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."
end of time featuring Korn
Q-Tip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just feelin' things out for real, ya know?
Just want to do me for real, ya know?
No reason to make it complicated, you feelin' agitated,
You love it or you hate it fuck it
Desperation, jumpin' off of street corners here
Hustlers looking for buzz like "pop one in here"
Local state officials.yeah they out of touch
But yo let them tell it, we smoke it and we sell it
You don't understand, so don't tell it
You sneakin' souls just for phat diamond golds
cause our lady friends have likings for designer clothes
People in my hood think.If I'm looking raggedy, then the cat is just a weak link
In the very fake chain of oppression.
If television taught me any lesson,
it's "Image is Nothing",
but yo I got a thirst Nothing,
but yo I got a thirst Nothing,
but yo I got a thirst what's first? Your rings or your purse?
[Jonathan Davis]
(Oh boyoh boy! Make your wagers back there! Step lively women and
children first! The world is coming to an end! Come on now we're looking at
the end! We have to leave them we have to leave all our paraphernalia's behind
(brought back brought back.) [Repeats]
(Let's go!)
It's kinda scary you see.
How fucked up things can be
Each time you take a bath
How it could have been your last
There's so much shit around us
Things we can't even see
Is this the end of our line?
That's where I want to be [Repeat: x4]
(End of Time) [Repeats]
(Brought back) [Repeats]
The Q-Tip featuring Korn song, "End of Time", starts off with Q-Tip expressing his desire to just be himself without any added complexities. He mentions how people in his neighborhood are desperate for money and are involved in illegal activities like selling drugs. He also talks about how some people only care about material possessions like designer clothes and expensive jewelry. Q-Tip feels that these people are actually weak links in the chain of oppression, promoting the idea that materialism and illegal activities are a way to success. However, he mentions that he understands the true value of life and does not want to be a part of this negative cycle.
Jonathan Davis then takes over and expresses his fears about the world ending. He talks about how life can be unpredictable and scary, making everyone question whether this is the end of the line. He mentions how there are so many unknown dangers around us that we cannot even see. Davis then repeats the phrase "End of Time" as if he is accepting this possibility.
The song seems to be a commentary on society and the struggles people face in today's world. Q-Tip and Jonathan Davis express their understanding of the dangers and hardships that people face while also recognizing the importance of life. They want people to understand that living for material possessions or engaging in illegal activities will only lead to more problems and ultimately a dead end. The repeated phrase "End of Time" adds to the song's ominous tone, reinforcing the idea that life is unpredictable and can end at any moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Just feelin' things out for real, ya know?
I'm taking my time to figure things out, not rushing anything.
Just want to do me for real, ya know?
I want to be true to myself and do things my own way.
No reason to make it complicated, you feelin' agitated,
There's no need to overcomplicate things and make ourselves anxious.
You love it or you hate it fuck it
Some people will like what I do and others won't, but I don't care.
Desperation, jumpin' off of street corners here
People are desperate and willing to resort to anything to make money.
Hustlers looking for buzz like "pop one in here"
People are trying to find ways to get a quick high or buzz.
Local state officials.yeah they out of touch
The government officials are not in tune with what's happening in the local community.
Getting money for some, hey yo, ain't nothin' much
Some people are making money, but it's not that big of a deal.
But yo let them tell it, we smoke it and we sell it
People talk about us smoking and selling drugs, but they don't really know what's going on.
You sneakin' souls just for phat diamond golds
People are willing to betray others just to get expensive jewelry.
cause our lady friends have likings for designer clothes
Women in our community like designer clothes and guys are willing to do whatever it takes to get them.
People in my hood think.If I'm looking raggedy, then the cat is just a weak link
People judge others based on their appearance and think that someone who looks poor is weak and inferior.
In the very fake chain of oppression.
The system of oppression is built on lies and fakeness.
If television taught me any lesson,
If there's one thing I learned from watching TV,
it's "Image is Nothing",
it's that your image is everything.
but yo I got a thirst Nothing,
But all of that doesn't matter to me.
but yo I got a thirst Nothing,
But all of that doesn't matter to me.
but yo I got a thirst what's first? Your rings or your purse?
What's more important to you, your material possessions or your desires?
(Oh boyoh boy! Make your wagers back there! Step lively women and
children first! The world is coming to an end! Come on now we're looking at
the end! We have to leave them we have to leave all our paraphernalia's behind
(brought back brought back.) [Repeats]
The world is ending and we have to leave our possessions behind.
(Let's go!)
Get ready to leave now!
It's kinda scary you see.
It's really frightening.
How fucked up things can be
How terrible things can be.
Each time you take a bath
Every moment could be your last.
How it could have been your last
We never know when our time is up.
There's so much shit around us
There are so many negative things in the world around us.
Things we can't even see
There are negative things happening that we're not even aware of.
Is this the end of our line?
Is our time up?
That's where I want to be [Repeat: x4]
I want to be at the end of the line, ready to leave everything behind.
(End of Time) [Repeats]
It's the end of the world.
(Brought back) [Repeats]
We'll be brought back after leaving everything behind.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JONATHAN HOWSMAN DAVIS, KAMAAL IBN JOHN FAREED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JoeBChill
Fuckin' amazing track. Dilla with an amazing blend of rap and rock on the production. Davis' wild vocals fits perfectly. And Q-Tip straight-up killed it with the lyrics.
I.M.2BiZee
I thought Tip produced this. Thinking back Dilla had to do this cause I was looking at a dilla playlist
☜ XPOONDIGGY ☞
I love how Q-Tip takes rap to diffrent levels
Layla Chisom89
Same
chromeboi
Jonathan is my favorite singer of all time.
Layla Chisom89
Same
Opiatist
Korn always collaborates with really good rap & hip-hip artist & I hope they'll become the fearsome 5 again someday...
Reprehensible Meshuggah
Thank you Spotify and uploader. This is such a treat as a longtime Korn fan having never heard it before
Gord
Yeah not bad
WhatsHappening783402
@Gord listen to Time to get weird feat JD