“So here we go now, it’s the midnight marauder on your scene…”

I woke up mouthing off the lyrics to “Gettin’ Up” with the gaze of a zombie kid. Now “Renaissance Rap” is stuck in my head for the rest of the day, thanks to this video. Damn, I miss Tribe.

[Props to the indomitable Rik Cordero]

In case you needed further proof that Q-Tip knows his hip-hop. Anyone who puts Rakim in the Top 3 is alright with me. “Just because you say you’re the greatest doesn’t mean you are.” Weezyiana, he’s looking at you.

On a side note, The Renaissance is a contender for Rap Album of the Year.

This is a slightly modified version of “Shaka,” off Q-Tip’s The Renaissance, due out on election day. They modified it to include an excerpt of Obama’s speech at the beginning. Whatever happened to the actual collaboration we were promised?

Haha! I’m only posting this because Q-Tip is the man. On the real, Tip, you’re wasting your breath. You can scream “Nuuuu Yawwwk” from now till Kingdom Come but it won’t help them make playoffs. With all due respect to Mike D’Antoni, the Knicks will end up with in the bottom 2 again this season.

And with Iverson now back in the East, the path to post-season just got a little harder.

Here’s Q-Tip’s “Move” music video. Directed by the incomparable Rik Cordero.

Dave has some exclusive pics of Q-Tip and Busta at the Knitting Factory.

Q-Tip - “Believe” (feat. D’Angelo)
This smoothed out groove, courtesy of Nerds with Swag, appears on The Renaissance.

Related Posts:
Q-Tip - The Renaissance Cover & Unique Tracklist
Q-Tip: “Technology Killed Hip-Hop”
Q-Tip - “Getting Up” Music Video

So you say, “OK, Riz, I see the artwork but where the fuck is the tracklist?” Well, Q-Tip being Q-Tip opted for a unique approach by listing the tracks right on the cover. So if you’re the type of buyer that tends to gauge an album’s quality by the genius of its tracklisting, this might come in handy.

Street Date: November 4, 2008 [Election Day, no less]