Q-Tip

Released: September 15, 2009

Songwriter: Kurt Rosenwinkel Q-Tip

Producer: Q-Tip

[Verse 1:]
My saga goes on as I romance the song
Original hip-hop cat shorty push on
I could reminisce back to a sunnier day
Where everybody shot fives
And when you shook and push paint
Get off the back seat and activate your feet
Because the focus of the mission
Is the rhythm and the beat
Not concentrating on the character assassination
Or the influx of money from association
You're listening to one of the last lights glowing
Who can hear the sharp F and still keep shit flowing
Really dig, let me give myself a plug here
It's Q-Tip here to service every plug there
And introduce to you all a brand new sound to pound
Lush, fortify and revitalize your crown
Life is but a dream
And as the music is streamed
Let it work inside of you
Into reality's thing
Do your thing

[Chorus:]
We are gonna make it work
Make it work
Listen to Kurt's work, baby

[Verse 2:]
Like a genie, if you rub me right, you'll get things
Not a hungry ass rapper, with some [?] inventive things
I'mma concentrate on building up the repertoire
Eventually inviting all of y'all to the seminar
Where you can sit down and extinguish your trite beats
It's Rainbow
Collate and implement peace
I breathe in myth and exhale truth
Standing out in the industry
And plus I'm aloof
I'm about to bring it to you in a better band
You can catch us 1nce again on David Letterman
I could make it right, lady
[?]
Just because I'm Muslim
Does that put me on your wanted list?
Government games and corporate gaze
Wanna see an underprivileged man crumble in pain
Wanna see every race become separate and vain
But I'm telling you, man
[?] bring about a change
Plus I see you mami as you're dancing
You can chance and
Your life could end
Connect to your deeper friend
To artists abroad, this art is a bore
With a brand new vision
Come and get it while it's given
I got my focus on
I keeps my chi strong
We gonna make this motherfucker bang real hard
The uprising of the positive inquisitive
In spirit, we're derivative
Praise it and we let it live

We are gonna make it work
Them them we gon' make it work
Still we gonna make it work
Chris, we gonna make it work
[?], we gonna make it work
Shaka, we gon' make it work
Nitro, we gon' make it work
Qiana, we gon' make it work
Yes we gonna make it work
Aiesa, we gon' make it work
[?], we gonna make it work
Mama, we gon' make it work
Everybody, we gon' make it work
Everybody, we gon' make it work
Everybody, we gon' make it work

Jonathan Davis (born April 10, 1970), aka Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, aka Q-Tip is a rapper and producer known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest, the hip-hop group responsible for helping popularize “jazz rap” and releasing classics such as “Bonita Applebum,” “Scenario,” and “Electric Relaxation.” After Tribe released their fifth album in 1998, Q-Tip launched his solo career, releasing three albums and popular singles such as “Vivrant Thing” and “Breathe and Stop” before reuniting with Tribe in 2016 to release the group’s final album following the death of his rhyme partner Phife Dawg.

Q-Tip also produced on a number of other projects during his time with Tribe, most notably for Queens representatives Nas and Mobb Deep on their classic albums Illmatic and The Infamous respectively. In 1995, he connected with producer Jay Dee aka J Dilla and Tribe’s DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad to form the production crew The Ummah, and the trio produced and remixed tracks for Busta Rhymes, Janet Jackson, and Michael Jackson. Tip also produced for Run-DMC, The Roots, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and he also worked with both Jay-Z and Kanye West on their Watch the Throne album.

Q-Tip currently has his own Abstract Radio show on Apple Music’s Beats 1 station.

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