Jonathan Davis (born April 10, 1970 in Harlem, New York), also known by his stage names Q-Tip, Kamaal the Abstract and The Abstract Poetic, is an American Grammy Award winning rapper, actor, producer and the former leader of the group A Tribe Called Quest.
While a student at the Murray Bergtraum High School for Business Careers, Q Tip co-founded A Tribe Called Quest with fellow students Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Phife (Malik Taylor) in 1988.
The following year, Q-Tip guested on De La Soul's groundbreaking 3 Feet High and Rising LP, with the two groups forever linked through their association with the Native Tongues collective.
Tribe's debut single, "Description of a Fool," appeared in the summer of 1989, and after signing to Jive Records, the trio issued its debut LP, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, a year later.
With its fiercely intelligent, socially progressive lyrics and brilliant fusion of rap and jazz, the group emerged as one of the most popular and influential in all of hip-hop, producing such classic LPs as 1991's The Low End Theory and 1993's Midnight Marauders before disbanding in 1998.
He released his debut solo album Amplified in 1999 and followed this up in 2008 with The Renaissance. His third release, Kamaal/The Abstract, was recorded in 2002 and was eventually released on CD in 2009.
Early career:
Q-Tip’s first appearance on record was on the Jungle Brothers’ Straight Out the Jungle in 1988. Besides performing with his popular and successful jazz-influenced hip hop group, Tip also did production work (under his production alias “the Abstract” or often — along with fellow Tribe member Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the late Slum Village member Jay Dee — as part of The Ummah) for artists such as Nas (“One Love,” from Illmatic, 1994), Mobb Deep (co-producer on “Give up the Goods (Just Step),” “Temperature’s Rising,” and “Drink Away the Pain,” from The Infamous, 1995) and even R&B divas Mariah Carey (“Honey,” from Butterfly, 1997) and Whitney Houston (“Fine,” from Greatest Hits).
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