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."
Vivrant Thing
Q-Tip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh, no doubt now
Uh, yo, check it out now
Uh, no doubt, yo
Special girl, real good girl
Biggest thing in my itty bitty world
Called her up and she made me feel right
Sittin' back with this mic in my hand
Spittin' hot shit tryin' to see grand
Imprinted on my mind every minute
Make my plans and you always in it, yo
You're such a vivrant thing
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
And even though we both fly
Give each other space and not the evil eye
Actin' like grownups
Don't even try to hide cause the spot blown up
Girlfriend tellin' you she want to see
I say 'I dunno' but you say 'Gladly'
And when we both do hemp
We go on and on and on and on and on and
Sweeter than Ben & Jerry
Can I rhyme? Well you know I gets mine
Sittin' round in my abstract part
This abstract thing goin' abstract far, yo
You're such a vivrant thing
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
You're such a vivrant thing
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
Look at you, look at me
You're such a vivrant thing
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
Look at you, look at me
You're such a vivrant thing
Vivrant
Gettin' back to my MC status
All the willy that I kick make the other niggas maddest
Movin', to your town and situation
Shorty thought she subtle but she really was blatant when she
Shook her thing and violated
Now these wolf-like thoughts are formulated
I'm sayin, "Yo is this some heartfelt shit here?
Am I strong-backed nigga? Well shit yeah"
Plus we can hold a convo'
Or go to the movies, my crib, whatever yo
Just want to see you by my side
We on 95, know the stash is in the ride
A rappin' nigga for real
You would find me in a cypher if I didn't cop a deal
Rap slate like big grate
You buy, I sell, we split big cake
Uh uh, just move your little thing
Move it around and shake your little thing
Uh uh yo
You're such a vivrant thing
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
You're such a vivrant thing
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
You're such a vivrant thing
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing
In "Vivrant Thing," Q-Tip sings about his special girl who is the biggest thing in his world. He talks about how she makes him feel right and he wishes the bliss could never end. Q-Tip describes his love for this girl as something that is imprinted on his mind every minute and how she is always in his plans. He raps about the both of them being vivrant things, individuals who are alive, spirited, and dynamic in their own unique ways.
The song is also about their relationship, how they give each other space, and act like grownups. He mentions that even though they both have busy lives, they never give each other the evil eye and let that get in the way. The song also touches on the topic of smoking hemp, which they do together as a couple. The lyrics describe their relationship as sweeter than Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
In the end, Q-Tip admits that he is a rapper, but he would rather have this girl by his side than anyone else, emphasizing that she is a vivrant thing. Overall, the song is a funky and upbeat love song that celebrates finding that one special person who brings light into your life.
Line by Line Meaning
Special girl, real good girl
This girl is special, and truly good
Biggest thing in my itty bitty world
She's my everything, the biggest part of my small world
Called her up and she made me feel right
Talking to her on the phone made me feel better
Wish the bliss could never take flight
I wish this feeling could last forever
Sittin' back with this mic in my hand
I'm sitting back with my microphone
Spittin' hot shit tryin' to see grand
I'm rapping really well, trying to make it big
Imprinted on my mind every minute
She's always on my mind
Make my plans and you always in it, yo
You're always included in my future plans
You're such a vivrant thing
You're vibrant and full of life
And even though we both fly
We're both successful and popular
Give each other space and not the evil eye
We respect each other's space and don't show hostility
Actin' like grownups
We're mature and responsible adults
Don't even try to hide cause the spot blown up
We're in the public eye and can't hide our relationship
Girlfriend tellin' you she want to see
Your girlfriend wants to hang out with us
I say 'I dunno' but you say 'Gladly'
I'm hesitant, but you're willing to hang out with her
And when we both do hemp
When we both smoke weed
We go on and on and on and on and on and
We have a good time together and it feels endless
Sweeter than Ben & Jerry
We're even sweeter than ice cream
Can I rhyme? Well you know I gets mine
I'm a great rapper and you already know it
Sittin' round in my abstract part
I'm sitting around in my creative space
This abstract thing goin' abstract far, yo
My creativity is going to the extreme
Look at you, look at me
We're admiring each other
Gettin' back to my MC status
I'm getting back to being a rapper
All the willy that I kick make the other niggas maddest
Other rappers are jealous of my skills
Movin', to your town and situation
I'm moving to be closer to you
Shorty thought she subtle but she really was blatant when she
Your friend tried to be sneaky but it was obvious what she wanted
Shook her thing and violated
She danced suggestively and crossed a line
Now these wolf-like thoughts are formulated
Thoughts of jealousy and aggression have formed
I'm sayin, 'Yo is this some heartfelt shit here?
I'm questioning if this is serious and sincere
Am I strong-backed nigga? Well shit yeah'
I'm a confident, competent man
Plus we can hold a convo'
We can have a good conversation
Or go to the movies, my crib, whatever yo
We can hang out in different settings
Just want to see you by my side
I just want to be with you
We on 95, know the stash is in the ride
We're driving and we know there's weed in the car
A rappin' nigga for real
I'm truly a rapper
You would find me in a cypher if I didn't cop a deal
I'd still be rapping in a freestyle circle if I didn't get signed
Rap slate like big grate
I have great raps like a cheese grater has big holes
You buy, I sell, we split big cake
We're successful together and sharing our profits
Just move your little thing
Just dance
Move it around and shake your little thing
Dance and shake your hips
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Barry White, Kamaal Ibn Jonathan Davis Fareed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luvcoffee7842
I am 26 years old and Japanese.
I think Q-Tip was intentionally trying to create a major atmosphere for Amplified.
I feel that they were trying to differentiate themselves from atcq.
Amplified has its pros and cons, but I really like the unique music that only Q-Tip could make at this time.
With Renaissance, he was back to his true self.
Amplified has a black jacket and Renaissance has a white jacket.
I feel it is very meaningful.
@FreebieBabe
"Special girl, real good girl
Biggest thing in my itty bitty world
Called her up and she made me feel right
Wish the bliss could never take flight
Sittin back with this mic in my hand
Spittin hot shit tryin to see grand
Imprinted on my mind every minute
Make my plans and you always in it, yo
You're such a vivrant thing,
Vivrant thing, a vivrant thing"
#Old School baby.
@GeminiJo
The beat alone was epic.
@robertgoines2855
Yep + no cursing
@lmrdrummer1
TheHatedHater there were three writers that got credit actually.
@dallascorpio
Barry White sample.
@lisaellis4105
Heck! yeah!
@charleymartinez-rodriguez8358
Sounds like "Just Like Music"-Marvin Gaye
@londontravellers22
I was listening to this the other day. My 17 year old daughter told me I was too old to listen to hip hop and that I need to listen to songs in my generation. I told her this song IS from my generation. I've been listening to this song since I was 16.
@oldirtybastard667
😂😂
@napkinbob4689
HAHA
@funkysexy69
😍...Nice one! 😎🤙🏽🖤