Music YouTubin’ With The Stars: Q-Tip

For some reason rappers have an awful tendency to lose their minds or make bad music once they reach a certain point in their careers. However, every now and then you find an exception. With the unreleased 2001 Kamaal The Abstract album ready to finally drop, a tour with The Knux, Pac-Div and The Cool Kids, DJ shows on the side, and a non-exploitive Michael Jackson birthday tribute this weekend, its safe to say Q-Tip is both sane and very busy.

In the midst of all the chaos that makes up his schedule, Tip found time to kick it with Complex and watch some videos on YouTube, just like you and your friends do. Only our friend is Q-Tip and neither of us were high. Read on for Q’s commentary on his visit from Tupac on the set of Poetic Justice, Michael Jackson’s short film Ghost, and his favorite politician, Mike Bloomberg…

Music 2K Sports Hits The Road With Q-Tip And The Cool Kids

When it comes to streetball, the best soundtrack has normally come from those who know the streets best. But ever since 2K Sports got Dan The Automator to score their NBA 2K7 video game, you never know what you’ll hear. Instead of going with the hardest MCs, NBA 2K9 is keeping things playful with folks like Q-Tip and The Cool Kids providing b-ball anthems that would make Kurtis Blow proud.

Last month, Complex’s Leaders Of The New Cool appeared at 2K9’s release party to announce the Spring Bounce Tour. For the past four years, 2K Sports has rallied artists from their games’ soundtracks for a nationwide tour. On November 5th, The Knux, The Cool Kids, and Q-Tip will take the stage with EPMD’s DJ Scratch. See the full schedule of dates HERE, and see photos from the recent NYC event below…

Music Rap Sheet: Prodigy Claims Clean Bill of Health

• Healthy: Prodigy maintains he’s not sick despite reports by his lawyer. And although the judge delayed his incarceration for a 2nd time due to so called medical conditions, the rapper claims he’s fine. Ouch, someone’s getting into trouble.

• Sound off: Common, KRS-One, and Q-Tip are remixing their classic tracks in a new campaign with Smirnoff with the help of some legendary producers, “Just Blaze is remixing Common's 2000 song “The Light,” DJ Premier will work on KRS-One's 1988 hit “I'm Still #1,” and Cool & Dre are remaking Q-Tip's 1999 party track “Vivrant Thing.” They will all then perform live at a launch party for the vodka maker on February 26, and the tracks will be available for download on Smirnoff’s website.

• Innocent: Marvin Bernard aka Tony Yayo has been found innocent of slapping the shit out of Jimmy “Henchman” Rosemond’s 16-year-old son.

• Flying colors: Swizzy got down with the Gap and their “Sound of Color” campaign. Basically each artist was assigned a color and they created an original song for it. The mega producer and Kidrobot partner did a song called “Candy Green.”