I know there are some pretty knowledgeable folks around here and I was wondering if anyone knew why Arista hasn't released this album.

For those who haven't heard it, I recommend you find it on Kazaa and download it.

OnTheCorner said:

According to Q tip, When LA Reid originally heard it, he was saying stuff like , "Wow , this is different...Your'e Challenging me", but then ,month after month went by, and they kept pushing the release date back further...then nothing...When he stopped hearing from Reid, Q realized that they weren't going to put it out, and he got out of his contract. Arista finally said they wouldn't know how to market it (What makes matters worse is the fact that the following year they put out Outkast's Speakerboxx/The Love Below album which obviously was a smash and got rave reviews! Qtip was most recently signed with Dreamworks and had his new album, "Open" ready to drop earlier this year, but, since Universal bought Dreamworks, I haven't heard anything else . It almost sounds like the same ol' thing all over again.( BTW, Tip said he was going to try to get the rights to release Kamaal the Abstract on his own...)
[This message was edited Tue Jun 15 14:02:54 2004 by paligap]

http://www.vibe.com/modul...nueArticle
slide-show included...

"I am really disappointed that Kamaal wasn't released," Q-Tip says. "LA Reid didn't know what to do with it; then, three years later, they release Outkast. What Outkast is doing now, those are the kinds of sounds that are on Kamaal the Abstract. Maybe even a little more out. Kamaal was just me, guerrilla. I did a lot of overdubs and sampling. I hope to release it my own label, Abstract Artworks."

"WOW, THAT IS WEIRD"

Open brings Q-Tip full circle, pushing the sonic edge just as Tribe-lovers knew he always would. Open matches Q-Tip's jazz jones with crunching neo-metal guitars, rhythmically jagged arrangements and live drumming that bridges the rock/hip-hop divide like a Zeppelin beat funkdafied by drummer extraordinaire Bernard Purdie. Open crosses avant jazz with funk, funk with rock and rock with hip-hop, all drenched in jazzy jam-band aesthetics. It's outside R&B for listeners in need of musical meat.

"I wanted to make people pay attention now, for better or worse, something that makes you say, 'Wow, that is weird,'" Q-Tip says. "Open is a totally new approach for me. I want to become a really good songwriter - eventually, a great songwriter. The Tribe stuff was great, and I want to rediscover that again."

From the stunning opener, "Johnny Dead" ("It's about the spirit of America being dead," Q-Tip says), to the cross-cutting melodies of "Taggin and Bombin" and "Hard" (featuring Common) to the hopscotch hook of "The Circus Is Here," Q-Tip delivers Open as his challenge to rock and hip-hop musicians alike. A slow love jam ("Request") weighs in, as does a party song or two ("Be Brave" with Outkast's Andre 3000). It all culminates in "Compute," in which a funk piano bounces against a lengthy guitar solo and tails off with the solace of a Clavia Nord Lead 2 organ sound.


read the rest at: http://articles.findartic..._113749570

I am sooo glad to hear he' s pushing on. I have the Kamaal tracks and will buy if they are ever released. Are the OPEN tracks online,as well? I love TIP!

"Open is scheduled to be released for February, 2004"

Damn, it sounds like its happening again.

I wonder if during moments like these, people say, "man, Prince was right."?

I also wonder if Prince has ever thought of using npg records as an outlet for these people. And not in a Chaka Khan/Larry Graham type way, even though Come 2 my House was pretty good.

Anyways...

Kamaal the abstract is a pretty cool album. More focused on the jazz/soul side as opposed to the rapping - standout song for me is 'barley in love', which actually sounds quite Lennon-esque!?!?!

phunkymunky said:

yes,"barely in love" is cool!Crazy thing is that all the major mags critiqued Kamaal and then it disappeared. That seems so wrong.

OnTheCorner said:

I agree.I think this would be a great way for Prince to use his resources,elevate NPG to a hip label status,and make a lil' cash for himself AND OTHERS. cHAKA'S ALBUM WAS GOOD.

iI still think that artists like Sananda,Tip,Digital Underground,and some others would thrive at NPG. Prince could make his label so chic and artists would have more freedom because expectations would not be so ridiculous. And small deals could be made w/majors for dstribution only! Prince could really thrive and be a true artists' advocate.

rockwilder said:

but would he allow them to own their masters/material????
Would he allow them to release their albums before his?
Would he allow them to tour while he's touring?

OnTheCorner said:

To sum it up in a nutshell, L.A. Reid wasn't feeling Tip's vision with the album and Tip really wanted to release it under his actual name, Kamal, but Reid felt the consumers would be thrown off as to who it actually was.

why does he want to use his real name all of a sudden?
Is he too grown, for "Q-Tip"?
*snaps_finger*
Wait!
I know what it is....
It's Post-Traumatic-Diva Syndrome.
It's that same disease that Dre n' Com got when Badu f:censored:ed them up.
Janet Jackson left him high and dry for Dupri and it got to him.

mochalox said:

mochalox said:

Tip's real name is John Davis or something and then he became...Q-Tip.He became a Muslim years ago and became Kamaal.Plus,Tip was a rapper and producer and Kamaal is a complete artist who communicates through any musical form he wishes. Tip ,obviously,loves "straight -ahead"jazz,but he loves classic rock,also and many other things. "Q-Tip" had become limited in what the audience would allow him to do.So did the label.Look at his very uneven solo album.It shoulda' been a classic.And people are stillw aiting on his full return to form. Whenever his name is brought up all the girls and guys have only positive things to say about him. He is a slightly more hip Talib Kweli or Mos Def. I do think he should find a way to release things with a label who will love him for who he be.

bad actor