Q-Tip - The Getting Up EP
Sep 14, 2008
The lazy arses in the press have been punting the weak-ass line that 'Hip Hop is dead' for at least the last couple of years. Mind you, when one of the giants of the genre gives that title to an album, it's an easy (band) wagon to hitch a ride on. What they really mean is that the dross that occasionally makes its way into the popular consciousness can't hold a candle to either the original mainstream era of hip hop when Public Enemy were the darlings of everyone from The Guardian to the NME, or the golden age of De La and A Tribe Called Quest.
Well as anyone with even half a heart for the genre knows, hip hop's quality has never wavered on the underground; indeed it's probably at the strongest it's ever been. Artists like Madlib, MF Doom, Talib Kweli, Just Blaze and the (just because it's an over-used term doesn't make it untrue) genius that was Dilla churn out beats and rhymes by the week, much of which stands comparison with the best the genre has ever produced.
In that context, it seems bizarre to be discussing the latest track from Q-Tip. How can the leading light of the aforementioned ATCQ and J Dilla's production partner in The Ummah now be called underground? Probably because he keeps getting his long players rejected by record labels, I suppose. Both his Kamaal The Abstract and Live At The Renaissance LPs only managed to creep out on bootleg/white label releases; a truly bizarre state of affairs for records that included heavy weight tunes of the likes of 'Official' and 'Work It Out'.
His latest release has once again had only a promo offering thus far. However, this tune is deserving of a fully backed major label release. 'Getting Up' is built around a sample of Black Ivory's 'You and I', last used to much grittier effect (as you'd expect) by Madlib on his 'Understanding' track. It opens with that melancholy soulful keyboard loop and builds from there on in. A simple, but fat beat supplements the heavy live bass as the warm soulful feel builds by the bar. Strings, flute and a wonderfully backed vocal refrain all add up to make this the most feel-good hip hop record since Common reworked 'The Light' with Just Blaze at the start of the year. Over the top of all this warmth, Q-Tip rides the beat with that infectious, nagging, almost nasal flow of his, creating an underlying hint of fragility that matches the major/minor vibes of the tune itself perfectly.
The rest of the EP sees a pared down rework of the fantastic 'Work It Out' that seems to miss the point a bit, as well as the J Dilla Donut beats 'Feva' and the sublimely weird 'Lightworks' with Busta Rhymes and Talib Kweli. All are perfectly serviceable tunes with the latter standing out for its sheer nuttiness, which is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned. However, this EP is all about the main tune: 'Getting Up' certainly was appropriately titled for our house; the babies love to bounce to this one. Get on it, all you hip hop dads.
Oxton Soul Boy
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