Q-Tip – Kamaal The Abstract
Arista Records (Release Date: TBD)
Hip Hopish
You’ve really kind of got to feel bad for Q-Tip. I mean the guy has appeared in what could be considered both of John Singleton and Spike Lee’s worst films, his ex is shagging the ugliest man in the music industry (and he’ll hold that distinction until Zombie Joey Ramone puts out an album) and the guy has two, that’s right, two albums that got shelved! Q-Tip is on the receiving end of some vicious karma.
To make matters worse, his first shelved joint, Kamaal the Abstract could have been considered revolutionary and was ahead of its time.
Can you imagine the press that would have been generated if a member of a hip hop group known for being different went off and recorded an album that used live instruments and featured him singing more than rapping? Oh wait, of course you can… that’s the story of Andre 3000 and The Love Below.
However, it very well could have been the tale of Q-Tip and Kamaal the Abstract. Set to be released in 2002, Kamaal the Abstract was a vast departure from Q-Tip’s debut Amplified (which itself was a departure from his work with A Tribe Called Quest.) Given the fact that it was such a departure, didn’t have many obvious singles, and nearly half of the songs are over five minutes long the label scrapped the album, after they’d already sent copies to reviewers.
Fortunately we live in the age of the Internet, where albums that would in the past be considered “mythical” can now be found if you know where to look.
Upon listening to the album one can kind of appreciate the label’s position, as the album is hard to classify. It’s more than “rap” but certainly not “neo soul” or “R&B.” It’s very much an artist being artistic, which can be a tough sell.
But the album can also be great. The live instruments create a sense of vitality that’s lacking in most hip hop offerings. It’s very jazzy, which will probably remind most fans why they dug Q-Tip in the first place. You can almost picture “Barely in Love” as a single that actually gets airplay. Almost.
However, the album does have its flaws, primarily that at nine tracks any missteps really stick out. The piano driven “Caring” is a complete vibe killer and halts the momentum the album had built up to that point. “Heels”, while a dynamic groove appears to be Q-Tip confessing a foot fetish.
All in all, the album is solid, if locked in limbo. Sadly if it were released tomorrow there would be many who would accuse Q-Tip of biting Andre 3000’s style.
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