Rap/Dance Music Question

[LindyHopper]

Ok, so I started working out again a few weeks ago; we’ve got an exercise bike in my study (this is a Cafe Society question, I promise–I’ll get to it). My computer is there, too, with a bunch of MP3’s to listen to while I pedal. One of the songs in the current mix is “Groove is in the Heart” by Deee-Lite. Now here’s my question:

About two-thirds of the way (or so) through my version of the song, there’s a rap interlude, and the guy doing it sounds uncannily like Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. Is it him? Anybody know? It sounds so much like him–not just the sound of his voice, but his phrasing, his rhythm…

Is it him? Help me out!

[gooti]

It’s him.

[dalovindj]

Yep. Q-tip pops up all over the place. His voice is unmistakable and tribe called quest was one of the best hip-hop collectives ever. That’s also him on the Beastie Boys Check Your head track “Get it together”. Dopeness.

DaLovin’ Dj

[mouthbreather]

Note: Towa is the Asian dude in Deee-Lite

A good example of Towa’s prevailing sense of ‘cool’ can be found in a story he tells about landing one of his first pre-production stints in the music industry. “I did a lot of demo tapes in New York in 1989. One night I met Afrika from the Jungle Brothers at some club. I gave him my card, hoping he’d listen to one of my tapes.” Towa laughs at what happened next. “He looks at the card and says 'Oh shit. Who designed this?” I told him I did. From that he asked me to design the cover for the Down By The Forces Of Nature album. So one day I go to the studio to get the vibe for some cover ideas. Afrika is there all frustrated because the engineer is too slow. Towa smiles. If it were the 1950’s he’d have some stratocaster slung over his back with a card that reads “Have guitar will travel.” Instead, the once and future programmer of the 90’s casually told Afrika about the ‘mother’ of a sampler he had waiting at home. I told them I had equipment at home for looping and stuff. I bring him to my house. He sees my record collection, my sampler and goes crazy. From that point on I was involved in not only the design of the album but the pre-production as well."

It was through the session work with the Jungle Brothers that Towa also met A Tribe Called Quest member Q-Tip. That friendship eventually lead to the rapper making a guest appearance on Dee-lite’s 1990 number one hit “Groove Is In The Heart.”

http://www.dabb.com/gut/e/a05_e.html

[LindyHopper]

Cool! Thanks, you guys!

dalovindj: Yeah, I knew it was him on the Beastie Boys track. A Tribe Called Quest is awesome, although I only have their “Midnight Marauders” album. I know, I know, I need to pick up “The Low End Theory”; everybody tells me that.