"I've known Tip for about 26 years..."
December 12, 2013 7:04 AM Subscribe
On November 21, Busta Rhymes announced that he and Q-Tip would be releasing a joint mixtape. On November 25, the two released Thank You, a single from the tape featuring Kanye West and Li'l Wayne. In a December 6 interview with RapFix Live, Rhymes explained that the tape would consist of old material that has been reworked or gone unreleased, mixtape-specific material, and songs that will be on future releases from the artists. This tape would be about their legacy, as embodied in the artwork. The day has arrived, and you can now download The Abstract and the Dragon.
Is it just me or has all this stuff been previously released in one form or another?
I think I count 3 new songs (haven't done any research just guessing) and I don't hear anything that's been "reworked". It sounds like a Busta/Q-tip compilation tape from the past 20 years.
That said, it's absolute gold. Jealous of anyone hearing this stuff for the first time, and looking forward to Busta's next album.
posted by R.F.Simpson at 8:10 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
I think I count 3 new songs (haven't done any research just guessing) and I don't hear anything that's been "reworked". It sounds like a Busta/Q-tip compilation tape from the past 20 years.
That said, it's absolute gold. Jealous of anyone hearing this stuff for the first time, and looking forward to Busta's next album.
posted by R.F.Simpson at 8:10 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Hooray! My little heart goes "rrrowr! rrowr!!".
posted by the painkiller at 9:11 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by the painkiller at 9:11 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Ok I think this is right,
New Songs:
"The Abstract and the Dragon"
"Butch and Sundance"
"We Taking Off"
"God Live Through" is an old song that has an added verse.
"Pardon My Ways" is a Busta solo snippet of a song that will appear in full on his next album.
The rest are oldies but oh-so-goodies.
Just trying to help catalog these for anyone who has most of these songs already; someone correct me if I'm wrong.
posted by R.F.Simpson at 9:36 AM on December 12, 2013
New Songs:
"The Abstract and the Dragon"
"Butch and Sundance"
"We Taking Off"
"God Live Through" is an old song that has an added verse.
"Pardon My Ways" is a Busta solo snippet of a song that will appear in full on his next album.
The rest are oldies but oh-so-goodies.
Just trying to help catalog these for anyone who has most of these songs already; someone correct me if I'm wrong.
posted by R.F.Simpson at 9:36 AM on December 12, 2013
Surely "Thank You" also counts as new?
posted by Going To Maine at 10:26 AM on December 12, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 10:26 AM on December 12, 2013
Just listened to Thank You for the first time, and wow. Does Q-Tip actually sound...better? After all these years? Maybe it's just been too long since I've heard great rapping.
And Bus now actually looks like a Bus...I see he's been spending all his time in the weight room. I really didn't expect that, either.
posted by Edgewise at 10:28 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
And Bus now actually looks like a Bus...I see he's been spending all his time in the weight room. I really didn't expect that, either.
posted by Edgewise at 10:28 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
A Q-Tip interview from December 3: "I'm producing Kanye's new album with Rick Rubin."
posted by Going To Maine at 10:46 AM on December 12, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 10:46 AM on December 12, 2013
If your iTunes split this mixtape into a bunch of separate albums, for each select Get Info -> Info and put "Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip - The Abstract & The Dragon" in the Album Artist field for each. That should re-assemble the tracks correctly into a single album.
posted by Blue Meanie at 10:48 AM on December 12, 2013
posted by Blue Meanie at 10:48 AM on December 12, 2013
"I'm producing Kanye's new album with Rick Rubin."
Woah talk about coming full circle. Kanye goes from producer making beats for other rappers, to rapper/producer of his own stuff, to rapping on beats produced by another rapper.
posted by Hoopo at 11:43 AM on December 12, 2013
Woah talk about coming full circle. Kanye goes from producer making beats for other rappers, to rapper/producer of his own stuff, to rapping on beats produced by another rapper.
posted by Hoopo at 11:43 AM on December 12, 2013
produced by another rapper.
To be fair, Tip was the primary producer on the Tribe albums. That ATCQ sound? That's Q-Tip's.
posted by grubi at 11:49 AM on December 12, 2013
To be fair, Tip was the primary producer on the Tribe albums. That ATCQ sound? That's Q-Tip's.
posted by grubi at 11:49 AM on December 12, 2013
Yeah I know--a lot of people just assume it was Ali Shaheed Mohammed. He also did Nas' "One Love", which everyone assumes was Premier.
Q-Tip is basically every bit as good a producer as he is a rapper.
posted by Hoopo at 11:52 AM on December 12, 2013
Q-Tip is basically every bit as good a producer as he is a rapper.
posted by Hoopo at 11:52 AM on December 12, 2013
nice, thanks for this.
posted by mannequito at 12:01 PM on December 12, 2013
posted by mannequito at 12:01 PM on December 12, 2013
Kanye goes from producer making beats for other rappers, to rapper/producer of his own stuff, to rapping on beats produced by another rapper.
Kanye seems to have always been super collaborative, or at least that's the idea I've gotten from other Kanye threads. Ditto from this interview with the Yeezus collaborators at Pitchfork. Q-Tip and Rick Rubin might be in that room but there's no way that he could let himself stay out of the process.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:09 PM on December 12, 2013
Kanye seems to have always been super collaborative, or at least that's the idea I've gotten from other Kanye threads. Ditto from this interview with the Yeezus collaborators at Pitchfork. Q-Tip and Rick Rubin might be in that room but there's no way that he could let himself stay out of the process.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:09 PM on December 12, 2013
Still bothers me that Kamaal/The Abstract was never released by Arista. The first time I heard the boot of it I was overjoyed that Q-Tip was taking this cool, jazzy direction. Then nothing from his label. Huge marketing mistake.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 12:10 PM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 12:10 PM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Q-Tip is basically every bit as good a producer as he is a rapper.
Careful; that could be interpreted as an insult!
posted by grubi at 11:37 AM on December 13, 2013
Careful; that could be interpreted as an insult!
posted by grubi at 11:37 AM on December 13, 2013
Finally listening to this, and I love it! I looove jazzy hip-hop.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:01 PM on December 17, 2013
posted by filthy light thief at 1:01 PM on December 17, 2013
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posted by grubi at 8:07 AM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]