip is well known for his critically acclaimed work as a member of A Tribe Called Quest and as a solo artist. But a cursory glance through some memorable album notes will confirm “The Abstract” has racked up some impressive production credits. From work on tracks for Mobb Deep, Craig Mack, Janet Jackson and Nas, Q-Tip has put in work both as a soloist and a member of The Ummah, the production trio featuring himself, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Dilla.
In a recent interview with Navani of Brooklynbodega.com, Q-Tip revealed his plans to keep the high-profile productions coming in through the end of 2010.
“So right now I’m working on Nas’ shit, about to work with Kanye on his shit,” Q-Tip explained. “Just trying to keep up my momentum. I’m about to work with Talib on his project. I been trying to work with ‘Hova for a while so hopefully he’ll realize the heat I got and come with it.”
RZA, Q-Tip and Pete Rock were among the names rumored to help produce Kanye West’s upcoming Good Ass Job album, but Q-Tip has been the first and only one to confirm that he will be assisting.
Q-Tip also talks about working with Dilla, the late Apache and some details on his upcoming album. The full interview is available at brooklynbodega.com.
get Just blaze 2 do the whole damn album
Kanye needs to holla at the highly underrated Ali Shaheed Muhammad for production as well…
This album is going to be amazing. Q-Tip, RZA, Pete Rock, and Kanye West all on the production!
For real. This album might redeem my faith in Kanye.
While I understand your point MIGUEL, did you really lose faith? Or were you just dissapointed with some of his product. Sometimes a break from the norm invigorates artists and challenges them…..let’s hope thats the case here.
Gotta have DJ Premier and 9th Wonder. And If they got Prince Paul then the album would def. be a masterpiece!
@ Jason:
Well, I didn’t like 808s. It was different but I just wasn’t feeling it. He did start to come back in 09 but the whole Taylor Swift scenario blew his chances for me. I hope he did some good thinking and reconsideration during his little breathing time from music. He is a good musician but he needs to shine light on his personality as well. His ego can sometimes get in the way.
Hey dumbasses kanye makes music he likes not music you like so fuck yer opinion… And he should have an ego he’s better than 90% of what’s out there and the Taylor swift thing… He just sai beyonce has one the best videos which she did and I thought she should have one too who cares anyway fuck mtv awards Grammys all that bullshit how the fuck em win over qtip and mos def they be spitting that real shit em was just talkin all this pill head druggy kill a bitch madness… That shit ain’t real… Real hip hop!!!! not this fake shit!!!!
@ Peace King:
You really think Single Ladies is one of the best videos off all time?
Jay Z would be so lucky to have Q Tip want to produce for him.
smh
Never really cared for tips beats, they were always soft and delicate, only designed for his soft ass
Who do you prefer?
If they were “only designed for his soft ass” then why did Mobb Deep, Nas and Busta Rhymes rap over his beats?
@ JASON, I prefer 9th Wonder, Jakeone, Premo, and Tomp, some producers with that hard hitting production without being to commercial, I believe these guys could help a Nas album as well
@ MIGUEL, how long ago was it when they rapped over his beats, ILLMATIC was out in 94, MOBBDEEP aint had a relevant album since like 98, my point is not everyone can keep up with the times and changing sounds, hiphop is forever evolving, and that shit tip did in the 90’s aint going to be felt in 2010
@ HRCMS:
What?! Tip’s 90s beats still sound fresh today.
My point was you said his beats were too soft and only for him when I mentioned some hardcore rappers that rhymed over them. Doesn’t matter how long ago they did it, they still did it.
And make up your mind man. Your reply to Jason listed your favorite producers that haven’t changed their style one bit (though I do like them) and you’re telling me not everyone can keep up with the times and hip hop is changing. So which is it?
@ MIGUEL always a pleasure to blog with you, your stuff always makes sense, and I can tell that you know hiphop. Bur Jakeone, and Premo, are hiphop without all the synthesizers and overly keyboarded hamonies, Tomp as you know has had success with TI, and did the beat for Kanye’s big brother, and cant tell me nothing, so these producers continue to make hit records, did you hear and like Freeways and Jakeones Stimulas package. again I have not heard anything from Qtip that ive liked in over 10 years, but was a fan of a Tribe called quest, but at this point I think his beats only serve his vision of what hiphop should is or should be, and thats a little bland, or soft to me, and in terms of Premo, have you heard his work with Royce,
HRCMS:
Sorry for sounding like an ass on the last paragraph, but I do see your point now. Looks like you know you’re hip hop too. But IMHO, I still think Q-Tip makes great music. To me it’s almost impossible to listen to “The Renaissance” and then say that it’s not a great album.
But yeah, I don’t like that over synthesized, keyboarded beats that’s common in the mainstream (G-Funk is the only subgenre that’s mastered that). To be honest, I completely missed Jake One on your list of favorites. I’m not too caught up on him, but I’ve heard some of his work and thought it was good. Don’t need to say anything about 9th and Premo, they’re already great. Toomp’s got some heaters too. He also did Nas’ “N.I.*.*.E.R” off Untitled.
Oh yeah, I just remembered that Premo did change his style somewhat when he was producing songs for Christina Aguilera in 2006 (remember Ain’t No Other Man?). Other than that, he pretty much kept the same formula for years and it’s worked for him.
*looks like you know YOUR hip hop* my bad…
yeezy will drop his old classic shit none of that auto tune sanging
itzzz bizzek biatchhh
Yeeeeeeezy! no matter what dude does in his personal life..you gotta respect the work he”s put out…well everything minus that heartbreak ahahahaha
808 is that shit… Listen to lyrics bruh..
As far as I am concerned 808’s is one of the best album of all time. That shit is DEEP!!
808 is aiight …has some hits but alot of misses too..real talk college drop out is the shit by far if u wanna talk about lyrics ahahaha..
KANYE NEEDS SOME OF THE 9TH WONDER HEAT TOO! THAT WOULD SOUND INCREDIBLE!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq6fPAKcNLs
not sure if you’ve heard it but its kanye and little brother on a 9th joint.
FUCK KANYE NAS NEEDS IT MORE THAN ANYONE. Q TIP PRODUCED ON ILLMATIC SO MAYBE HE CAN GIVE NAS SOME MORE OF THAT HEAT BECAUSE NAS NEEDS BEATS!!! LETS ALL SAY IT TOGETHER….. NAS NEEDS BEATS!!!!
NAS does pick some mediocre beats, I’ll def agree with that. He need someone to check his shit. Sometimes I sit there and scartch my head, like, really NAS…..you LIKED this shit?? But, he’s the legend, not me, so……
I think thats why Nas doesnt post high numbers in terms of sales, he good definitly use better production, but still dont think QTIP would be the answer
Some of the beats Nas picks are kind of weird but he does really good justice on them. So it evens out for me.
You guys are idiots… Beats don’t mean shit…
Nas doesn’t sell as much cuz he’s REAL most high sellers are wack and not real people they just follow the industry script and rap other peoples lines.
@HRCMS
Umm, Q-TIP has been an answer for NAS. He did a track on ILLMATIC, “ONE LOVE.” Or do u even know about that?? He also did “AMERICAN WAY” for NAS on STREET’S DISCIPLE. So Q-TIP working with NAS is really nothing new.
Are you people serious with thinking Nas doesn’t sell? HELLO…NAS HAS 9 PLATINUM ALBUMS INCLUDING “THE FIRM” ALBUM AND 1 GOLD ALBUM “UNTITLED†(WHICH WILL ADVENTUALLY GO PLATINUM)! YES…HHID WENT PLATINUM! PEOPLE THINK BECAUSE YOU DON’T SELL 500K OR MILLION IN ONE WEEK YOU DON’T SELL…LOL! HIP HOP IS SO ONE DIMENSIONAL! THERE IS A THING CALLED CONTINUAL PROGRESS AND THAT IS WHAT NAS HAS…A STEADY FLOW OF FANS WHO SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE YEARS NOT JUST THAT WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AFTER HIS ALBUM DROPS!! NO ONE HAS AN 18 YEAR CAREER SINCE 1991 IF HE DOES NOT BRING IN PROFIT! NAS HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR DAMN NEAR 2 DECADES AND HE STILL BRINGING RAP/HIP HOP JUSTICE TO THE GAME WITH SOME OF THE DOPEST LYRICS SPIT THIS YEAR! THERE ARE PLENTY OF RAP ARTISTS WITH DOPE BEATS ON THEIR ALBUMS AND THEY CAN BARELY SELL 500K THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREERS!
@Peace King: If beats mean nothing go listen to spoken word poetry, this is music. For me, beats and lyrics are equal value
@ GODS JUSTICE, I know about tip working on Nas earlier work, but that was 10, 15 years ago, tip hasnt shown me shit worth listening to since then
I hope if Premo joinz this illustrious line-up of producerz he izn’t relegated 2 just scratchin’ da hook, haz az happenend on recent albumz.
No disrespect for Qtip, but how a qtip beat gonna be hotter than a ‘Ye beat. If so, Kanye got his one hot beat, lol.
Beats don’t mean shit… it’s all about the final product…
rza thats it
I hope they keep it original. Keep the 808 rolling and another conscience rhyme for the underdog. How about some original sample as well.
man equals is stupid q-tip been comming with the bangers,and the one thing i like about kanye is when he does a product he goes all in for a certain sound and he does it faster then dr dre does,not saying he’s better you cracc babies, just he works faster yell
http://www.myspace.com/panhandoelrcorp
kanye’s last album was wack. his collabs and before tracks were reaaaaaaaaaaallly good and i hope this new album has a mix of both. jay z can kiss my butt. he too busy rapping about his ‘life’ to produce any new sound. fuck jay z.
808’s is a classic
classic garbage…….ha
GET RZA ON THAT SHIT!
http://www.reverbnation.com/savvysav#/artist/artist_videos/659615?sel_song_id=3407393&autoplay=1
wow, have you guys really heard the Renaissance? It’s a classic in my opinion. Every single song (with the exception of 1) was DOPE! I LOVED the live instruments as a production. The beats were old school yet they were fresh at the same time. Tip was tight on the mic and overall to me I thought it was a classic. Q-Tip can make good beats. He produced a lot for ATCQ (though Shaheed Muhammad did quite a bit of stuff I think.) I’m looking forward to the track he’ll produce for Kanye.
808’s & HEARTBREAK IS JUST AMAZING!! I CAN’T JUST HAVE ENOUGH OF IT!
“YE” IS WHAT I CALLED ARTIST
thats his worst album in my opinion… all about college dropout and graduation homie! I hated 808s… he is the definition of an artist though!
@CP3: Late Registration >> Graduation.
EVER GOT THERE OWN OPINIONS BUT IF U WERE EVER A KANYE FAN AND CLAIM TO NOT LIKE 808’S..I JUST CANT UNDERSTAND THAT POINT OF VIEW..808’S GOT ALL THE MAKINGS OF A CLASSIC…SUBJECT..BEATS..STYLE..SUBSTANCE..FUC IS YALL LISTENIN TOO..GET OVER THE AUTO TUNE THING..HE DID IT..HE SMASHED IT…THERE IS NO WAY U CAN RUN THRU 808’S TRACK FOR TRACK STARTING WITH SAY U WILL AND CONVINCE A TRUE “MUSIC” LOVER THAT THIS ALBUM IS WACK..WELCOME TO HEARTBREAK ALONE IS A MASTERPIECE..BAD NEWS..HEARTLESS..LOVE LOCKDOWN..THE LIST GOES ON AND ON….THE “BAD EARS” REVOLUTION IS TAKIN OVER…A BUNCH OF BACKPACKERS WIT BAD TASTE..AND GUCCI HEADS WHO CANT LISTEN TO NUTHIN ELSE…IT USED TO BE WHERE U CAN SWITCH 4 DIFFERENT CDS WIT 4 DIFFERENT STYLES AND APPRECIATE THEM FOR WHAT THEY WERE….EAST COAST NIGZ WANT A RETURN OF THE BOOM BAP SOUND..IT AINT GON HAPPEN…THAT SHIT IS PLAYED OUT AND THE SOUTH IS ON A NEVER ENDING PARTY…THE WEST COAST BEEN DEAD..AND THE MIDWEST IS FULL OF TALENT WIT NO UNITY..
“So right now I’m working on Nas’ shit”
!!!!!!!!! thats the headline as far as im concerned. can we get Kanye and Q-tip workin production on Nas’ shit?
or Kanye produce his own shit and Qtip save all that heat for Nas…