Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music team just got a little bit better, having added iconic MC Q-Tip to its ever-expanding roster. According to a press release, the former A Tribe Called Quest spitter has signed up with G.O.O.D./Def Jam to deliver his next solo set, tentatively titled The Last Zulu.
"I'm excited to be a part of the great iconic Def Jam label," Q-Tip said in a statement, explaining that the partnership reunites him with Universal Republic/Island Def Jam chairman and CEO Barry Weiss, who had previously worked with A Tribe Called Quest at Jive Records. "I'm humbled to be a part of such a storied history. To reconnect with Barry Weiss is a great thing. As far as G.O.O.D. Music, I'm excited to solidify my working relationship with Kanye, and I look forward to all the opportunities that lie ahead in our partnership. I will do my best to present the most cutting edge music I can."
As previously reported, Q-Tip has been planning The Last Zulu since late 2010, and has potentially been recording the set since February 2011. He has reportedly been in the studio recently with Rico Love, Marsha Ambrosius, Kendrick Lamar and Fiona Apple. The album is expected sometime in 2013.
The Abstract Poet had previously hinted that the disc could feature some old-school flavour, comparing his work to "When [Grandmaster] Flash and [Afrika] Bambaataa was throwing on them hard beats. It's going to have a lot of that energy, and it's going to feel really big and anthemic. It's going to be unlike anything I've done before."
In other Q-Tip news, a new documentary on the prolific Native Tongues collective is currently being prepped by director Benny Boom. Speaking in Tongues is expected to drop later this year, and will apparently focus on the music of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers and more, not the in-fighting highlighted in Michael Rapaport's Tribe doc Beats, Rhymes and Life.
"We're celebrating and educating at the same time. Michael Rapaport is a really good friend of mine. There's room in media to tell stories that may have the same components but have different approaches. And our approach is definitely more from a fan-based, educated understanding of hip hop from that era," Boom told BET, adding, "we're definitely coming from a more respectful place [than Beats, Rhymes and Life].
"I'm excited to be a part of the great iconic Def Jam label," Q-Tip said in a statement, explaining that the partnership reunites him with Universal Republic/Island Def Jam chairman and CEO Barry Weiss, who had previously worked with A Tribe Called Quest at Jive Records. "I'm humbled to be a part of such a storied history. To reconnect with Barry Weiss is a great thing. As far as G.O.O.D. Music, I'm excited to solidify my working relationship with Kanye, and I look forward to all the opportunities that lie ahead in our partnership. I will do my best to present the most cutting edge music I can."
As previously reported, Q-Tip has been planning The Last Zulu since late 2010, and has potentially been recording the set since February 2011. He has reportedly been in the studio recently with Rico Love, Marsha Ambrosius, Kendrick Lamar and Fiona Apple. The album is expected sometime in 2013.
The Abstract Poet had previously hinted that the disc could feature some old-school flavour, comparing his work to "When [Grandmaster] Flash and [Afrika] Bambaataa was throwing on them hard beats. It's going to have a lot of that energy, and it's going to feel really big and anthemic. It's going to be unlike anything I've done before."
In other Q-Tip news, a new documentary on the prolific Native Tongues collective is currently being prepped by director Benny Boom. Speaking in Tongues is expected to drop later this year, and will apparently focus on the music of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers and more, not the in-fighting highlighted in Michael Rapaport's Tribe doc Beats, Rhymes and Life.
"We're celebrating and educating at the same time. Michael Rapaport is a really good friend of mine. There's room in media to tell stories that may have the same components but have different approaches. And our approach is definitely more from a fan-based, educated understanding of hip hop from that era," Boom told BET, adding, "we're definitely coming from a more respectful place [than Beats, Rhymes and Life].
