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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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The Renaissance
by Q-Tip
Q-Tip returns to release his first solo album in nine years with guests such as D'Angelo, Amanda Diva, Norah Jones, and Raphael Saadiq.
| LABEL: |
Universal Motown |
| RELEASE DATE: |
04 November 2008 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Rap |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
Entertainment Weekly
His music now seems as fresh and necessary an alternative to rap's mainstream as it did when Tribe first arrived. Welcome back, old friend.
90
All Music Guide
His long-awaited return on The Renaissance is no disappointment, offering more of the same understated, aqueous grooves and fluid rapping that the Abstract Poetic has built his peerless career on.
88
Los Angeles Times
Though he gripes that fans are always bringing up Tribe, The Renaissance is a showcase for Q-Tip's cool and empathetic consciousness.
85
RapReviews.com
Whilst not quite a true Renaissance for hip hop, it certainly is a rebirth for Q-Tip--and fans of A Tribe Called Quest will dine out on this album for the next nine years too.
84
Pitchfork
It's hard to complain too much about such a brighter-day kind of record, and it feels like the perfect album at the perfect time-- released on Election Day, appropriately enough, as the ideal soundtrack for Barack Obama winning the presidency.
80
Mojo
His reliably nerdular delivery and thoughtful lyrics still make it sound box-fresh compared to the generic macho fare that still dominates mainstream hip hop. [Dec 2008, p.100]
80
Spin
Up-tempo and uplifting, this largely self-produced record blurs distinctions between accessibility and avant-gardism.
80
The Guardian
Cloaking its eclecticism with a homogenising sheen, the album's frequent changes of mood and direction dazzle.
80
Boston Globe
The disc is an affirmation that life, and hip-hop, can indeed get better.
80
Observer Music Monthly
At the end of an extraordinary year in America, hip hop is witnessing the start of its lost icon's second term.
80
NOW Magazine
So the cookie-cutter joints are tossed out the window for The Renaissance as Q-Tip attempts to show that he can creatively flow over whatever unusual progression or production twist comes along with each successive track.
80
Village Voice
After myriad delays and label woes, it's clear the interminable wait for new material was worth it.
80
Slant Magazine
The Renaissance Q-Tip reaffirms his stature as one of the hip-hop greats by waxing unassuming, cool-headed and wise.
76
cokemachineglow
The Renaissance functions as a representation that he’s never needed to say much of anything to be immensely enjoyable.
75
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It's an appropriately elegiac, bittersweet conclusion to a solid though less-than-transcendent comeback album from a hip-hop icon who has survived to make good music, even if he hasn't exactly thrived.
70
Blender
The Renaissance hints at newness, but its cushy boom-bap grooves, airy soulfulness and rhymes about struggle and redemption recall rap’s Edenic “golden age.”
70
Hot Press
Q-Tip demonstrates his unique talent in this sleek, soulful, silky-smooth hip-hop album.
70
The New York Times
Some of this works wickedly--'Believe,' the D’Angelo track, is a keeper, as is 'Gettin’ Up,' a charismatic come-on--but there are just as many small missteps.
70
Urb
In a sentence, Q-Tip’s long-awaited release looks to get people to thinking, loving, and dancing, as usual.
70
New York Magazine
Q-Tip's flow on his new disc remains mellow, freewheeling, and vaguely inspirational. But it doesn't feel relevant.
The average user rating for this album is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 21 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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