Amplified
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Amplified
- Artist: Q-Tip
- Rating:
- Release Date: November 23, 1999
- Total Time: 47:30
- Type: Contains explicit content
- Genre: Rap
Review
Just over a year after A Tribe Called Quest issued its final album, the group's nominal frontman Q-Tip issued his debut solo album, Amplified. For Tribe fans able to get over the fact that Q-Tip isn't trading off on rhymes with Phife Dog and Ali as usual, Amplified is an excellent work, almost up to the same level as the group's underrated final Jive album, The Love Movement. The sound here is very similar to The Love Movement, obviously no coincidence since production credits throughout go to Jay Dee and Q-Tip for the Ummah, the same combo that produced most of A Tribe Called Quest's material. It's a style that emphasizes deep grooves and clipped beats with a polished sheen that takes Tribe's jazz-rap into the age of quiet storm and fusion. Q-Tip's rapping is as smooth and inventive as ever, though it's a mild surprise that he doesn't include any message tracks (most Tribe albums have at least one or two). The band's breakup was a blow to hip-hop fans all over the world, but Amplified will make everyone feel much better. ~ John Bush, Rovi| Amplification of Self Gratification (2003 Album by ASG) | |
| Amplified (2009 Album by Donald "XL" Robertson) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Amplified (Q-Tip album)
| Amplified | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Q-Tip | ||||
| Released | November 23, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1998–1999 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 47:30 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer | DJ Scratch, Jay Dee, Q-Tip | |||
| Q-Tip chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A[2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[3] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [4] |
| NME | (8/10)[5] |
| Q | [6] |
| Pitchfork Media | (6.8/10)[7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| USA Today | [9] |
| The Village Voice | favorable[10] |
Amplified is the debut solo album of American hip hop artist Q-Tip, released November 23, 1999, on Arista Records. The album was recorded following the dissolution of Q-Tip's former group, A Tribe Called Quest. Production was primarily handled by Q-Tip and J Dilla, who had previously produced for A Tribe Called Quest. Q-Tip's lyrics throughout the album feature boasts, playful seduction raps, and abstract lyricism.
The album debuted at number 28 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 89,000 copies in its first week.[11] On January 5, 2000, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States.[12] As of July 2008, Amplified has sold 675,000 copies in the U.S.[13]
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Contents
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Background
Recorded after the dissolution of Q-Tip's former group, A Tribe Called Quest,[14] 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".[15]
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".[16] Jon Pareles of The New York Times notes Q-Tip's lyrics as typified by boasts and playful seduction raps.[17]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wait Up" | Fareed, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 3:43 |
| 2. | "Higher" | Fareed, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Breathe and Stop" | Fareed, Yancey Bell, Brown, Handy, Mickens, Redd, Smith, Thomas, Westfield | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 4:03 |
| 4. | "Moving with U" | Fareed, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 3:22 |
| 5. | "Let's Ride" | Fareed, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 4:07 |
| 6. | "Things U Do" | Fareed, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 4:06 |
| 7. | "All In" (feat. Meda Leacock) | Fareed, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 3:08 |
| 8. | "Go Hard" | Fareed, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 3:02 |
| 9. | "Do It" (feat. Jessica Rivera) | Bellenchombre, Fareed, Monneville, Spivey | DJ Scratch | 2:51 |
| 10. | "Vivrant Thing" | Fareed, White, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 3:11 |
| 11. | "N.T." (feat. Busta Rhymes) | Fareed, Smith, Spivey | DJ Scratch | 3:54 |
| 12. | "End of Time" (feat. Korn) | Davis, Fareed, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 3:57 |
| 13. | "Do It, See It, Be It" (hidden track) | Fareed, Yancey | Jay Dee, Q-Tip | 4:35 |
Sample credits
Sampling information for Amplified adapted from The-Breaks.[18]
- "Breathe and Stop"
- "By Myself" by Urszula Dudziak (from the 1979 album "Future Talk")
- "N.T." by Kool & The Gang (from the 1972 album "Live at P.J.'s")
- "Gypsy" by Emmett Chapman (from the 1985 album "Parallel Galaxy")
- "Higher"
- "Wonderin'" by Roy Haynes
- "Let's Ride"
- "All In"
- "Leo: Rosebud" by The Cannonball Adderley Quintet (from the 1974 album "Love, Sex and the Zodiac")
- "Go Hard"
- "M3000 (Opus VI)" by Mandre (from the 1979 album "M3000")
- "Vivrant Thing"
- "I Wanna Stay" by Love Unlimited Orchestra (from the 1975 album "Music Maestro Please")
Charts
Album
| Chart (1999) | Peak position[19] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 28 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 4 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak position[20] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Rhythmic Top 40 | Canadian Singles Chart | |||
| 1999 | "Vivrant Thing" | 26 | 7 | 15 | 20 | |
| 2000 | "Breathe & Stop" | 71 | 21 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||
References
- ^ Bush, John. Review: Amplified. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Amplified". The Village Voice: January 25, 2000. Archived from the original on 2009-09-28.
- ^ Diehl, Matt. Review: Amplified. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
- ^ Baker, Soren. "Review: Amplified". Los Angeles Times: 66. November 28, 1999. Archived from the original on 2009-09-28.
- ^ Columnist. "Review: Amplified". NME: 29. January 10, 2000. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
- ^ Q-Tip - Amplified CD Album. Muze. CD Universe. Retrieved on 2011-04-20.
- ^ Clark, Taylor M. Review: Amplified. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
- ^ Ex, Kris. Review: Amplified. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
- ^ Jones, Steve. "Review: Amplified". USA Today: 04.D. November 30, 1999. Archived from the original on 2009-09-28. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
- ^ Lewis, Miles Marshall. Review: Amplified. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
- ^ Basham, David. Celine, Backstreet, Britney Continue Chart Domination; Sisqo, Q-Tip Debut Strong. MTV. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
- ^ Search Results - "Amplified". Recording Industry Association of America. Accessed December 11, 2008.
- ^ Concepcion, Mariel (July 31, 2008). Q-Tip Returns To Roots On 'The Renaissance'. Billboard. Accessed December 11, 2008.
- ^ Harrington, Richard. "Review: Amplified". The Washington Post: G.14. December 5, 1999.
- ^ Del F. Cowie Verses From The Abstract. Exclaim. Retrieved on 2010-03-22.
- ^ Ross, Colin. Review: Amplified. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
- ^ Pareles, Jon. Review: Amplified. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
- ^ Rap Sample FAQ: Q-Tip. The Breaks. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
- ^ allmusic ((( Amplified > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums ))). Allmusic. Accessed December 11, 2008.
- ^ allmusic ((( Amplified > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles ))). Allmusic. Accessed December 11, 2008.
External links
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