Rating:
* * * *
For the most part, hip-hop is in bad need of a makeover. It needs to come up with something that's not simply about posturing, spouting gibberish, or even worse, some guy barking at you relentlessly. So thank the rap Gods for Q-Tip.
The main thing you notice about this old-school chap, who guested on De La Soul's classic
3 Feet High and Rising
in 1989 and was kingpin in New York's A Tribe Called Quest, is his masterful pacing and stylish phrasing about everything from starting "a clan just like the Kennedys" to gender politics.
Sadly, there has been much record company rigmarole surrounding his solo career and he has only released - officially anyway - two albums since ATCQ first disbanded in 1998. However,
The Renaissance
is a worthy, if a bit more of a laid-back follow-up to his solo debut
Amplified
released 10 years ago.
And it's more than just hip-hop. There's the minimal jungle boogie of
Manwomanboogie
; then the stealth, multiple-part dance-floor track
Move
; and
Gettin' Up
and
Shaka
are powerful without being confrontational. But it's powerhouse 60s soul diva Ruby Andrews who steals the show on
Won't Trade
which uses a beautifully chosen sample from her 1969 song
You Made A Believer Out Of Me
. It's a true highlight on an impressive album.
Scott Kara
Jussie Smollett was convicted of staging a hate crime in 2021.