Hip-Hop is, and always has been, a young man’s game. As the giants of the 90′s enter middle age, they face an almost impossible landscape in which to continue making music. Trends and styles have changed, not necessarily for the better. So what’s a rapper to do? Recruit Chris Brown and Polow the Don in hope of keeping up with the youth? Or blow off record sales and the mainstream and make something that’s the natural progression of a past artistic portfolio?

Q-Tip’s choice on his latest album, The Renaissance, should come as no surprise, as Tribe and the Zulu Nation never put crossing over as the movement. It’s easy to forget what an influence Tip and their cohorts had on the game in terms of driving the sound of Hip-Hop: you can hear the circle closing throughout The Renaissance. The sound of the album, from the opening jazz bass-driven “Johnny is Dead,” recalls the sound of the earlier Tribe classics, but it’s in turn influenced by the cleaner, more accessible production styles of Kanye and Just Blaze. The best tracks, like “Official,” mish-mash these styles so fluidly, that it almost overwhelms the MCing.

The album maintains a strong party vibe throughout. “Move,” flips a Jackson 5 sample into a driving dance track. Q-Tip sounds much more comfortable over this type of party track, and appeals to get asses on floors don’t sound like selling out. If partying isn’t the theme of the track, then positivity is still close to the surface. “Gettin’ Up’s” seductive appeal is directed at a mythical lady, but the piano keys and Q-Tip’s choral appeal “today is nice, you know we gettin’ up” can easily be extended to America in general. No doubt Q-Tip was prescient choosing to release the LP on November 4th.

Lyrically, Q-Tip’s ability has slipped a half-step from his peak days. Never the most authoritative, his vocal tone has risen slightly, and the monotone on songs like “Won’t Trade,” will bore the uninitiated. He peppers his rhymes with fewer moments of biting humor than in the past, perhaps in an effort to maintain the positive vibe. At the same time, he’s still levels above much of the garbage out there today, unafraid to discuss mature topics like conflict in relationship, as heard on “You.” The extended metaphor of “We Fight/We Love,” a track on the surface about a man leaving his woman to join the army, but that can be applied to the Hip-Hop generation’s obsession with violence, proves you can make poetry out of topics other than the crack trade.

Present too in Tip’s lyrics is a condescending tone towards Hip-Hop today. From the album’s title (the re-birth,) to shots at current rappers on “Dance on Glass,” it’s clear he thinks the game’s done changed, and not for the better. He’s probably right, and if this album won’t get things back on track, it can at least serve as a reminder that they are multiple approaches that can produce good albums. Whether anyone under 25 will get the chance to hear, or care if they do, is another question entirely.

3.5 CIGARETTES

Q-Tip Myspace Release Show: Philadelphia, PA 11/11/08

Watch – Q-Tip AOL 16 Bars Freestyle

Listen – Q-Tip – Feva (UK Bonus Track)

Previously Posted – Preview Of Q-Tip’s The Renaissance | Q-Tip – “Move” Video | Q-Tip “Go New York” Video