Three years since Q-Tip mentioned a fourth solo album, he spilled the who’s, what’s, and why’s of his long-awaited tracks. And when VIBE interviewed the former A Tribe Called Quest rapper in 2012, he said he was excited for Last Zulu. G.O.O.D. Music set a 2013 release, but only now is the album close to being finished, Q-Tip told Billboard.
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“I’m trying to keep up with my counterparts Sade and D’Angelo and take 8 years, 9 years between records. I’m very aware of that,” he said. “I’m just trying to uphold our pact that we have.”
Q-Tip collaborated with Busta Rhymes for their 2013 mixtape Kamaal/The Abstract, was featured on movie soundtracks, and became a voice in activism. At the same time, he worked in the studio as the sole producer for his album co-written by Marsha Ambrosius. He invited guests like Beck and Fiona Apple to record the choruses, and hinted that Kanye West might even make an appearance.
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The rapper also plans on making his album multilingual, with Spanish, French, and Portuguese versions of his songs. The Queens native showed an interest in languages when he asked fans to write to him in their native tongue in June. He posted to Instagram, “I wanna hear from the world!” Well, adding verses and choruses in different dialects will have the world hearing him.
“I’m excited [about Last Zulu]. The sound is, it’s hard to describe, but I’m just excited about music. I feel like I haven’t even peaked,” he said. “I’m just hoping that I can have people join me on my little insights, know what I mean? I think that we’re in a crossroads in many ways, not only as a nation but in the world.”