Q-Tip: Kamaal The Abstract on LP

FINALLY, the unreleased 2001 recording from A Tribe Called Quest frontman!

In these hard times, we can all stand a ray of hope. Hope in our hip-hop now comes from the legendary Q-Tip, he of A Tribe Called Quest fame. His long-delayed album 'Kamaal the Abstract', slated originally for release in 2001, is finally dropping September 15th on Battery Records. A musical hybrid, Kamaal was commendably avant-garde at the time of its creation. Amazingly, it's even more apropos in 2009; given the death of musical merit and capable MCs in today's hip-hop, the time is ever-so-right for Tip.

Kamaal The Abstract is an intensly idiosyncratic and revealing record. To that end, Q-Tip produced the entire album himself, even playing several instruments. What comes from Kamaal is a daring melange of soul, supa-cool jazz, headnodding hip-hop, and organic pop magic in the vein of Stevie Wonder or Prince. Check for the superlative figures of saxophonist Kenny Garrett, a one-time member of Miles Davis' ensemble, on the breathy "Abstractionisms," or the fluid flute lines of Gary Thomas, another Davis sideman, on "Do U Dig U." Elsewhere, not Tip's ambitious production, arrangements, and even sung stylings.

But make no mistake: Kamaal the Abstract still boasts all the earmark of Q-Tip's inimitable mic control. Listen to him blaze through a spiced narrative on "Even If It Is So," or paint vivid images on "Blue Girl." The album has been re-mixed and re-mastered for sonic impact!

Q-tip is internationally known with a strong fan base and huge following from his solo career as well as A Tribe Called Quest. He has also appeared in several films such as 1993's 'Poetic Justice' and 2008's 'Cadillac Records.'