Details

Track Listing 1. Wait Up 2. Higher 3. Do It 4. Moving With U 5. Let's Ride 6. Things U Do 7. All In 8. Go Hard 9. Breathe and Stop 10. Vivrant Thing 11. N.T. - (featuring Busta Rhymes) 12. End of Time - (featuring Korn)
| Details | | Contributing artists: | Busta Rhymes, Korn | | Distributor: | BMG (distributor) | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes Personnel: Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes (rap vocals); Meda Leacock (background vocals); Korn. Producers: Jay Dee, Q-Tip, DJ Scratch. Engineers include: Steve Souder, Jason Groucott, Ken "Duro" Ifill. Recorded at The Hit Factory, New York, New York. A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip has played a very important role in hip-hop. And though loyal Quest fans dreaded the day that the members of the threesome (sometimes foursome) would go their separate ways, everyone longed and waited patiently for the highly anticipated Q-Tip solo joint. With that in mind and a mic in hand, Q-Tip comes correct on his debut album, AMPLIFIED. With this album, the Abstract One makes it clear why his music has been so influential. The always-original Q-Tip is the type of rapper who makes his own trends. He also possesses nearly peerless skills as an MC and producer. The club-ready "Breathe and Stop" makes it hard for anyone to stay off the dance floor, and along with the album's other tracks, helps carry out a more mature hip-hop sound. Throughout AMPLIFIED, collaborations are kept to a minimum, allowing Q-Tip to show off his versatility. Two exceptions, however, are "End of Time," which features rock stars Korn, and "N.T.," a track on which Q-Tip shares the mic with longtime friend Busta Rhymes.
Industry Reviews 3.5 stars out of 5 - ...stew-pot hip-hop - traditional blunts, broads and braggadocio filtered through Tip's abstract lens....represents laid-back hip-hop 2 minutes into the future....it's gonna make you dance like you're on a bed of hot coals. Rolling Stone (01/20/2000)
4 stars out of 5 - ...laid-back, jazzy, ambient hip-hop....[His] focused positivity, lightness of touch and deft improvisations are a welcome antidote to the heavy-handed self-aggrandising of many gangsta rappers... Q (02/01/2000)
4 stars out of 5 - ...a gold-standard hip hop album that makes a perfect match between [Q-Tip's] rap skills and The Ummah's super-sharp production....[It] shows Q-Tip on form and roaring into the future... Muzik (02/01/2000)
Dope rhymes and, particularly, dope beats from the Tip here....his lyrics retain their former classic blend of the laid-back and the diamond sharp... NME (01/15/2000)
4 out of 5 - ...strkies an adroit balance between pop and experimental mixes....Every track is at once relentlessly slamming and melodically graceful... Alternative Press (03/01/2000)
...Tip brings much-needed wit and intelligence to the art of getting jiggy with it....club-ready booty cuts...are balanced out by classes in the traditional Tip science you've come to know and love... CMJ (12/27/1999)
...you'd be hard pressed to find more creativity on a rap album, from scrambling-for-a-dictionary lyrical flow and jazzbo guitars to Princely studio tricks....confirms that he can still kick it... - Rating: A- Entertainment Weekly (12/03/1999)
Included in Q's 50 Best Albums of 2000. Q (01/01/2001)
Ranked #48 in NME's Top 50 Albums Of The Year. NME (12/30/2000)
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