Background
Recorded after the dissolution of Q-Tip's former group, A Tribe Called Quest, the album was produced primarily by Q-Tip and Jay Dee, who had previously collaborated for production on A Tribe Called Quest's two last albums. The majority of the beats were initiated by Jay Dee with Q-Tip adding some final touches to it; “When we would work together, he would have it, like, 75 percent there and I would add a kick or bass line".
Colin Ross of PopMatters writes of the album's music, "Amplified's content is very much a vibe-orientated affair. Infectious hooks, Jay Dee's trademark keys, and some seriously funky beats all work to create a captivating soundscape upon which Q-Tip drops his traditionally abstract rhymes". Jon Pareles of The New York Times notes Q-Tip's lyrics as typified by boasts and playful seduction raps.
Read more about this topic: Amplified (Q-Tip album)
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