7 Quotes & Sayings By Qtip

Q-Tip is a Grammy-winning American hip hop artist and actor. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended the prestigious Boston Latin School before dropping out of school at age 16 to pursue his musical interests. Q-Tip began his musical career in the early '80s, producing records for groups including A Tribe Called Quest Read more

The group found success in 1988 with the album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, which included the hit singles "Bonita Applebum" and "Can I Kick It". After leaving A Tribe Called Quest in 1990 to pursue a solo career, Q-Tip released his eponymous debut album in 1993. The album was supported by the hit singles "The Grouch", "Got Ur Self A...", and "Step Ill".

His second album, Vampisoul (1996), featured the hit single "Breathe & Stop" featuring Eve. His third studio album, Amplified (1998), reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart and featured the hit singles "HardKnock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". His fourth studio album, Kamaal the Abstract, was released in 2001.

He continued to record under MCA Records until 2007, when he signed with Universal Motown for his fifth studio album, The Renaissance (2008).

1
I definitely move to the beat of my own drummer and man, he's not playing something anyone has heard before. It's pretty cool, though. Pretty cool. QTip
2
I read the Koran and it appealed to me. At the time I was agnostic and it really breathed spiritually back into me. For me it's really a cushion; it's cool, I'm cool with it. QTip
3
In theory, people would pick progression every time over being idle. But if you look at us as a culture, as a people, you would say that if you get up at five o'clock in the morning, eat your breakfast, go to work, make money, pay your bills, you're progressing, when you're still doing what's comfortable. QTip
4
I feel like Obama in a way. His idea that hope means not shrinking from a fight it's the courage to reach for something. My music is that. Those are principles I try to embody. QTip
5
I do try to speak of positive things. I still try to, like, present two sides of the story, and I do try to relate to life in a 360 degree and not be one-dimensional. But by all means, manage expectations. QTip
6
Predating the Internet and predating videos, you had an active imagination. You would hear sounds and then get mental pictures of what these sounds felt like to you. It engaged you and made you more invested in it. It made you want to get tickets to the show, buy the album, put the poster on the wall. Now it's sensory overload. QTip