| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | Sporting a delivery so deceptively laid-back that listeners had no idea they were riding the next wave of hip-hop's [r]evolution, A Tribe Called Quest ushered in the '90s with "People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm," an LP which delivered on its subtitle's dedication to the art of moving butts. With his baby face and his helium-spiked voice, Q-Tip The Abstract Poet became the group's instant focal and vocal axis.Arguably, the MC could be seen as the genesis of the "rap guest on mainstream pop song" phenomenon, thanks to his memorable appearance on Deee-Lite's "Groove Is In The Heart" in 1990. His profile outside the group was kept high with shots on the Beastie Boys' "Get It Together" and Janet Jackson's "Got 'Til It's Gone," while Tribe continued to push hip-hop's envelope with its every album until its dissolution in 1998. Q-Tip's return to the charts with his single "Vivrant Thing" last year felt something like a boisterous homecoming celebration, a tempting taste of what was due from his first solo record, "Amplified." Produced almost entirely by Q-Tip with his longtime cohort Jay Dee for The Ummah (the production team comprised of the duo along with friends such as Raphael Saadiq and Tip's former Tribemate Ali Shaheed Muhammad), this sonic party demands headphones or, at least, a receiver that takes it up to eleven as admission.A fully developed solo career isn't the only life-change made by the MC in 1999. He also filmed a starring role in "Prison Song," a movie he also executive produced. Q-Tip co-wrote the script, which involves the path of a young man's life from poverty to prison, with director Darnell Martin. Expected out this summer, the project promises to feature other famous faces such as Mary J. Blige, Big Pun, Noreaga, and, yes, Elvis Costello. Widescreen and Technicolor, indeed, are Q-Tip's musical tastes, as his sizzling collaboration with Korn, "End Of Time," confirms on "Amplified." He'll even admit to wearing that archetype of stoner-mullethead couture, the Led Zeppelin t-shirt, every once in a while. He did just that in a recent conversation with John Gill of the MTV Radio Network, who also chatted with the genial fellow about his big-screen pursuits, his thoughts on the state of rock-rap (or is that rap-rock?), and how his own personal Quest keeps on a'rolling. Bring it, give it, bring it, give it... | | | | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | |  | | |
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