The Renaissance (Q-Tip album)

The Renaissance
Studio album by
Q-Tip
ReleasedNovember 4, 2008
Recorded2003–2008
StudioLegacy Recording Studios
(New York City)
The Abstract Ranch
(New Jersey)[1]
GenreProgressive hip hop[2]
Length43:17
LabelUniversal Motown
Producer
Q-Tip chronology
Amplified
(1999) 		The Renaissance
(2008) 		Kamaal the Abstract
(2009)
Singles from The Renaissance
  1. "Gettin' Up"
    Released: August 26, 2008
  2. "Move"
    Released: October 15, 2008
  3. "Life Is Better"
    Released: October 8, 2009

The Renaissance is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Q-Tip, released November 4, 2008, on Universal Motown Records. The follow-up to his solo debut album, Amplified (1999), it was recorded after Q-Tip's Kamaal the Abstract (2009) was initially shelved in 2002 by his former label Arista Records and his proposed effort Open was shelved by Universal Motown, both deemed commercially inadequate by the labels.[3][4] The Renaissance was produced primarily by Q-Tip and features guest contributions by D'Angelo, Norah Jones, Amanda Diva, and Raphael Saadiq.

The album debuted at number 11 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 34,219 copies in its first week. It produced three singles and has sold 131,200 copies in the United States. Upon its release, The Renaissance received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised Q-Tip's lyricism and production aesthetic, and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference theren was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Anon. (November 3, 2008). "Q-Tip: The Original Hipster Rapper Returns". XXL. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Sless-Kitain, Areif (December 4–10, 2008). "Q-Tip - The Renaissance - Album review". Time Out Chicago. Archived from the original on 2009-06-29. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
  4. ^ Lindsey, Craig D (December 3, 2008). "New Q: Q-Tip Beats Democracy to the Punch with The Renaissance". Philadelphia Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.