Q-Tip’s sophomore solo release, The Renaissance, will finally be hitting stores Oct. 14 via Universal Motown after undergoing numerous delays.
According to Billboard, he nine-track album will feature live instrumentation, scratching and samples, much in the vein of A Tribe Called Quest.
The album’s possible opener is a track called “Shaka,” which features an excerpt of a speech by presidential candidate Barack Obama over guitar strumming. The track is not yet official, as the sound byte has yet to be cleared.
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“I start the album off with the Obama speech not just
because I’m African-American, but because I really feel like he’s a
fresh new voice and alternative from what we’ve seen in the political
scene in some time,” said Q-Tip earlier this year. “I see
similarities in his way of thinking and my way. I really like him a
lot.“
Also featured on the album is the piano-based lead single, “Getting Up,” the Raphael Saadiq-featured “Fight/Love,” which is about a girl in a difficult relationship and a man fighting in Iraq, and “Life Is Better” featuring Norah Jones, which has Q-Tip paying tribute to all of this favorite rappers, including Biz Markie, LL Cool J, Leaders of The New School, Snoop Dogg, Eazy-E, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Brand Nubian and Pimp C.
Other tracks on the album include the 60’s-inpired “Won’t Trade,” “ManWomanBoogie” with Amanda Diva, and “Believe” featuring D’Angelo.
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Currently, Q-Tip is on tour with his group A Tribe Called Quest for this summer’s Rock the Bells tour.
