After helping Amy Winehouse to become one of the biggest names in music and conquering the world’s airwaves with his unique brand of brass section infused pop, Mark Ronson has gone back to his hip-hop roots. The trans-Atlantic super producer’s first single from his new album was a statement of intent: using his extensive book of music industry contacts Ronson roped in legendary New York rapper Q-Tip and promptly placed him on an old school breakbeat to create one of the most instantly catchy hip-hop tracks of the year in the form of ‘Bang Bang’.
On his newest single Ronson again leaves the horns at home in favour of a poppy blend of electronics, rump shaking breaks and indie pop delivery. ‘The Bike Song’ is somehow more than the sum of its parts. The vocals from Kyle Falconer, he of Scottish indie band The View, somehow sound better than on any of his own songs. The raps from Spank Rock, who has found notoriety with scores of blog friendly electro rap offerings, also sound much more vital when attached to a song with catchy hooks and cross over potential.
With his forthcoming album featuring a smorgasbord of talent the likes of Ghostface, D’Angelo, Wiley, Simon LeBon and Boy George; Ronson could well repeat the huge success of his previous album exactly on his own terms. Mark Ronson & Business Intl ‘Record Collection’ is released 27th September
For fans of hip-hop, an artist like Q-Tip needs no introduction. After forming A Tribe Called Quest in 1985 with fellow rapper Phife Dawg and producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, the group found massive success and acclaim throughout the nineties. Along with fellow New York natives De La Soul, the band developed a style of hip-hop that shied away from the masculine, gangster bravado that was associated with the genre at the time. Their intelligent lyrics and jazz infused beats were, and still continue to be, an inspiration for many. From their debut ‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm’ – including the well known singles ‘Can I Kick It’ and ‘Bonita Applebum’ – through to their final long player ‘The Love Movement’, A Tribe Called Quest pushed the boundaries of hip hop and paved the way for artists such as KanYe West, Common, The Roots and Pharcyde to name just a few.
After A Tribe Called Quest split up in the late Nineties, Q-Tip delivered his debut album ‘Amplified’. While it could be argued tracks such as ‘Breathe & Stop’ and ‘Vivrant Thing’ were more commercial than anything that Tribe had released, the album was by no means a feckless attempt at mainstream success. After this fans were forced to wait until 2008 for its official follow up, ‘The Renaissance’, an album that was again greeted extatically by critics and fans. But fans of the rapper knew that the hiatus of new music was not down to the man himself, but record company wrangling.
‘Kamaal The Abstract’ was originally set for release in 2001, but his label at the time refused to release it. Deemed too ahead of its time, the record now draws comparisons with Gnarls Barkley, Andre 3000 and N*E*R*D, artists who have all found success since ‘Kamaal’ was originally set for release. After much delay the album has finally been released on RCA , although now in a remixed and re-mastered state. We were lucky enough to grab an interview with the legendary MC and get his thoughts on the album’s release, his plans for the future and chat about the forthcoming A Tribe Called Quest movie.
