Background
The album is Q-Tip's second released studio effort, following his solo debut Amplified and the 2002 shelving of Kamaal/The Abstract. Q-Tip put together a band for recording The Renaissance. In an interview for Billboard magazine, he discussed his musical direction for the album, stating "I wanted a hip-hop sonic feel, something pure to the sound of hip-hop with real drums, real emotion and people taking solos… In that sense this record feels like we're moving in a new direction … something hip-hop should do". Production for The Renaissance was primarily handled by Q-Tip, with the exception of the J Dilla-produced "Move" and the Mark Ronson-produced "Won't Trade". The album also features contributions from such artists as Norah Jones, D'Angelo, Raphael Saadiq and Amanda Diva. The album cover art features Q-Tip in a silver suit holding an MPC2000XL in front of his face.
Read more about this topic: The Renaissance (Q-Tip Album)
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