This July, Q-Tip will release The Renaissance, his first official album in nine years. It includes guest appearances by D'Angelo, Norah Jones and Q-Tip's former Tribesman Raphael Saadiq, but the most unexpected contributor is Obama, who speaks throughout one song.
"I've got Norah Jones on there, but Barack is the big one. You'll see what happens, I can't reveal too much," said Q-Tip.
The decision to release an album heavy on surprising guest appearances is an intriguing one. The rapper has been bouncing from label to label for some time, and his last two albums - Kamaal the Abstract, from 2002, and Open, from 2005 - were only available as bootlegs.
Nigel Godrich, the bleepy-bloopy producer behind Radiohead, Travis and Beck, will produce Q-Tip's next-but-one album, with recording to take place this year. English-born Godrich officially received his hip-hop cred when Q-Tip, in an interview with the LA Times this week, called him "really dope".
"He's a big fan of rap," Q-Tip said. "It'll be cool working with him." The process will also be documented in a film.
Hopefully, Q-Tip will also approach Obama for the Godrich-produced follow-up. We can't wait to hear that Illinois drawl cut up and looped into a Thom Yorke whine.
Then again, maybe we're in no rush.
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