In the 1990s hip hop reached a high point for the genre that it collectively has not come close to duplicating since. Groups like The Roots, The Pharcyde, The Black Eyed Peas, Slum Village, The Beatnuts, Hieroglyphics, and of course Tribe Called Quest provided an alternative to gangsta' rap that drew on the roots of various forms of African American music and focused on more conceptual, intellectual, and esoteric concepts as opposed to gangsta' rap's gritty, realistic portrayals of the American ghettos and gang life.
While both sub-genres of "rap" had their positive musical qualities — no one can deny the importance and poetic value of Tupac — hip hop definitely provided a deeper, richer, more sensory musical experience than gangsta rap. Unfortunately, while both genres still exist in an increasingly shallow form today (no, Kanye West's synthed-out vocals don't make him an intellectual and Tupac got and survived being shot way before 50 Cent), really only gangsta' rap or "commercial rap" has thrived on into the aughts. So much so that it has assumed the moniker of "rap" while the sound of groups like De La Soul are simply remembered as a style of "hip hop," a term now frequently used interchangeably with the farcical "indie rap," masquerading as something unique (like sampling 70s soul music is the equivalent of inventing the Wall of Sound).
But in 2008 a rare gem arose above the sewage flowing through the streets. After a nine year hiatus since his first solo record (the disappointingly commercial Amplified), former Tribe Called Quest frontman Q-Tip recorded an outstanding hip hop album aptly entitle The Renaissance. The record was a slick blend of jazz and hip hop, hearkening back to his work with Tribe, but with one key difference. While every album with Tribe featured sample loops from some of the greatest jazz artists in history, this time Q-Tip brought many of the artists directly into the studio (Kurt Rosenwinkle, Derrik Hodge, and the Robert Glasper Trio) and dragged the jazz from the background to the forefront, featuring it prominently (still using some samples). As always Q-Tip rolled out his signature flows, this time blending his vocals into the instrumental workings of the music, functioning as an instrument in and of itself. It was very clear that Q-tip had learned some new tricks since Amplified.
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