Okay, ya’ll might think King Jerm is tripping with this one, but I had to take it WAAAAAAY back with this one. This song came on at a bar the other night and the place went crazy! Before you say this isn’t Hip-Hop, the song features Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest and it has a cameo from the one and only Bootsy Collins. Not only is Dee-Light’s “Groove Is In The Heart” a instant party starter, but its a crazy video! Sit back and enjoy this installment of Song of the Week!

I also wanted to send a personal birthday shout out to my godson..H2O..Happy Birthday my dude!

Also..Happy Valentines Day!

Download: Deee-Lite feat. Q-Tip – “Groove Is In The Heart”

Also have a good Valentine’s Day.

I guess we can stop bitching about the lack of Hip-Hop album releases (Well, at least for this week), because we have 7 Hip-Hop debuts on the charts this week. Yeah. I can’t even do any rambling in this intro. Let’s just get to the numbers….

I’m most happy for Kid Cudi this week as his Man On The Moon: The End Of Day moves over a 100,000 units and lands at #4. For a new artist; especially a new Hip-Hop artist, this is great. With all the hype surrounding releases by Jay-Z and Raekwon the prior week, it’s good to see Kid Cudi still rewarded for putting out a good album. [You can read H20's review of Cudi's Man On The Moon here]

Drizzy Drake finally makes his official debut on the charts with his career defining So Far Gone. I previously stated what I felt the retail release of this album, but I guess I now see that selling 70,000 copies of a mixtape that came out for free in the beginning of this year is easy money. This does tell me that Drake has the ability to do some major numbers when Thank Me Later comes out next year. [It's over 8 months old, but you can still read V-G's original review of the So Far Gone mixape here]

I honestly thought Lil’ Boosie’s 2nd studio album Superbad: The Return Of Boosie Bad Azz would do better numbers. Not to say that coming in at #7 is a bad thing, but with the way the leak was handled (Jay-Z should take notes) and Bad Azz’s following, I figured his fans would support better. But this may be smalls potatoes to what Boosie is dealing with right now. [V-G comes through again. Check out his review of Superbad here]

T-Double-D returns to the charts and keeps it thug with his 8th album Finally Famous: Born A Thug, Still A Thug. This album may not grab another plaque for Trick Daddy (Surprisingly he has 6; mostly Platinum); but it’s the first one on his own label Dunk Ryders Records. I guess it’s still a win for the 305. [King Jerm gives Trick his props in his review for Finally Famous here]

Wow. New Boyz almost sold 10,000 albums with their new album Skinny Jeanz And A Mic. Um, I really don’t have too much else to say about this. Maybe I’m too old to “jerk”. [V-G has been on fire recently! He also reviewed Skinny Jeanz And A Mic...even though we didn't ask him too. Look at that here]

KRS-One & Buckshot collaborative effort Survival Skills lands on the charts at #62. Hey, it could have been worse; M.O.P.’s new album Foundation, that didn’t even chart this week. Seeing that the last few releases by both KRS and Buckshot didn’t do this well, 8,600 is sales could be much worse. [Saule Wright schools you youngster with his Survival Skills review here and I draw the short straw on M.O.P.'s Foundation review...here]

The only album we didn’t review this week was Q-Tip’s de-shelved Kamaal The Abstract. You see, we try not to/usually don’t review mixtape, compilations, or re-releases and this album (Which was suppose to come out in 2002) has us confused on what we should do. But hey, what do we know? B-Double (aka Your Favorite White Boy) gives you reasons why you should have already bought that album at his home turf.

And lastly, Jay-Z stays strong at the #1 spot and sells almost 300,000 copies of The Blueprint 3. Can I mention this without being called a stan? Did you also notice that his wife’s album jumped up 15 spots after the Kanye/VMA/Taylor Swift incident? Coincidence? I think not.

#1 Jay-Z/The Blueprint 3 (Last Week: #1) – 297,900; Total: 774,000 (Gold) [2 Weeks]
#2 Whitney Houston/I Look To You (Last Week: #3) – 155,600; Total: 554,500 (Gold) [3 weeks]
#4 Kid Cudi/Man On The Moon: The End Of Day (Last Week: NA) – 104,300; Total: NA [Debut]
#6 Drake/So Far Gone (Last Week: NA) – 73,600; Total: NA [Debut]
#7 Lil’ Boosie/Superbad: The Return Of Boosie Bad Azz (Last Week: NA) – 48,900; Total: NA [Debut]
#10 Black Eyed Peas/The E.N.D. (Last Week: #7) – 40,200; Total: 1,111,300 (Platinum) [15 Weeks]
#14 Trey Songz/Ready (Last Week: #6) – 26,800; Total: 204,700 [3 Weeks]
#21 Maxwell/BLACKsummers’night (Last Week: #17) – 21,400; Total: 762,000 (Gold) [11 Weeks]
#22 Raekwon/Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… PT II (Last Week: #4) – 21,300; Total: 89,200 [2 Weeks]
#31 Eminem/Relapse (Last Week: #32) – 13,900; Total: 1,438,500 (Platinum) [18 Weeks]
#34 Trick Daddy/Finally Famous: Born A Thug, Still A Thug (Last Week: NA) – 13,300; Total: NA [Debut]
#36 Pitbull/Rebelution (Last Week: #24) – 13,000; Total: 72,100 [3 Weeks]
#40 Beyonce/I Am…Sasha Fierce (Last Week: #55) – 12,900; Total: 2,413,700 (2x Platinum) [44 Weeks]
#56 New Boyz/Skinny Jeanz And A Mic (Last Week: NA) – 9,800; Total: NA [Debut]
#62 KRS-One & Buckshot/Survival Skills (Last Week: NA) – 8,600; Total: NA [Debut]
#77 Q-Tip/Kamaal The Abstract (Last Week: NA) – 6,500; Total: NA [Debut]
#NA M.O.P./Foundation (Last Week: NA) – 2,100; Total: NA [Debut]

I noticed that none of De La Soul’s records have made in our Classic Material page, and I immediately decided to change that. A lot of you fans are gonna say: “What! De La Soul is Dead?!? Why didn’t 3 Feet High and Rising get any love?” We’ll get to 3 Feet High and Rising in time, but the reason I chose De La Soul Is Dead first is because that was the first album by them that I actually listened to. I thought the whole concept was cool: it was their second album, and already is was “De La Soul is dead…”. The cool thing about the whole album is it plays out like a storybook!

It’s starts out with a kid named Jeff talking to a couple of girls about how he found a De La Soul tape in the garbage. The girls beg to hear, but Jeff’s like: “NO!”, and the girls start buggin’! Then a bully comes by, beats up the little kid, and takes the De La Soul tape from him. After stealing the tape, the bully and his two friends sit down to listen to the tape. Hearing the bullies is actually funny as hell, it’s one of the things that makes the album great. The leader of the bullies is constantly talking about how wack the album is throughout skits on the album, and one of the bullies who actually likes the tape (voiced by Maseo himself) gets his ass kicked everytime he talks. The skits help to bring diversity the album, and, like I said, it’s funny stuff.

Now let’s get to music. Production, Prince Paul, you already know what it is. Prince Paul did his thing, as usual. It’s sad that as time went on, you began to see him gradually fade from the music that the group was making, but he definitely put it down here. All of the groups members were on point: Posdnous is, to me, the sharpest member of the whole group, but beyond even that he’s a really talented rapper who never seems to come up when people talk about best rapper. Don’t get me wrong though, Dave and Maseo definitely showed up on this album, with solid wordplay throughout the whole album.

The album had a bunch of memorable songs on it, too. One of my favorites is “Bitties In The BK Lounge”. Who could forget this song!? Posdnuos goes into a Burger King with one of his friends when the girl behind the desk pays them no mind, until she realizes he’s from De La Soul. Then, there’s the infamous second verse, where a manager of Burger King, gets confronted by an obnoxious woman and her friend. The two trade insults in rhyme, and it’s definitely one of the highlights of the album. “Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa” has got to be the most memorable song off the CD: you can’t talk about De La Soul Is Dead without bringing this song up. It’s about a young girl who is sexually abused by her father, and ends up bringing a pistol to where he works as a department store Santa to shoot him. That’s classic storytelling right there. Also there is the unforgettable “A Roller-Skating Jam Named Saturdays”, featuring Q-Tip. That was just one of those nice, feel good vibes that made you want to get up and dance.

I could keep talking about this classic, but you probably get the idea. Pick this up if you can; De La Soul is different, but if you give them time, they’ll grow on you. At the end of the tape, the bullies comment: “That was it!?? What about the pimps? What about the guns?? That’s what Hip-Hop is all about right??” De La Soul was one of the few groups out there that didn’t have to change their image to be one of the fore-front groups in Hip-Hop, and this album is one of those reasons why they are so good.

Norah Jones? Norah f*ckng Jones? That smooth-jazz mellow white girl that sings, plays instruments, and is prominently featured on “easy listening” radio stations? Yea, B-Easy has finally lost his mind. Well not really; if you remember last year I did do a whole thing on Chris Martin’s role on tracks by Jay-Z, Kanye West, & Swizz Beatz. Is this really that different? I could be wrong about this, but when it comes to cameos on Hip-Hop songs, I count four Norah Jones appearances (And that’s counting the song she did with Wyclef). That’s more Hip-Hop cameos than John Mayer (And Kanye West was in love with him for a second there). So why are some of Hip-Hop’s most respected artists calling on Miss Jones? One reason could be exposure (She has sold over 36 million records). Or maybe it’s for the right reasons: Talent. As easy going as her music is, the lady has skills…Did I just say that? Shit! Where’s my Only Built 4 Cuban Linx album? A brother must be getting soft.

Download: Q-Tip feat. Norah Jones – “Life Is Better”

Producer: Q-Tip
Album: The Renaissance
Released: November 4, 2008

This is the latest of her collaborations with rappers and it might be her best. Unlike her previous efforts, it seems like Norah gets more into it. What’s crazier is that the track is a love song to Hip-Hop and Q-Tip gets Norah Jones to sings lines like “I’m so into your rich history” & “Tell me stories and take me away”.  Yeah, Kamaal could have gotten Erykah Badu, but wouldn’t that be kinda obvious? This combination works very well.

Download: Talib Kweli feat. Norah Jones – “Soon The New Day”

Producer: Madlib
Album: Eardrum
Released: August 21, 2007

At first listen you think Norah is relegated to just the chorus on Talib’s song about blind promiscuity (My friend thought the hook was a sample originally). But as the song progresses you hear Jones ad-lib more and even add stronger backgrounds. This was her first true guest appearance on a conventional Rap song, so I guess I understand why she just did the standard R&B stuff hear. The song still comes out high-quality and at least she wasn’t singing about rolling blunts and busting guns.

Download: Andre 3000 feat. Norah Jones – “Take Off Your Cool”

Producer: Andre 3000
Album: The Love Below
Released: September 23, 2003

Okay, so this isn’t a “traditional” Hip-Hop song. But this is Norah Jones first paring with a Hip-Hop artist. Since Speakerboxxx/The Love Below sold like 10 million copies, I’m sure everybody by now has heard this song. Clocking in barely over two minutes, this is more like an interlude than song. But it did bring Andre 3000 and Norah Jones together without either sounding out of place.

A few weeks ago, my homie Chew let it be known that he is not too familiar with A Tribe Called Quest. I took it upon myself to help my boy out as I think that the link between the older generation of Hip-Hop and the newer generation is missing, and that’s why there is no real sense of passing the torch or embracing the new sound.

Our generation got to a certain point, and vanished from the face of the game. They became ghost writers, producers, label heads, and some stepped away completely.

So, I thought, hey, why don’t I put together a tape that kinda of tells who this legendary group is. What the fuck was I thinking? How do you sum up 20 years and somewhere around 13 cds? It’s not easy when they already have a CD that contains all the commercial hits and cult classics. Then it hit me, you Turn Yo’ Headphones Up!

I put together what I think, is a fantastic album. I wanted to get those songs that most of us know, but a lot of songs that folks slept on and even a few that people have never heard. I combed all the albums including the 2 little heard Phife Dawg albums and the unreleased Kamaal The Abstract as well as a few mixes of the songs you already know and love. I hope you dig this look into the group. I am biased, but my headphones have been on blast since I made the FINAL rip. I hope you enjoy it. So Chew, nappyafro readers, and fans of Hip-Hop, this is for you. Turn Yo Headphones Up.

Tracklist:

1. “Buggin’ Out” – The Low End Theory
2. “Flawless” – Ventilation Da LP by Phife Dawg
3. “Sucka Nigga” – The Low End Theory
4. “Verses From the Abstract” – The Low End Thoery
5. “Scenario Remix” – The Love Movement
6. “Steppin Up’” – The Love Movement
7. “Alphabet Soup” – Ventilation Da LP by Phife Dawg
8. “Bonita Applebum” – People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths Of Rhythm
9. “Butter” – The Low End Theory
10. “Keep It Moving” – Beats, Rhymes, and Life
11. “Believe” – The Renaissance by Q-Tip
12. “1nce Again” – Beats, Rhymes, and Life
13. “What” – The Low End Theory
14. “Can I Kick It?” – People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths Of Rhythm
15. “Stressed Out” – Beats, Rhymes, and Life
16. “Electric Relaxation” – Midnight Marauders
17. “Dance On Glass” – The Renaissance by Q-Tip
18. “We Fight/Love” – The Renaissance by Q-Tip
19. “Heels” – Kamaal the Abstract by Q-Tip
20. “Jazz (We’ve Got)” – Anthology

Download: Turn Yo’ Headphones Up: A Tribe Called Quest (Selected by by Saule Wright)

Not really much to report in this edition of The Numbers Game; I think the real fireworks start in about two weeks when Kanye & Luda drop. But there are a few things going on this week: First off is Q-Tip’s new album The Renaissance almost getting in the Top 10. Even though Thic Saul gave it a great review, I really didn’t think it would chart as high as #11 (It was a good album; I just didn’t think people would care). Also we have Unk’s 2econd Season coming in at #104 which is weird since he was selling his whole album on Amazon for like $3. Damn. Also looking at Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter III still in the Top 20, I think he will actually go 3 million…or more. That’s really all I got today. Peace.

#6 John Legend/Evolver (Last Week: #4) – 72,113; Total: 205,207 [2 Weeks]
#7 T.I./Paper Trail (Last Week: #7) – 68,782; Total: 1,116,409 (Platinum) [6 Weeks]
#11 Q-Tip/The Renaissance (Last Week: NA) – 34,219; Total: NA [Debut]
#16 Jennifer Hudson/Jennifer Hudson (Last Week: #14) – 26,300; Total: 413,100 [6 Weeks]
#18 Ne-Yo/Year Of The Gentleman (Last Week: #15) – 25,209; Total: 573,236 (Gold) [8 Weeks]
#19 Lil’ Wayne/Tha Carter III (Last Week: #20) – 23,960; Total: 2,648,682 (2X Platinum) [22 Weeks]
#21 Rhianna/Good Girl Gone Bad (Last Week: #23) – 20,200; Total: 1,976,100 (Platinum) [75 Weeks]
#23 Young Jeezy/The Recession (Last Week: #28) – 19,598; Total: 589,571 (Gold) [10 Weeks]
#37 Jazmine Sullivan/Fearless (Last Week: #32) – 13,700; Total: 205,800 [7 Weeks]
#40 The Game/L.A.X. (Last Week: #35) – 13,102; Total: 559,076 (Gold) [11 Weeks]
#46 Robin Thicke/Something Else (Last Week: #39) – 12,400; Total: 243,800 [6 Weeks]
#104 Unk/2econd Season (Last Week: NA) – 5,257; Total: NA [Debut]

He is simply a legend in the game. Tip is one of those guys that just knows how to make good music. From all those years with A Tribe Called Quest (ATCQ), to his solo debut and the little heard jazzy Kamaal The Abstract, its evident that dude just gets it. He’s benefited from always having his own lane so trying to know what to expect is to your detriment. That said, what do we get with his latest offering? Let’s get Wright to it.

1. Johnny Is Dead
Produced by Q-Tip
His debut album came out in 99′, but this sounds like it picks up right where that left. Deep base, infectious dance groove and the light piano playing over the track, this is what Tip does. His delivery is classic Q-Tip on this one, and abstract indeed.

2. Won’t Trade
Produced by Mark Ronson & Q-Tip
Ronson lends his award winning skills to this track and it works out okay. The loop and repeat of this track and the previous track are a bit more noticeable since they are back to back, but they still are okay. Musically, both tracks are pretty cool. Q-Tip playfully weaves metaphors about relationships with sports in this tale with a sample that sings “I wouldn’t trade it for nothing”. This is the quintessential feel good song.

3. Getting’ Up
produced by Q-Tip
Gone but not forgotten…Dilla’s influence is all over this single. The R&B and jazz influence is undeniable as musically, this is probably the deepest track on the album. The feel of this track is a lot like the feeling you got when you heard “Bonita Applebomb” for the first time. Again, lyrically, it fits with all of his previous work and if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it.

4. Official
Produced by Q-Tip
After a seamless transition from the previous track and continuation of scratching leads us into “Official”. The music on this track and the last are like, twin siblings as nothing is lost and the groove plays on. Tip finesses this one just as well with lines like “I raise the bar…for that I hit a chin up” and “I feel what the beat does/People fuck with me cause/When the song ends I become what the beat was.” He flips shit like this so effortlessly that most of the new Hip-Hop generation sleep on him hard. I really dig this track.

5. You
Produced by Q-Tip
Ever been in a relationship where you knew they were lying to you, but you couldn’t get away? Here’s is the track for you; it’s you…at the end of it all is you. Tip even cuts a deal with “We’ll make amends if you admit it/We can ascend if you committed” but we all know how that ends. The piano laced track is infused with a rhythmic snare that becomes the heartbeat of this love song when paired with the bass. This is one of my favorite songs on the album.

6. We Fight/We Love
Featuring Raphael Saadiq; Produced by Q-Tip
Just the idea of Deeky and Tip on a track seems right. They are two of the most abstract yet futuristic and pure musicians in their respective fields, neither knowing what it means to drop a bad album. The hook “Fightin’ (just a little bit) Lovin’ (just a little bit) Fightin’ (just a little bit) Lovin’ (just a little bit more)” is infectious and you will find yourself woppin’ and singing along before it’s over. Musically, it sounds like a Michael Jackson sample but I can’t pick up the song right off the bat. It’s well played and the groove factor on this track is high; I expect to hear this one in the grown up circuit quite regularly.

7. Manwomanboogie
Featuring Amanda Diva; Produced by Q-Tip
No doubt, this is a club jam; let the shaking begin. The title is no mistake as this one sounds very “Vibrant Thing” influenced, very uptempo. This song is strictly to make you move your ass, but Tip still finds a way to lace us with some pretty smooth lyrics.

8. Move
Produced by J Dilla
More Jackson influence on this one as Tip gives us another dance track. As with his previous songs, it’s hard to impossible to deny this one. I am not even a real big fan of the track, but the beat is hard to resist. I think the odd scratching and pulling of MJ’s voice throughout the track start to grate my nerves then the song changes. Around the 2:49 mark this song becomes the title track “The Renaissance”. The track is totally different and makes you quickly forget about the music before it. Good save.

9. Dance On Glass
Produced by Q-Tip
Music is art…this is Tip’s painting. Probably one of the hottest intro/lead in flows to any song as Tip rips it acapella for the first minute of this offering. The idea behind the track is stop submitting to the label heads and ringtone rap and be ready for some “real” music that is true to the essence and roots of Hip-Hop. The track is very sparse but it works with the entirety of the song. Get back to the lyrics. MESSAGE.

10. Life Is Better
Featuring Norah Jones; Produced by Q-Tip
Norah Jones has a great voice and Tip makes some great music; this should be good. Her voice lends itself nicely to a boom bap of a Hip-Hop track. Norah may have a great second career singing on the hooks of songs like this if she wants it. The song is about how much better life/Hip-Hop is with the blessings of some musical legends that Tip lists with his signature flow. I guess you can say that this is Tips love letter to Hip-Hop.

11. Believe
Featuring D’Angelo; Produced by Q-Tip
We get another well played collabo as “Soul-Hop” reigns supreme once again. D’s vocals and musical fingerprint are all over this track. I’ve can’t remember hearing one word flipped this many times in a song without getting boring. Tip flexes his lyrical dexterity all over this brisk 2:57 track. It seems a LOT shorter than it is, as 3:00 seems to be about average nowadays.

12. Shaka
produced by Q-Tip
This HAS to be a lost track from the ATCQ days. It fits in perfectly with Low End Theory and is a dope way to end the album. The track dances the line of familiar and futuristic. When you first hear it, it doesn’t seem to work, but as it plays on, you find what Q found when he put it together. Shaka is another dedication track and a well done one at that.

Bottom Line:
This album is a great “follow up” to his debut album and another feather in the cap of one of Hip-Hop’s finest. Tip has perfected his craft and found a way to make his voice become part of the track on anything he touches. He has the ability to make simple dance songs sound like the deepest intellectual song ever made while justifying you giving him a pass on a song that you normally wouldn’t give a spin too. He is one of the purest in the game that has managed to create his own lane effortlessly and managed to make some of the most timeless music period. Essentially, Tip has had 2 music careers from ATCQ to his solo career, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. This is definitely worth a purchase and another offering that makes Hip-Hop cool for older cats too.

Download: Q-Tip – “You”