Q-Tip

Artist Image: Q-Tip
Attribution
Image Credit: docmonstereyes (it's from Flickr), CC BY 2.0

Biography

Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop recording artist from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest. John Bush of Allmusic called him "the best rapper/producer in hip-hop history," while editors of About.com placed him on their list of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers, as well as placing him on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007). In 2012, The Source ranked him #20 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. Born Jonathan Davis on April 10, 1970 in Harlem, he converted to Islam in the mid-1990s, and changed his name to Kamaal Ibn John Fareed. He moved to St. Albans, Queens as a child. As referenced in the song "Check the Rhime", he mostly resided at Linden Boulevard. His father was from Montserrat, a British territory in the eastern Caribbean. His mother is an African-American from Alabama. His sister, Gwen, is eight years older than he is. He attended Murry Bergtraum High School in Manhattan, New York. According to Fareed, he was given his stage name by Afrika Baby Bam of Jungle Brothers, which he used as a replacement for his prior name, MC Love Child. He has also said that the Q in Q-Tip stands for Queens and he is often referred to as Tip, which later caused problems when a Southern rapper, now known as T.I., signed to Arista Records and attempted to use the stage name Tip, which was later shortened to T.I. to avoid confusion with his then-labelmate Q-Tip. Throughout his career, he also called himself "The Abstract". He said that one of the main people in his life that inspired him was his childhood friend, Mohammed Sead. Q-Tip lives in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. He is the cousin of Consequence, who was featured heavily on Beats, Rhymes, and Life. According to a DNA analysis, he descended, mainly, from the Jola people of Guinea Bissau. Q-Tip is a founding member of the critically acclaimed hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, in 1985, together with his high school friends Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White. The band signed to Jive Records and released five studio albums during its initial run. The band split up in 1998. A Tribe Called Quest reunited in 2006 and played a limited number of dates. The group was composed of its original lineup, including Q-Tip and occasional member Jarobi. Q-Tip provided the rap element of the highly successful 1990 track "Groove Is in the Heart" performed by Deee-Lite, rapped on the 1994 Beastie Boys track "Get It Together", and on the 2005 Chemical Brothers track "Galvanize". After the breakup of the group, Q-Tip pursued a solo career. His first solo singles, "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe & Stop", were far more pop-oriented than anything he had 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 and issued a catalog number, wasn't released at that time because the label believed that it did not have commercial appeal. Q-Tip featured on R.E.M.'s 2004 album Around the Sun during this period, with a rap on "The Outsiders". Early 2007, Q-Tip signed a new solo deal with Motown/Universal Records. In 2008, Q-Tip appeared on DJ/producer Statik Selektah's first album Spell My Name Right, on the tracks "Stop, Look, & Listen" with Styles P and Termanology. His latest album The Renaissance was released on November 4, 2008, through Universal Motown and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2010 Grammys. Kamaal/The Abstract was finally released on September 15, 2009, on Battery Records after being shelved for seven years. Q-Tip is among a group of producers who were brought in by Kanye West to work on his fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. He appeared in 2010 on Mark Ronson's album, Record Collection, on the song entitled "Bang Bang Bang" with MNDR, for which a video was released. For Kanye West's and Jay-Z's collaborative album Watch The Throne he produced "That's My Bitch" and co-produced "Lift Off". Q-Tip was the headliner at the 2011 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival with a set called, 'Q-Tip and Friends'. Accompanying him on stage were Monie Love, Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, and Kanye West. Q-Tip produced the first three A Tribe Called Quest albums almost entirely by himself, with the exception of contributions from Skeff Anselm ("Eight Million Stories", "Everything Is Fair") and Large Professor ("Keep It Rolling"). Q-Tip did production work as part of the production company The Ummah, alongside fellow Tribe member Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the late Slum Village member J Dilla. Outside of his work with Tribe, Q-Tip produced for such artists as Apache ("Gangsta Bitch", 1993), Nas ("One Love", from Illmatic, 1994), Mobb Deep ("Give up the Goods (Just Step)", "Temperature's Rising", and "Drink Away the Pain", from The Infamous, 1995) and R&B singers Mariah Carey ("Honey", from Butterfly, 1997) and Whitney Houston ("Fine", from Whitney: The Greatest Hits). He co-wrote and featured in Janet Jackson's song "Got 'til It's Gone" from the album The Velvet Rope in 1997. He co-produced jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel's 2003 release Heartcore. He is/has been involved with producing for Esperanza Spalding, Mary J. Blige, RZA, Wale, Asher Roth, Chiddy Bang, Melanie Fiona, Mark Ronson, Busta Rhymes, Beyoncé, Phife Dawg, D'Angelo, Questlove, Kanye West, Roc Marciano, and Jay-Z. On March 18, 2013, Q-Tip was a Special Guest of Honor for the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding at the home of Def Jam Records Founder, Russell Simmons, who serves as Chairman of The Foundation. Q-Tip was invited by friend Ali Naqvi, who is a Trustee of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and Chairman of MindShare Ventures Group in New York City. Q-Tip received this invitation to be Special Guest of Honor, for being one of the most successful Muslim music artists and producers in the world. Fareed regularly acts as a DJ, most notably at Santos Party House where he hosted a weekly residency called OPEN. At Paper magazine's 2008 Nightlife Awards, OPEN was named "Best DJ Night"

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1970
Number of Albums 10
Record Label
Website
Wikipedia Q-Tip on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

What style of hip hop production is Abstract noted for?

innovative jazzinfluenced

... (disambiguation). Nicknamed The Abstract, he is noted for his innovative jazzinfluenced style of hip hop production and his philosophical, esoteric a...
What was his gold certified solo debut?

Amplified

...am The Ummah, followed by the release of his gold certified solo debut Amplified in 1999. In the following decade, he released the Grammy Award nomina...
When was Amplified released?

1999

...h, followed by the release of his gold certified solo debut Amplified in 1999 . In the following decade, he released the Grammy Award nominated album T...
What album did he release in 2008?

The Renaissance

... the following decade, he released the Grammy Award nominated album The Renaissance (2008) and the experimental album Kamaal the Abstract (2009). As a...
What was the name of the album he released in 2009?

Kamaal the Abstract

...nominated album The Renaissance (2008) and the experimental album Kamaal the Abstract (2009). As a DJ, he has hosted the Apple Music 1 radio show Abst...
Who called him the best rapperproducer in hiphop history?

John Bush

... he has hosted the Apple Music 1 radio show Abstract Radio since 2015. John Bush of AllMusic called him the best rapperproducer in hiphop history, whi...
How many times did About.com place him on their list of the Top 25 HipHop Producers?

17

...him the best rapperproducer in hiphop history, while About.com placed him 17 on their list of the Top 25 HipHop Producers, as well as placing him 38 o...
What year did The Source rank Davis 20 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time?

2012

... placing him 38 on their list of the 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time. In 2012 , The Source ranked him 20 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All T...
What was Davis' father's name?

Jonathan Davis II

... 20 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. His father, Jonathan Davis II , emigrated from the Caribbean island of Montserrat and was raised...
In what year was QTip born?

1970

...lled Quest. Born Jonathan William Davis in New York City on November 20, 1970 , QTip cofounded A Tribe Called Quest in 1988 with schoolmates Ali Shahee...
In what year did QTip cofound A Tribe Called Quest?

1988

...w York City on November 20, 1970, QTip cofounded A Tribe Called Quest in 1988 with schoolmates Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Malik Phife Dawg Taylor while ...
What year was Kamaal the Abstract completed?

2002

...afterward. His Amplified followup, Kamaal the Abstract, was completed in 2002 but halted by Arista; it would not receive an official release until 200...
When was Kamaal the Abstract released?

2009

...002 but halted by Arista; it would not receive an official release until 2009 on Jive Records. Before that, his de facto sophomore set appeared in lat...
Who passed away in 2016?

Phife Dawg

... of notable tracks for other artists. In 2016, QTip and Tribe reunited and recorded their sixth album, just before the untimely passing of Phife Dawg ....
What did Mariah Carey call him out for in her memoirs?

his bad personality

...gh she praised his manhood in her memoirs, she called him out for his bad personality . Mariah Carey He has also been linked with Mariah Carey, a singe...
Who was reported to be going out with rapper and actor Angie Martinez?

QTip

...e Queen of Christmas. Angie Martinez In the second half of the nineties, QTip was reported to be going out with rapper and actor Angie Martinez. Altho...
Who made their relationship public?

Wendy Williams

...air. It has been widely reported that radio personality and TV host Wendy Williams had made their relationship public. Due to this very reason, Martin...
How old was Jonathan Williams Davis when he was born?

50

...Davis Also known as The Abstract, The Lone Ranger Born 10 April 1970 (age 50 ) Manhattan, New York, U.S. He was a part of the hip hop group A Tribe Cal...
What was the name of the hip hop band that Jonathan was part of in the 1990s?

A Tribe Called Quest

...50) Manhattan, New York, U.S. He was a part of the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest , which released a stream of critically acclaimed albums througho...
How many albums has QTip released?

four

...fter the group split up, QTip embarked on a solo career and has released four albums. Born Jonathan William Davis in Harlem, he moved to Queens as a c...
When did he form A Tribe Called Quest?

1989

...oul, which he used as a replacement for his prior name MC Love Child. In 1989 , he formed A Tribe Called Quest with his high school friends Phife Dawg,...
Who were his high school friends?

Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White

... A Tribe Called Quest with his high school friends Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White . The group signed to Jive Records and released fi...
What label did QTip sign to release his debut album?

Arista Records

... and released five studios albums before dissolving. QTip signed to Arista Records to release his solo debut album, Amplified, in 1999, which was more...
How many studio albums did the group release before dissolving?

five

...Muhammad and Jarobi White. The group signed to Jive Records and released five studios albums before dissolving. QTip signed to Arista Records to relea...
What is QTips birth name?

Jonathan William Davis

...s but are known by a professional name. But QTips birth name is Jonathan William Davis which changed to Kamaal Ibn John Fareed after taking Islam. He ...
What is the nickname of the rapper, DJ, and actor?

The Abstract

...r taking Islam. He is a rapper, DJ, and actor known by his nickname, The Abstract . He is popularly known for introducing jazzrap as a genre in hiphop....
Along with Jay Dee, who cofounded the production team The Ummah?

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

...so cofounded the production team The Ummah alongside Jay Dee and Ali Shaheed Muhammad . For his contribution to the music sector, QTip was nominated an...
How many times was QTip nominated for the Soul Train Music Awards in 2000?

twice

...s nominated and recognized with many honourable awards. He was nominated twice for Soul Train Music Awards in 2000 in the category of Best R&BSoul or ...
How many Grammy Awards nominations did QTip receive in his career?

10

...ar, the rapper got a nomination for MTV Video Music Awards. QTip received 10 Grammy Awards nominations in his career since 1997, among which he could ...
In what decade did he begin his music career?

1980s

...ntrospective lyrical themes. He embarked on his music career in the late 1980s , as an MC and main producer of the influential alternative hip hop grou...
In the mid-1990s, he cofounded what production team?

The Ummah

... Tribe Called Quest. In the mid1990s, he cofounded the production team The Ummah , followed by the release of his goldcertified solo debut Amplified in...
How long has QTip hosted the Apple Music 1 radio show Abstract Radio?

since 2015

...t. As a DJ, he has hosted the Apple Music 1 radio show Abstract Radio since 2015 . In 2016, QTip was named the artistic director for hip hop culture at...
In what year was he named artistic director for hip hop culture at the Kennedy Center?

2016

...he has hosted the Apple Music 1 radio show Abstract Radio since 2015. In 2016 , QTip was named the artistic director for hip hop culture at the Kennedy...
Where is the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music located?

New York University

...in 2018, he became the instructor of a jazz and hip hop course at New York University 's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. John Bush of AllMusic...
In 2012, The Source ranked him what?

20 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time

...pers of All Time. In 2012, The Source ranked him 20 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time . His father, Jonathan Davis II, emigrated from t...
What Caribbean island did II emigrate from?

Montserrat

... the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. His father, Jonathan Davis II, emigrated from the Caribbean island of Montserrat and was raised in Cleveland, Ohio....