Q-Tip’s “Abstract Radio” is back on Apple Music Radio! Its been almost two years since listeners last heard the A Tribe Called Quest emcee helm his digital radio platform. He revealed Thursday (April 1) on the Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music that the eclectic show would be making a comeback.
“We coming back … We still doing it,” Tip said during the ten minute interview. “And we still trying to make radio interesting. We trying to do it innovative. We’re trying to give it something a little light, give it something good and fun for the weekend.”
Tip explained that the theme of this season is “all things Native,” referring to the Native Tongues collective he helped create with De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest.
“We’re talking about Tribe, De La, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Kendrick, Kanye, Cole… We’re thinking H.E.R., we’re thinking about Lauryn,” he said. “What we’re trying to do at apple is create our own intellectual property with all this magnificent music that has been laid down and continues to be laid down.”
“With the Natives is restless show we just want to be able to highlight again all of the different mixed bags of artists from way back when to present and show the common thread between them all to defeat agism, sexism, and genderism and all of those things because that was the main epithet of being a Native you know what I mean? Come as you are as long as you are true,” Tip added.
The Abstract has recorded 138 shows since he launched “Abstract Radio” in 2015. Those that have tuned in can expect the unexpected, with DJ sets ranging from afrobeat to jazz to R&B, old school, new school and what Tip calls “good school” music.
Apple Music
The “Vivrant Thing” rapper and his Abstract Crew have covering a wide range of topics throughout the span of six years — paying homage to Stevie Wonder with a mix for his birthday, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Nas’s timeless Illmatic album, and giving countless DJs a platform to takeover.
Season two of “Abstract Radio” returns Friday (April 2) at 9 p.m. ET