Lyrically, Kamaal the Abstract isn't that complex or even abstract, its the music that makes this weird and beyond what is normally done in hip hop. We have millions of rappers pledged as saviors who are simply playing by the books originally written by the likes of Rakim and EPMD and ect. for influential hip hoppers, but Q-Tip is taking the jazziness of Tribe to the next level here, with improvisational keyboard playing mixed with funky guitar playing, with some occasionally dark undertones for emotional depth. I can sort of see why people at the record label wouldn't want this released: it's really not an album that would follow up the booty shaking club popping Amplified, and it feels more like a follow up to The Renaissance rather than the predecessor, as his use of more concise was beginning to show its face. There are some moments that scream monotony, but this mixture of Rap, R&B, Jazz and Funk that leans more on jazz and funk than anything else, Q-Tip showes what he can truly do.
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