From early on, you just knew that Q-Tip was going to come with some heat. Through classic material with A Tribe Called Quest, to burning through numerous guest appearances, the flavor of the Abstract was unmistakeable.His musical touch was felt even further. His hand was present on one of Hip-Hop’s finest works Illmatic and was unseen by the public but felt on Organized Konfusion’s second album and on Mobb Deep’s coming out party The Infamous.Following the end of the Tribe run, Q-Tip went out on his own and assaulted the charts with “Vivrant Thing” and “Breath & Stop,” totally going left of his previous bohemian projection.Here we are, in 2008, and rap is outta control. Political socio-economic forces have interrupted our sheepish existence and yet as a whole, rappers can’t seem to get off the block. In this climate we’ve also seen a market shift, where quantity and quality are pitted against each other, and style can’t seem to get along with substance the way that it used to in Hip-Hop. There is no dearth in good product by any means but there is an enormous amount of product to sort through. In this climate, Q-Tip has decided to help us out and bring us back while moving forward with the music. Without further ado, here is The Renaissance. Enjoy.