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This month's featured genre: HIP-HOP Featured Artists: Q-TIP The longtime MC with pioneering alternative hip-hop trio A Tribe Called Quest, rapper Q-Tip was born Jonathan Davis in New York City on November 20, 1970. While a student at the Murray Bergtraum High School for Business Careers, he co-founded A Tribe Called Quest with fellow students Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Phife (Malik Taylor) in 1988. The following year, Q-Tip guested on De La Soul's groundbreaking 3 Feet High and Rising LP, with the two groups forever linked through their association with the Native Tongues collective. Tribe's debut single, "Description of a Fool," appeared in the summer of 1989, and after signing to Jive Records, the trio issued its debut LP, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, a year later. With its fiercely intelligent, socially progressive lyrics and brilliant fusion of rap and jazz, the group emerged as one of the most popular and influential in all of hip-hop, producing such classic LPs as 1991's The Low End Theory and 1993's Midnight Marauders before disbanding in 1998. Q-Tip then mounted a solo career with the 1999 release of Amplified. Although it was successful, he was in label limbo for many years afterward, continuing to record but rarely able to release any of his output. His sophomore set finally appeared in late 2008 and earned its title, The Renaissance.
1. Got 'Til It's Gone 2. Won't Trade 3. Gettin' Up
FUNK MASTA LOPES & SOULJA SIE Alexandre Roper and Sirius Abelle were virtual unknowns until the success of their debut album, "Yo Bootay Stank" in early 2008. From a no-name town in Central Ohio, they managed to get their music out there while appealing to a new audience. Although they are generally referred to as Hip-Hop, the music of FML&SS incorporates bits of rap, rock, techno, funk, disco, soul, and Rhythm&Blues. With no money, no background, and a whack ghetto studio, the dynamic duo managed to record an 8-track LP with the help of close friends and strong supporters. While Abelle brought his musical background to the table, Roper managed to add his impeccable sense of humor, beauty, charming charisma, great sense of style, creative limericks, luxury cars, and Hip-Hop knowledge to the beef stew. The music of FML&SS was commonly coined crappy, overproduced, substandard garbage until their hottest track "New Year" was released in early 2009 which transformed their music to catchy enjoyable songs filled with beautifully crafted synth melodies, heavy hitting 808s, memorable hooks and harmonious rhymes. Still on the lookout for a solid record deal, the talented musicians plan on taking it easy until the opportunity arises. Their goal in the music industry? To bring old-school Hip-Hop back to the streets, often ridiculing mainstream acts such as "Soulja Boi Tell 'Em" and "Vanilla Ice." Often confused by how these "joke of rappers" are so popular, FML&SS worships real hop-hop: Biggie, Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and the like. Dealing with personal, universal topics ranging from fun-filled summer days, crowded dank cities, and the downfall of hip-hop, Funk Masta Lopes and Soulja Sie are here to stay.
Songs to search for: 1. New Year 2. NYC Bayabee 3. Summa Tyme
Unfortunately, the music of Funk Masta Lopes and Soulja Sie is not available on YourQtip.com due to legal reasons. RUN D.M.C. More than any other hip-hop group, Run-D.M.C. are responsible for the sound and style of the music. As the first hardcore rap outfit, the trio set the sound and style for the next decade of rap. With their spare beats and excursions into heavy metal samples, the trio were tougher and more menacing than their predecessors Grandmaster Flash and Whodini. In the process, they opened the door for both the politicized rap of Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions, as well as the hedonistic gangsta fantasies of N.W.A. At the same time, Run-D.M.C. helped move rap from a singles-oriented genre to an album-oriented one -- they were the first hip-hop artist to construct full-fledged albums, not just collections with two singles and a bunch of filler. By the end of the '80s, Run-D.M.C. had been overtaken by the groups they had spawned, but they continued to perform to a dedicated following well into the '90s.
Songs to search for: 1. It's Like That 2. Jam-Master Jammin 3. Slow & Low (unreleased)
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