Shelved almost a decade ago because Arista Records didn’t think the disc had any real commercial appeal, Q-Tip’s second solo album Kamaal the Abstract is now his third solo album and will finally be seeing a proper release. A meandering mix of east coast hip hop and eased out jazz featuring the Queens MC singing almost as much as he raps, the effort was a drastic stylistic turnabout from its pop-driven precursor Amplified.
The label was probably right that the album offers no break out hits, and back in 2001, before the Internet fully took over the industry, projects that don’t fit neatly anywhere had a much slimmer chance of finding an audience. But the album’s habit of straying far from Q-Tip’s previous work makes a lot more sense in today’s online musical world. Still, it doesn’t always work to his advantage, and at times the music seems too laid back for it’s own good.
Whereas with some of the best beats he worked on back in the Tribe days, Q-Tip pressed jazz into a hip hop mold held firm by a predilection to bump, on Kamaal he lets the jazz influences abandon their assigned posts and wander where they May. He sounds on point on charged up opener ‘Feelin’ while ‘Damn You’re Cool’ offers up eased out funk and a successful mix of rapping and singing, but far more often things get lost. Banal smooth jazz passages drag on too long on ‘Do You Dig U?’ and pop rock excursions like ‘Barely in Love’ are similarly underachieving.
There are plenty of flashes of creativity, and Tip, as always, still sounds adventurous and fun, but this long-hidden release is far from the lost masterpiece some might have hoped for.

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