Q-Tip (musician)
- This article is about Q-Tip the rapper. For the brand of cotton swab, see Q-tips
Q-Tip (born Jonathan Davis on November 20 1970 in New York City), is an American rapper and record producer, and formerly of the group A Tribe Called Quest. He converted to Islam in the mid-1990s, and changed his name to Kamaal Fareed. Besides performing with his popular and successful jazz-influenced hip hop group, Tip also did production work for artists such as Nas ("One Love", Illmatic, 1994) and Janet Jackson ("Got 'Til It's Gone", The Velvet Rope, 1997). He has also made guest appearances on songs by Janet and Missy Elliott, and on Get It Together with the Beastie Boys.
A Tribe Called Quest disbanded in 1998, after which Q-Tip pursued a solo career. His first solo releases, the pop-friendly "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe and Stop", were far-left of anything he'd done in A Tribe Called Quest, as was his solo debut LP for Arista Records, Amplified. His 2002 follow-up, Kamaal the Abstract, never received official release.
A Tribe Called Quest reunited in 2004 and toured together, but Q-Tip did not join them. Early the next year, Tip signed a new solo deal with Motown Records. He collaborated with R.E.M. in 2004 on "The Outsiders," a single from their album Around the Sun. Q-Tip has also collaborated with The Chemical Brothers, performing on the single "Get Yourself High" in 2003 and on the single "Galvanize" (from their album Push the Button) in 2005.
He has also pursued an independent acting career, appearing in films such as Poetic Justice and She Hate Me, as well on TV on Chappelle's Show.
Discography
Albums
- 1999: Amplified
- 2002: Kamaal the Abstract (shelved)
Singles
- 1997: "Got 'til It's Gone" (Janet Jackson featuring Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell) (UK #6)
- 1999: "Get Involved" (Raphael Saadiq and Q-Tip) (UK #36)
- 2000: "Breathe and Stop" (US #71, UK #12)
- 2000: "Vivrant Thing" (US #26, UK #39)
- 2005: "Galvanize" (The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip) (UK #3)
- 2005: "For The Nasty" (Q-Tip featuring Busta Rhymes)
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