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Q-Tip (born Jonathan Davis on April 10, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York), is an American rapper, actor, and hip hop producer, and is the former leader of the group A Tribe Called Quest. He converted to Islam in the mid-1990s, and changed his name to Kamaal Ibn John Fareed. The Q in Q-Tip's stage name stands for Queens, the borough he hails from. It's also said to be a name that represents his ability to get into your ears. He also refers to himself as The Abstract' and Kamaal The Abstract.

Biography

Besides performing with his popular and successful jazz-influenced hip hop group, Tip also did production work (under his production alias The Abstract or often - along with fellow fellow Tribe member Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the late Slum Village member Jay Dee - as a part of The Ummah) for artists such as Nas ("One Love", Illmatic, 1994), Mobb Deep ("Give Up the Goods (Just Step)", "Temperature's Rising", "Drink Away The Pain"), The Infamous, 1995) and even super divas Mariah Carey ("Honey", "Butterfly" 1997) and Whitney Houston ("Fine", "Greatest Hits"). He has also made countless guest appearances, including spots on songs by Nas, Mobb Deep, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, The Roots, Busta Rhymes, Mos Def, Kanye West, De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane, Black Eyed Peas, DJ Shadow, Raphael Saadiq, The Chemical Brothers, R.E.M., Stanley Clarke, Andy Summers, Deee-Lite, and the Beastie Boys.

A Tribe Called Quest disbanded in 1998, after which Q-Tip pursued a solo career. His first solo singles, 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, although critically-acclaimed, never received official release which was cited because it did not have a commercial appeal. Now, Q-Tip is set to release a new album entitled Relive The Moment, formerly entitled "Live at the Renaissance." There is not much information available on the album as of yet.

A Tribe Called Quest reunited in 2004 and played a limited number of dates. The band was comprised of the original lineup, including Tip and occasional member Jarobi White. Early the next year, Tip signed a new solo deal with Motown Records.

Q-Tip's most recent collaborations have been those with DJ Shadow ("Enuff" from the 2006 album The Outsider, featuring Lateef the Truthspeaker); R.E.M. ("The Outsiders" from 2004's Around the Sun); and The Chemical Brothers (the single "Galvanize", from 2005's Push the Button).

He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in films such as Prison Song, Poetic Justice, and She Hate Me, as well on television as a guest on Chappelle's Show.

As of late, Q-Tip has been very active, once again happily reunited with the full line-up of A Tribe Called Quest on the 2K7 NBA Bounce Tour, and mysteriously regaining control of his previously label-owned MySpace page. He has filled the page up with demos and rarities, (some of them from "Kamaal the Abstract"), and has announced he is negotiating his masters of earlier material from his previous labels and plans to release them independently.

He currently resides in Englewood Cliffs, a suburb in northern New Jersey.

He's also featured on a song on Kanye West's new album, Graduation. He was recently was on an overstock.com commercial.

Films

• 1993: Poetic Justice
• 2000: Disappearing Acts
• 2001: Prison Song
• 2004: She Hate Me

Discography

Albums

Solo Albums

• 1999: Amplified
• 2002: Kamaal the Abstract (Shelved)
• 2005: Open (Shelved)
• 2006: Live At The Renaissance (Shelved.. I Think)
• 2007: Relive The Moment

With A Tribe Called Quest

• 1990: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
• 1991: The Low End Theory
• 1992: Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller
• 1993: Midnight Marauders
• 1996: Beats, Rhymes and Life
• 1998: The Love Movement

Singles

• 1990: "Groove Is In The Heart" (Deee-Lite and Q-Tip)
• 1997: "Got 'til It's Gone" (Janet Jackson featuring Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell) (UK #6)
• 1998: "Body Rock" (featuring Q-Tip, Mos Def and Tash) (from the Lyricist Lounge Vol. I album)
• 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)
• 2000: "Let's Ride" (US)
• 2005: "Galvanize" (The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip) (UK #3)
• 2005: "For The Nasty" (Q-Tip featuring Busta Rhymes)
• 2006: "Like That" (Black Eyed Peas featuring Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, Cee-Lo, & John Legend)
• 2006: "The Frog" (Sergio Mendes featuring Q-Tip and Will.I.Am)
• 2006: "Enuff" (DJ Shadow featuring Q-Tip and Lateef the Truth Speaker)

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