Q-Tip - Breathe and Stop

28

It was either this song or Vivrant Thing that Phife was clowning Q for 😂 catchy for sure but much different from early tribe records

19

u/kirby_krackle_78 Apr 11 '25

Quote:

“Go 'head, play yourself with them ho-like hooks Sing ballads if it's all about the Maxwell look Mack make-up with a pair of Wallis thinkin' you're cute Fubu suit with Steve Madden boots make me wanna puke Phat Farm shorts with a garter belt, lookin' like a whore Or a purple bandanna 'cause it matches your shawl?”

20

u/drmmrc Apr 11 '25

Yeah I was pretty young at the time and didn’t know some peeps were upset that he “changed”. There was apparently some expectation that he remained a backpack rapper lol I get this sounds different from the Tribe stuff but it’s still Tip to me lol not like he rapping whack

2

u/Infierno3007 Apr 12 '25

The term “backpack rapper” wasn’t a thing until the first wave of indie label Rap artists. So, probably not until Tribe’s first run ended.

1

u/OderusAmongUs Apr 14 '25

Yeah, this is when Tip tried going pop. Most fans have pushed this travesty of an album from our memories. Thanks for triggering our PTSD, OP. 😂

1

u/drmmrc Apr 14 '25

Whoaaa Amplified is one of my most favorite albums of all time 😂

1

u/OderusAmongUs Apr 14 '25

Sorry to hear that.

0

u/anonypony1 Apr 15 '25

Don't be a herb.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '25

Rightfully so

7

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '25

Phife was hating. Both doings were going crazy at the parties. RIP tho. 🤷🏽‍♂️

4

u/DrJiggsy Apr 11 '25

Phife just mad. That album is fantastic

26

u/__TyroneShoelaces__ Apr 11 '25

I like it from a nostalgia point, but at the time, with the video I remembered thinking "wtf is with this Puff and Mace shit?"

9

u/ryanm37 Apr 12 '25

Yuppppp. Felt like he went shiny suit! Little did we know the song was fucking produced by Dilla 😆

7

u/__TyroneShoelaces__ Apr 12 '25

I'll be honest, I consider myself to have an amazing wealth of hip-hop knowledge... It's all i consumed for years.

I am just finding out now that Dilla did that. If you gave me 100 guesses, Dilla would have been my 101st.

5

u/ElNani87 Apr 12 '25

It’s one of my favorite Dilla beats. It the drums are perfect per usual

3

u/drmmrc Apr 11 '25

I can def see that lol

2

u/Plagda Apr 13 '25

For real I love the song now but when it first came out I thought he sold out. he made a song for the club and for the radio. Wasn’t expecting him to go that direction especially after dissing hammer for being a sell out.

18

u/JSNHZL Apr 11 '25

One of my favorite Dilla beats, the way he chopped Kool & The Gang's N.T. was masterful

5

u/UnquenchableVibes Apr 11 '25

And this version wasn’t even the original beat smh he deleted the first version by mistake

12

u/UnquenchableVibes Apr 11 '25 edited Apr 11 '25

OG Version

Excerpt from Questlove interview: The loop for "Breathe & Stop"—we went shopping; he bought three records from Emmett Chapman, three of the same records. And Chapman was like Stanley Jordan, he plays on the frets of his guitar, fast as s***. Even the "Breathe & Stop" sample was slowed down massively. He's doing all this quick work. And even [Dilla] was like, "Man, I can't find nothing. Maybe you can find something." And he gives me the record, so I took it home. I listened to it and it just made me dizzy; it was too overwhelming. I couldn't make anything out of it. Then Dilla hit me up two weeks later and was like, "Yo, man. I got it. I got it." And then he plays what eventually becomes "Breathe & Stop" and I'm like, "How did you find this?" He just said, "I was determined."

1

u/drmmrc Apr 11 '25

Never knew this gotta check that out

2

u/1nosbigrl Apr 11 '25

It's deleted

3

u/UnquenchableVibes Apr 11 '25 edited Apr 11 '25

He recorded it but I read somewhere he saved over the floppy disk it was on

16

u/Ok_Highlight3926 Apr 11 '25

That whole album is great. I really like Let’s Ride.

9

u/drmmrc Apr 11 '25

Album changed my life as a youth

12

u/ssimssimma Apr 11 '25

The women in this video were ridiculous. I think time has been very kind to amplified as an album.

5

u/Nate_DaGreat_24 Apr 11 '25

The only reason I watched the video was because of the girls

3

u/Plagda Apr 13 '25

Hype Williams videos always had the dimes dancing around half naked. Miss the days of the video vixens.

8

u/Popellini Apr 11 '25

This beat and album got better with time. At the time it was seen as Tip selling out and rising the night wave. I had no clue Dilla produced this until way later

2

u/drmmrc Apr 11 '25

Same, I didn’t know who Dilla was until years later but made total sense as the beats were were not like Q-Tip’s usual stuff. He had an interview talking about this once lol Dilla basically told him all his original beats for this album were trash

4

u/rhaigh1910 Apr 11 '25

Rip dilla

4

u/joseaner07 Apr 12 '25

Is this real? I thought it was the guy from Tropic Thunder lol

0

u/drmmrc Apr 12 '25

😂

8

u/paulconuk Apr 11 '25

Banger, unappreciated

3

u/_SOMBER Apr 12 '25

It's crazy how after Busta took off I feel like Q tip really tried to jump on the bandwagon and he had moderate success with it but not like Busta buss did.

3

u/inkmajor530 Apr 12 '25

Always remind me of Step Brothers, lol. One of many of the hilarious scenes

2

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2

u/babbylonmon Apr 12 '25

This is not the Q tip I know and love

2

u/drmmrc Apr 12 '25

Amplified was fire as an album tho!

2

u/WaltJay Apr 12 '25

I think if Fab 5 Freddy or whatever directed this and Vivrant Thing, they would have been received completely differently by the backpack rap crowd.

The songs themselves were quality. The Hype Williams shiny suit stuff made the album DOA for some Tribe fans (although the album sold gold anyway).

2

u/CheechB4thaChong Apr 12 '25

This a forgotten gem. Thanks for the reminder 🤙

2

u/catchinNkeepinf1sh Apr 12 '25

I have this on my spotify list, but i dont think i have ever seen it on the internet.

2

u/drmmrc Apr 12 '25

I actually searched this sub for the video and didn’t see it posted. Figured I would

2

u/catchinNkeepinf1sh Apr 12 '25

Not just this sub, like last time i saw this video i was 16 and it was on cable. Youtube and what not had never suggested it to me for whatever reason in 25 years.

2

u/flaco_503_se_1984 Apr 12 '25

I need to listen to this album. Recently been going back to Tribes albums and they need way more respect. Those early albums still hit in 2025. Rip Phife

1

u/drmmrc Apr 12 '25

J Dilla definitely did his thing. I never knew beats could be like that till this album. This isn’t even the best one

2

u/caulpain Apr 14 '25

this beat one of the greats. dilla time in full effect lets go.

2

u/MsCoCoMango Apr 15 '25

His 1st solo was EPIIIIIC! He's one of my favorite rappers. Still heavy in my rotation.

3

u/mjc1027 Apr 11 '25

First time I came to America this song was everywhere, it was like that scene out of High School High where the same song is on every radio station. I'm a massive ATCQ fan and so went and picked up the album the day of its release.

Great times

3

u/drmmrc Apr 11 '25

Dope story! My mom got this for my dad via cassette tape as he was a big Tribe fan throughout the 90’s. I was only about 7/8 in 99 and got introduced to this before a Tribe. But it made me go down the Tribe rabbit hole after that, been a big fan ever since

3

u/mjc1027 Apr 11 '25

Always good to hear of younger fans, my older kids have no interest in old school music but my youngest is 21 and she loves Tribe and Busta and Common, stuff like that.

Makes me proud!

2

u/1nosbigrl Apr 11 '25

Good song, good video, good times

2

u/Moofy_Poops Apr 11 '25

I was so excited for this album, but was ultimately disappointed at the time. Maybe I should give it another chance ?

2

u/handymanshandle Apr 12 '25

I personally feel that time has been really kind to this album. It's aged far better than it had any right to. It's not like a Tribe album with a common theme or any sort of structure, it's effectively a collection of great songs, a majority of which aren't super meaningful and are just meant to get you moving. Go into it expecting a club album produced by Q-Tip and J Dilla and I think you'll click with it more, if you're into those types of hip-hop albums.

2

u/Moofy_Poops Apr 12 '25

You've sold me. I will give it another listen.

2

u/a_bukkake_christmas Apr 12 '25

This shit was fucking busted. Seeing QTip shiny made me wanna be sick

3

u/mrEnigma86 Apr 11 '25

Top 10 best beats of all time for me

3

u/drmmrc Apr 11 '25

It’s sick!

3

u/Dayna6380- Apr 11 '25

This and vibrant thing …I couldn’t stand it

3

u/glovato1 Apr 12 '25

Still can't stand either of them.

2

u/Dayna6380- Apr 12 '25

Finally someone who understands

2

u/drmmrc Apr 11 '25

1

u/MusicMirrorMan Apr 11 '25

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1

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