Benz and a Backpack

I’ve mentioned Native Tongues Posse and I’ve definitely discussed ATCQ’s ability to put me on a natural high, but I have yet to dedicate a Thursday to the man who is arguably one of these groups’ most illustrious members.

“If you can’t hear it, then get the wax utensils”

Jonathan Davis aka Kamaal Ibn John Fareed aka The Abstract claims he got the name Q-tip during his youth because he was skinny and had bad hair. He made his first on-record appearance on The Jungle Brother’s first LP, ‘Straight Out The Jungle’, in 1988. Super talented as a rapper, producer, singer, actor… (His role in Spike Lee’s “She Hate Me” just made him that much more appealing in real life… Just completely sweet and naive and adorable… Def makes you say “aww”.) Always good-natured, positive, light-hearted, and virtuous, but never self-righteous. I’m totally swooning now, but he’s just fuckin’ dreamy. And for real, who doesn’t love him? This man is a 10. Why can’t more boys be more like Q-Tip?

This Thursday’s throwbacks are a selection of some of my favorite Q-Tip appearances on non-Native Tongues tracks.

The Roots feat. Q-Tip: Ital (The Universal Side) (1996)

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Organized Konfusion feat. Q-Tip & O.C.: Let’s Organize (1994)

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Slum Village feat. Q-Tip: Hold Tight (2000)
“It’s The Ummah shit for real”…

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Pete Rock & InI feat. Q-Tip & Large Professor: To Each His Own (1995)

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Mad Skillz feat. Q-Tip & Large Professor: Extra Abstract Skillz (1996)

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Two summers ago I was lucky enough to catch the Paid Dues Tour at New York City’s Nokia Theatre in Times Square. I was particularly excited for it because the lineup included a bunch of artists I’d never seen in concert before: Kidz in the Hall, dudes from Boot Camp Clik, Blackalicious, GZA, all culminating in what I hoped would be a satisfying set from the godfather of hip-hop, Rakim.

I remember the show with particular clarity because my boys and I endured an hour-and-a-half-long train ride that should’ve only lasted twenty-five minutes. The stifling June heat had us sweating our shirts out while we were held in station after station by train dispatchers. People in our car were fanning themselves with whatever they had: Yankees and Mets fitteds, celebrity gossip magazines, folded-up copies of the Daily News (with a picture of a smiling Barack Obama- who’d just secured the Democratic Presidential nomination- under a headline that read: ‘HISTORY!’).

Once we pulled into 42^nd Street, we bobbed and weaved through swarms of people in the station and on the fume-filled streets (hustling because we were already way late), and by the time we got to the Nokia Theatre we’d practically melted. Making it through security felt like clouds parting to allow us entrance into a very well air-conditioned heaven.
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If you’re anything like me, then you’re a fan of the BCC. Boot Camp Clik, that is. If you prefer something more raw, something more clever, and something more funny than average, mainstream hip-hop, than BCC and its corresponding label, Duck Down Entaprizez, is the place to be. As a producer, Marco Polo fits right into Duck Down. His hard hitting drums and well-filtered bass provide something fresh, especially when compared to most hip-hop production being done nowadays. Ruste Juxx, a frequent BCC collaborator, spits with an assertiveness that could only originate in Brooklyn. The combination of the two, Marco Polo’s raw bass and Ruste Juxx’s confident flow, make for a very unique combination (see their track called Pre-eXXecution under the cut).

The tandem will be dropping an album called The eXXecution on March 23rd, 2010 on Duck Down. Hit the skip for a download, interview, and more from a duo that is undoubtedly dynamic.
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Kimbo Price, which will precede Sean P’s next major release, Mic Tyson, is almost here (October 27th)! The mixtape boasts appearances from many Boot Camp Clik members (like Rock from Heltah Skeltah) as well as Royce Da 5’9” (from Slaughterhouse). Get ready!

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