Q-Tip — Amplified

At the turn of the millennium, Q-Tip delivers your generic hip-hop album which also coincides with his debut as a solo artist following the dissolution of A Tribe Called Quest. A dozen tracks spread over three quarters of an hour in which the boy lies down in the club with his friends and chilled, he's not actually saying anything over colorless music, there's also the "UFO" by ESG sample, here used better than usual for one of the singles, amidst too many lame hooks and questionable choices. Towards the end, Busta Rhymes pulls out a hysterical hook, follows an attempt to create a rap rock hit with the nu metal band Korn.

The production is almost entirely entrusted to Jay Dee and Q-Tip himself, both members of the production team The Ummah, and DJ Scratch is the author of two beats. The boys provide minimal, bouncy, in some cases annoying rhythms: the music comes from the one present in the latest A Tribe Called Quest LP, which coincides with their least successful effort, and it sounds diluted by that tape.

Despite a competent search for samples and a clear orientation towards more funky tones compared to the soft jazz typical of the Queens group, it almost seems as if it was decided to do without the melody, in addition to the fact that the drum annoys too often. The final set isn't as bad as it sounds, but for being made by Dilla and Q-Tip, it's very disappointing, as well as sounding the same for three-quarters of an hour. The author dives into a different lyricism than his past efforts, dedicating himself more to themes concerning girls, bragging, sex and lightheartedness, his writing suffers in quality and the lack of inspiration is also reflected in his rapping performance, which is soporific, lethargic, essential, calmly enthusiastic in the best moments.

Published by Arista, the album was received very positively by critics and the public, well driven by the singles up to the gold certification and the top positions in the charts, also selling well in the UK thanks to the numerous songs destined for clubs and radio. Overall, I don't know what Q-Tip thought he was doing, but this is one of his worst albums ever and one of the worst of the year in hip-hop, and it's strange because there's so much wasted talent in here that it would make you want to stab someone.