Q-Tip (rapper)

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Q-Tip
Background information
Birth name	Jonathan Davis
Also known as	Kamaal Ibn John Fareed The Abstract (Poet)
Born	November 20, 1970 (age 36)
Origin	Queens, New York City, United States
Genre(s)	Hip hop
Years active	1988–Present
Label(s)	Arista Motown
Associated acts	A Tribe Called Quest The Ummah Soulquarians

This is about the rapper. See cotton swab for the brand Q-Tips. There is also a band called The Q-Tips.

Q-Tip (born Jonathan Davis on April 10, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York), is an American rapper, actor, and hip hop producer, and is the former leader of the group A Tribe Called Quest. He converted to Islam in the mid-1990s, and changed his name to Kamaal Ibn John Fareed. The Q in Q-Tip's stage name stands for Queens, the borough of New York City that he hails from. It's also said to be a name that represents his ability to get into your ears. He also refers to himself as The Abstract and Kamaal The Abstract.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Solo Albums 3 Featured Appearances 4 Films

[edit] Biography

Q-Tip's first appearance on a major label record was on De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising. Besides performing with his popular and successful jazz-influenced hip hop group, Tip also did production work (under his production alias The Abstract or often - along with fellow Tribe member Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the late Slum Village member Jay Dee - as a part of The Ummah) for artists such as Nas ("One Love", Illmatic, 1994), Mobb Deep ("Give Up the Goods (Just Step)", "Temperature's Rising", "Drink Away The Pain"), The Infamous, 1995) and even super divas Mariah Carey ("Honey", "Butterfly" 1997) and Whitney Houston ("Fine", "Greatest Hits"). He has also made countless guest appearances, including spots on songs by Nas, Mobb Deep, and Janet Jackson. See Discography for complete appearances.

A Tribe Called Quest disbanded in 1998, after which Q-Tip pursued a solo career. His first solo singles, the pop-friendly "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe and Stop", were far-left of anything he'd done in A Tribe Called Quest, as was his solo debut LP for Arista Records, Amplified. His 2002 follow-up, Kamaal the Abstract, although critically-acclaimed, never received official release which was cited because it did not have a commercial appeal. Now, Q-Tip is set to release a new album in the spring of 2007.[1] A Tribe Called Quest reunited in 2004 and played a limited number of dates. The band was comprised of the original lineup, including Tip and occasional member Jarobi White. Early the next year, Tip signed a new solo deal with Motown Records.

As of late, Q-Tip has been very active, once again happily reunited with the full line-up of A Tribe Called Quest on the 2K7 NBA Bounce Tour, and mysteriously regaining control of his previously label-owned MySpace page. He has filled the page up with demos and rarities, (some of them from Kamaal the Abstract), and has announced he is negotiating his masters of earlier material from his previous labels and plans to release them independently. He currently resides in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

[edit] Solo Albums

• 1999: Amplified
• 2002: Kamaal the Abstract (Shelved) (To be re-released in 2007)
• 2005: Open (Shelved)
• 2007: Relive the Moment (Upcoming)

[edit] Featured Appearances

Like Pharaohe Monch, who experienced a long hiatus between solo albums, Q-Tip kept his career alive during this period by way of frequent and often classic guest appearances. The following is an extensive but incomplete list of his featured appearances and singles:

• 1988: "The Promo" (from the Jungle Brothers' album Straight Out The Jungle)
• 1990: "Groove Is In The Heart" (from the Deee-Lite album World Clique) (US #4, UK #2)
• 1991: "Don't Curse" (featuring Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Grand Puba, CL Smooth) (from the Heavy D album Peaceful Journey)
• 1994: "Get It Together" (from Beastie Boys's album Ill Communication)
• 1994: "One Love" (from Nas's album Illmatic)
• 1994: "Get Down (Q-Tip Remix)" (Craig Mack Get Down single)
• 1995: "To Each His Own" (from the INI album Center of Attention)
• 1995: "Drink Away The Pain (Situations)" (from the Mobb Deep album The Infamous)
• 1995: "Extra Abstract Skillz" (from the Mad Skillz album From Where???)
• 1997: "Stolen Moments Pt. 3" (from the Common album One Day It'll All Make Sense)
• 1997: "Got 'til It's Gone" (from the Janet Jackson album The Velvet Rope)
• 1998: "Body Rock" (featuring Mos Def and Tash) (from the album Lyricist Lounge, Volume One)
• 1999: "Get Involved" (Raphael Saadiq and Q-Tip) (UK #36)
• 1999: "Showdown" (from the Black Moon album War Zone)
• 2000: "Hold Tight" (from the Slum Village album Fantastic, Vol. 2)
• 2001: "Girls, Girls, Girls" (from the Jay-Z album The Blueprint)
• 2000: "Makin' It Blend" (from Lyricist Lounge 2)
• 2002: "In the Sun" (from the Large Professor album 1st Class)
• 2004: "The Outsiders" (from R.E.M.'s album Around the Sun)
• 2005: "Galvanize" (from the The Chemical Brothers album Push the Button) (UK #3)
• 2005: "For The Nasty" (Busta Rhymes & Pharrell)
• 2006: "Like That" (Black Eyed Peas featuring Talib Kweli, Cee-Lo, & John Legend)
• 2006: "The Frog" (from the Sergio Mendes album Timeless, featuring Will.I.Am)
• 2006: "Enuff" (DJ Shadow featuring Lateef the Truth Speaker)
• 2006: "Get You Some", "You Can't Hold A Torch" (from the Busta Rhymes album The Big Bang)
• 2006: "Keep It Moving" (from the Hi-Tek album Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip)
• 2007: "Just A Lil Dude" (from the Rza soundtrack to Afro Samurai)

[edit] Films

• 1993: Poetic Justice
• 2000: Disappearing Acts
• 2001: Prison Song
• 2004: She Hate Me

v • d • e A Tribe Called Quest
Members: Q-Tip | Phife Dawg | Ali Shaheed Muhammad | Jarobi White
Albums: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm | The Low End Theory | Midnight Marauders | Beats, Rhymes and Life | The Love Movement
Compilations: The Anthology | Hits, Rarities, and Remixes
Singles: "Bonita Applebum" | "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" | "Can I Kick It?" | "Check the Rhime" | "Jazz (We've Got)" | "Scenario" | "Hot Sex" | "Award Tour" | "Electric Relaxation" | "Oh My God" | "1nce Again" | "Stressed Out" | "Find a Way" | "Like It Like That"
See also: Native Tongues Posse | The Ummah

v • d • e Soulquarians
Groups
Black Star | Reflection Eternal | Slum Village | The Roots
Members
?uestlove | Bilal | Common | D'Angelo | Erykah Badu | J Dilla | James Poyser | Mos Def | Q-Tip | Talib Kweli
See also
Native Tongues Posse | The Ummah