Wale Brought Q-Tip Out During His Rolling Loud Set To Perform ‘Vivrant Thing’

An appearance from Q-Tip is a very rare thing these days, but Wale made one happen for the lucky fans attending his Rolling Loud set this weekend. As he graced the stage at the hip-hop fest, Q took the time to perform an oldie but classic song for fans, busting out the first single off his solo record, Amplified. “Vivrant Thing” was a chart hit for the rapper, and a remix also featured verses from Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes, but more recently, Wale sampled it for the song “Poke It Out” featuring J. Cole as part of his new album, Follarin II. Now, Tip has some new solo material on the way, but it’s always great to go back to the beginning. Check out a clip of Q-Tip’s performance below:

As the last decade has seen a plethora of unexpected or untimely deaths in the hip-hop community, the call to give veterans their roses while they’re still here has been strong. That’s exactly what Wale has done by bringing the Tribe Called Quest legend out during his set. Regardless, the internet has certainly changed how hip-hop is perceived, and how it is consumed. In a recent interview with Uproxx for a cover story earlier this month, Wale said that the new shift toward recording everything on social media has changed public perception a lot. He cites his won accomplishments in his early career that rarely get recognized as an example.

“I don’t think a lot of people don’t know that me, Cole, and Pharrell opened for Jay-Z,” he said. “We did a whole college tour… A lot of people don’t know I opened for Jay before that, even in Europe… A lot of people don’t know I opened for Rihanna in Europe. Because there was no Snapchat. I wasn’t walking around with a cameraman for YouTube all day. It was a weird time… We got a little bit of the Mandela effect going on in this generation.” Read the full cover here, and check out Wale’s “Poke It Out” video above.

Q-Tip Remembers How Columbia And Def Jam Passed On Signing Megan Thee Stallion Despite His Co-Sign

Trying to get on in the hip-hop industry is always going to be a grind, but having a huge titan co-sign you is usually a huge help. Megan Thee Stallion might be one of the biggest artists in rap at the moment, but back when she was first trying to break into music, she apparently made a big impression on a legendary artist — none other than Q-Tip himself. In a clip from My Expert Opinion, the A Tribe Called Quest rapper explains that even with all of his own connections on the label side of things, both Columbia Records and Def Jam weren’t very interested in signing Megan when she was just an unknown rapper from Houston.

“Prior to this, my co-signs were Dilla, Nas, Redman […] so I’ve done it a few times,” he explains. “So this one in particular we’re sitting at the meeting [with Columbia] and it’s great. The dude comes back, ‘So we saw the views, yeah she’s good. We could just give her like… $30,000′ or some sh*t like that.’ Just say you don’t want to sign her, b! Don’t f*cking embarrass me. So I took her to Def Jam, but the same thing happened. And I was like I guess the co-sign isn’t working anymore. And she wound up being Megan Thee Stallion. The co-sign is kind of flimsy now, because they rely on data… I was like ‘Don’t you see who she is? She is going to be the wave!’”

Megan did post about the trip back when it happened, which backs up his story, in case there was any doubt:

Check out the relevant clips in the tweets below or the whole segment up top.

Q-Tip And The Hip-Hop Community React To The Death Of Biz Markie At 57

The world is mourning the loss of another hip-hop legend today. After his hospitalization for complications related to diabetes in 2020, today a family source confirmed to TMZ that rapper Biz Markie has passed away at the age of 57. Best known for his hit single “Just A Friend,” the prolific and multi-talented entertainer was respected by the hip-hop world at large, and plenty of artists and friends are expressing their grief at the loss.

Dubbed the “Clown Prince Of Hip-Hop,” Biz Markie, born Marcel Theo Hall was a member of the Juice Crew and an integral part of the New York rap world during the ’90s. An accomplished rapper, beatboxer, producer and well-known for his out-of-the-box sampling ideas, Markie was also an on-screen presence with a role in Men In Black II and a stint opening for comedian Chris Rock.

One of the most heartfelt and earliest reactions from a fellow artist comes from Q-Tip, who is feeling the loss. “This one hurts baad … RIP to my Aries bro… ahhh man
@BizMarkie damn im gonna miss u so so many memories.. hurts bad. My FRIEND,” he wrote. Check out more reactions from fellow rappers and artists below. Rest in peace Biz Markie.

Cordae Announces A Four-Song EP Featuring Young Thug To Hold Fans Over For His Album

It has been nearly two years since the release of Cordae’s debut album The Lost Boy, and the 23-year-old Maryland native’s fans are getting antsy for a follow-up. They’ve had a few singles to old them over recently, including the Roddy Ricch-featuring “Gifted,” which made Cordae’s name change official, and “The Parables,” which put his songwriting prowess on display, but Wednesday night/Thursday morning, Cordae’s giving the world a few more appetizers ahead of his nearly-completed sophomore album.

Today, he announced the upcoming release of Just Until…, a four-song EP releasing at midnight “tomorrow” featuring guest appearances from two disparate entities that highlight the young rapper’s cross-generational appeal. On “More Life,” he’ll team up with Q-Tip, who represents the ’90s Golden Era that clearly influences much of Cordae’s work, while on “Wassup,” he’s recruited Young Thug, one of the top representatives of the modern generation of genre-bending rappers to which Cordae himself belongs.

While that tension has helped to make Cordae a favorite of both older rap fans and younger ones, as seen in his ability to convincingly collaborate with the jazzy Dinner Party crew on “Freeze Tag” and Stevie Wonder and Busta Rhymes on “Can’t Put It In The Hands Of Fate,” it’s also generated some behind-the-scenes friction. Royce Da 5’9″ recently told a podcast that Atlantic actually blocked Cordae from appearing on his Grammy-nominated The Allegory because higher-ups at the label allegedly “want to keep him young.”

However, the tracklist for Just Until… seems to suggest that the wise-beyond-his-years Cordae doesn’t care about all that — he just wants to work with the best of the best. Look out for that release on 4/21 at midnight and his full album later this year.

Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.