Rap

Q-TIP Breathe And Stop
(4:05)
PRODUCERS: Jay Dee, Q-Tip
WRITERS: K. Fareed, G. Redd Sr., G. Redd, R. Handy, C. Horne, R. Bell, R. Bell, R. Mickens, D. Thomas, R. Westfield, G. Brown, C. Smith
PUBLISHERS: U Betta Like My Muzic, ASCAP; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing/Stephanye Music, BMI
Arista 3751 (CD promo)
Q-Tip's magic touch is his ability to get people on their feet and make 'em dance-not exactly a common feat in hip-hop today. He hardly ever fails to make you want to bounce your head a little. But with his latest single "Breathe And Stop," you can't keep your head or your feet still, much like the feeling he conjured with the chart-topping "Vivrant Thang." While "Breathe And Stop" contains a sample of the jazz-flavored Kool & the Gang album cut "N.T." from the early '70s, don't think of this as a sampled track. Instead of simply vibing off the memory of a classic track, Q-Tip creates his own feel on the cut by combining the beats, intelligent lyrics, and strategically placed pauses. Even as a veteran-Tip's been around a while-he doesn't feel old school. Then again, Q-Tip and his former partners in A Tribe Called Quest were always a few steps ahead of their time. Here, he's making a place for himself in 2000 and beyond.

TOMMY TEE FEATURING PETE ROCK, LARGE PROFESSOR, A.G. AND MIKE ZOOT World Renown (4:47)
PRODUCER: Tommy Tee
WRITERS: P. Phillips, W.P. Mitchell, M. Whyte, A. Barnes, Tommy Tee
PUBLISHERS: Pete Rock Publishing/The Large Professor Music/Onefourone Music/MZOOT, ASCAP
Tee Productions/Guesswhyld/Fat Beats GW 501A (CD promo)
Hip-hop began as something African-American and Latino kids did for fun in the Bronx. Who would have ever thought that 20-plus years later, kids in Europe would not only accept this culture but begin producing tracks that put stateside chart-toppers to shame? Tommy Tee, one of Norway's premier hip-hop producers, has put it down like a pro with hip-hop's underground elite on his first U.S. release. "World Renown" emphasizes the global influence of hip-hop culture, with a bass-heavy track that ably demonstrates the influence of New York's underground hip-hop scene. Zoot, Large Pro, and A.G. ride the subterranean beat while providing a flash of their own unique stylings. To smooth everything out, Pete Rock brings in the killer hook: "We hit you off with underground/Pound for pound/Rock from state to state, son/World Renown." Sure enough, hip-hop has officially gone global.