Kamaal Ibn John Fareed (born Jonathan William Davis, April 10, 1970 in Harl… Read Full Bio ↴Kamaal Ibn John Fareed (born Jonathan William Davis, April 10, 1970 in Harlem, New York), also known by his stage names Q-Tip, Kamaal the Abstract and The Abstract Poetic, is an American Grammy Award winning rapper, actor, producer and the former leader of the group A Tribe Called Quest. He converted to Islam in the mid-1990s and changed his name to Kamaal Ibn John Fareed. He later moved to Jamaica, Queens, New York as a child. As referenced in the song "Check the Rhime", he mostly resided at Linden Boulevard. He released his debut solo album Amplified in 1999 and followed this up in 2008 with The Renaissance. His third release, Kamaal/The Abstract, was recorded in 2002 but was shelved by his label Arista as they didn't believe it had commercial appeal, but it was eventually released on CD in 2009.

The Q in his name stands for Queens, and it is also said to be a name that represents his ability to get into one’s ears.

Early career:
Q-Tip's first appearance on record was on the Jungle Brothers' Straight Out the Jungle in 1988. Besides performing with his popular and successful jazz-influenced hip hop group, Tip also did production work (under his production alias "the Abstract" or often — along with fellow Tribe member Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the late Slum Village member Jay Dee — as part of The Ummah) for artists such as Nas ("One Love," from Illmatic, 1994), Mobb Deep (co-producer on "Give up the Goods (Just Step)," "Temperature's Rising," and "Drink Away the Pain," from The Infamous, 1995) and even R&B divas Mariah Carey ("Honey," from Butterfly, 1997) and Whitney Houston ("Fine," from Greatest Hits).

Solo career:
A Tribe Called Quest disbanded in 1998, after which Q-Tip pursued a solo career. His first solo singles, "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe & Stop," were far more pop-oriented than anything he had done in A Tribe Called Quest, as was his solo debut LP for Arista Records, Amplified. His 2002 follow-up, Kamaal the Abstract, although critically acclaimed and issued a catalog number, was never released because the label believed that it did not have commercial appeal. His next album, The Renaissance, was released November 2008.

A Tribe Called Quest reunited in 2006 and played a limited number of dates. The group was composed of its original lineup, including Tip and occasional member Jarobi White. Early the next year, Tip signed a new solo deal with Motown/Universal Records.

As of late, Q-Tip has been very active, once again happily reunited with the full line-up of A Tribe Called Quest on the 2K7 NBA Bounce Tour and regaining control of his previously label-owned MySpace page. He has filled the page up with demos and rarities, (some of them from Kamaal the Abstract), and has announced he is negotiating for the ownership of the masters of earlier material from his previous labels and plans to release them independently. Currently, he resides in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Q-Tip has recently stated that he will be forming a hip hop group with fellow rapper Common, called "The Standard."

ManWomanBoogie
Q-Tip Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Get down, (Make it easy)
Good God, make it easier now
(Good God, make it easier now)
Get down, (Man and woman get down)
Good God, make it easier now
(Good God, make it easier now)
Get down, (Man and woman get down)

Man and woman be patrollin the earth
Puttin shit in the game
Citizens, of the world, we runnin out
Precious time is a grain of sand
Ignored by the hand
(Work hard man everyday)
Work hard man everyday (for who?)
For another man's plan
Man orders woman when he come home
Getcha ass in the air!
(My woman wants it just as much as I do)
Woman wants it just as much as he does
But makes as if she don't care
Man and woman in the same where I'm from
We havin things on the mind
Minimum wage and the internet page (she cry)
Protect themselves from crime
The bluest collar on the brownest of skin
White, yellow, red too
They don't care, who it is
They watchin you
Conspiracies, so you might as well dance
Gettin down, Zulu
Man and woman, yo you might as well dance
Gettin down, Zulu, come on

Gettin down is somethin to do between woman and man
One minute we're so far apart and then, together we stand
Gettin down is somethin to do between woman and man
One minute we're so far apart and then, together we stand
Men and women, what's goin on, inside of our minds?

Oh no, sing it one more time, come on

Gettin down is somethin to do between woman and man
One minute we're so far apart and then, together we stand

Check it out
Red man was the first on the continent
This you gotta understand
Woman not behind, she's right beside him there
And they both toil land
White man fightin for independance from, an old empire
Woman makes a flag for a new nation and
Lets the flag waves high
Black woman is stripped of her kingdom and
Bought the breastfeeding new
Black man, mentally, he broke it too
But the cream always rise to the top
That's what men and women do
Man/woman always doin the dance
One wops, one pops
We'd be lucky if we both find a groove
That we both can lock
Can man be stronger if a woman was there?
I would have to say yes
Can woman make it without men being there?
She would have to be blessed
Woman and man are the spiritual forces
Brought together to live
Good thing there's many of us here in the world today
Find a good one to give, let's go, come on

Good God make it easier now
Get down

Good God make it easier now
Get down

Overall Meaning

Q-Tip's "ManWomanBoogie" is an uplifting song about getting down and dancing as a way of unifying and recognizing equal power within genders. The song addresses social issues like inequality, labor exploitation, and social hierarchy in a way that emphasizes that both men and women share equal struggles. The opening lines state "Man and woman be patrolling the earth/Putting shit in the game" and refer to the idea that people are working hard to make something out of their lives but their efforts seem to go unnoticed. Q-Tip references how men usually take on leadership roles in a relationship, but women often want the same sexual intimacy as men do. The song also acknowledges the struggles of people of color as they work hard to fend off crime and provide for their families while battling oppressive societal constructs. Q-Tip ends the song on a positive note by celebrating how men and women together can create something special despite the harsh realities of life.

Line by Line Meaning

Get down, (Make it easy)
Oh lord, please make it simpler

Good God, make it easier now
Oh lord, please make it simpler

Get down, (Man and woman get down)
Oh lord, let men and women come together and dance

Man and woman be patrollin the earth
Men and women rule the world

Puttin shit in the game
They're making changes everywhere, everywhere they go

Citizens, of the world, we runnin out
We are running out of time

Precious time is a grain of sand
Time is fleeting, we need to make the most of it

Ignored by the hand
We often don't pay attention the passing of time

(Work hard man everyday)
We work hard everyday

For another man's plan
But we're working towards someone else's goals

Man orders woman when he come home
The man comes home and bosses the woman around

Getcha ass in the air!
He wants her to get ready for some physical activity

('My woman wants it just as much as I do)
But she wants it just as much he does

Woman wants it just as much as he does
Women enjoy physical intimacy just as much as men

But makes as if she don't care
Women sometimes act like they don't want it, even though they do

Man and woman in the same where I'm from
Men and women are equal where I'm from

We havin things on the mind
We have a lot on our minds

Minimum wage and the internet page (she cry)
We're worried about money and the state of the world

Protect themselves from crime
We also need to worry about staying safe

The bluest collar on the brownest of skin
Everyone is equal, regardless of skin color

White, yellow, red too
All races are equal

They don't care, who it is
It doesn't matter who a person is

They watchin you
We're keeping an eye on everyone

Conspiracies, so you might as well dance
There are a lot of conspiracies and mysteries in the world, so we might as well dance to forget about them

Gettin down, Zulu
Let's get down, just like the Zulus

Man and woman, yo you might as well dance
Men and women, let's dance together

Gettin down, Zulu, come on
Let's dance like the Zulus, come on!

Gettin down is somethin to do between woman and man
Dancing is something that men and women do together

One minute we're so far apart and then, together we stand
At one moment, we may feel separated, but then we come together

Men and women, what's goin on, inside of our minds?
What's going on in the minds of men and women?

Red man was first on the continent
The original inhabitants of the continent were Native Americans

This you gotta understand
We need to understand this history

Woman not behind, she's right beside him there
Women stood right alongside Native American men

And they both toil land
Both men and women worked the land

White man fightin for independance from, an old empire
White men fought to gain independence from England

Woman makes a flag for a new nation and
Women played a crucial role in creating a new nation

Lets the flag waves high
The flag is flown high

Black woman is stripped of her kingdom and
Black women have been mistreated and stripped of their rights

Bought the breastfeeding new
But they are bringing in a new era

Black man, mentally, he broke it too
Black men have also been mistreated and broken down

But the cream always rise to the top
The best always rise to the top, despite any obstacles

That's what men and women do
Men and women persevere and succeed

Man/woman always doin the dance
Men and women are always working together and dancing together through life

One wops, one pops
One may lead, while the other follows

We'd be lucky if we both find a groove
We would be fortunate if we both found a rhythm that works together

That we both can lock
Something that we both feel comfortable and in sync with

Can man be stronger if a woman was there?
Would men be stronger if women were included in the equation?

I would have to say yes
Yes, I think they would be stronger with women involved

Can woman make it without men being there?
Can women exist and thrive without men?

She would have to be blessed
It would be difficult, but not impossible

Woman and man are the spiritual forces
Men and women are both powerful, spiritual beings

Brought together to live
We are brought together to live and coexist on this earth

Good thing there's many of us here in the world today
It's a good thing that there are so many of us, so we can work together

Find a good one to give, let's go, come on
Find someone good to be with, let's do it!

Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: HOLGER CZUKAY, IRMIN SCHMIDT, JAKI LIEBEZEIT, KAMAAL IBN JOHN FAREED, MICHAEL KAROLI, ROSKO GEE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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