9

My co-worker peeks over the top of his monitor, eyes wide, and says, “I’m really feeling this Q-Tip right now.” I was too. I’m feeling it in the office, on the subway…I was really feeling it while people-watching at Joe’s pizza in the West Village last week. While I was having my little New York moment with the perfect soundtrack,  I had a thought; Is it mostly Tribe nostalgia, or is this album actually as good as I think it is? The funky beats, old school vibe, and classic Q-Tip flows seem almost too good (white people like “old school” hip hop).

Renaissance’s 1-2-3 punch of “Johnny is Dead,” “Won’t Trade,” and “Gettin’ Up” (one of the best tracks of the year, she said for the 20th time) is almost as good as it gets. The production on tracks like “You” and “Shaka” (which gets the Barack Obama treatment on this remix) is unbeatable. Q-Tip continues to be a master at his craft, and I’d honestly listen to him freestyle accapella on a 6 hour mixtape. His voice is, as they say, like butta. Smooth like Skippy smooth peanut butta. This is one of my favorite albums of 2008, and will surely be a popular End-of-Year-Lister.