Late yesterday HipHopDX.com was granted the hip-hop honor of an sectional chat with Q-Tip, where among other things the fallout from "Fiascogate" [click here for all the details] was an obvious topic of word.

"I don't have whatsoever beef with Lupe Fiasco," Tip says affair-of-factly regarding any suggestion being made that he is aroused with the Chi-Boondocks MC because he forgot the lyrics to 2 bars of an 8-bar section of A Tribe Chosen Quest's "Electric Relaxation" during a tribute to the group at last week's VH1 Hip-Hop Honors. "Tribe doesn't [have any beefiness with Lupe]. Nosotros are appreciative of his performance."

The verbal origin of that performance has since come up into question following Lupe'southward public proclamation that Q-Tip handpicked him to participate in the tribute to Tribe, a claim the abstract poet flatly denies. "VH1 asks who you want to honor yous," Tip begins, breaking downwards how Lupe concluded up in the evidence, "and we came upward with Mos Def, who at the last infinitesimal cancelled, Mutual, Kanye, but then his schedule inverse, and Busta…Actually, it was [Lil'] Wayne, Kanye, Common and Mos."

But since Lil' Wayne couldn't, or simply wouldn't, attend the festivities in New York due to the gun possession accuse he was hit with while performing in NYC back in July, VH1 asked Tip to name additional artists he would similar to run across in the Tribe tribute, to which he suggested Pharrell. "And and so they was similar, 'Well, he'southward honoring Snoop, so he may not be able to do it. What about Talib or Lupe or somebody like that?,'" Tip explains. "And I was like, 'Oh, Lupe would be cool.' I was like thinking of the irony, considering I read something that somebody sent me that he said he never heard a Tribe Called Quest record and never heard Midnight Marauders, nor had whatsoever intention [of hearing it]. And so when his proper noun came up I was like, 'Okay, Lupe.' I never chosen him and told him I wanted him to do it. I didn't beg him to do it. Information technology went but like that."

"So we all spoke on the phone with VH1," continues Tip, "in a creative conversation, and everybody seemed cool. I got there the day of [the performance] and [I was] told that Lupe had some problems with the lyrics. So so I went to his trailer, just trying to extend myself, and I was like, 'And then I understand that yous never heard a Tribe Chosen Quest joint?' He smiled and said, 'Well that's not true. My sister used to listen to information technology. I didn't really [mind to it], only my sis had the album with all the faces on it.'"

While Q-Tip remains adamant that he is okay with Lupe'southward lyric fumbling ["No large deal, people mess up lyrics," he reiterates], he is non as understanding of Lupe'due south recently revealed rationale for his poor performance, that reasoning being that Lupe's early hip-hop inspiration came from the hardcore street narratives of Spice 1 and 8Ball & MJG, and not from "the album with all the faces on it."

"I applaud him for his honesty," says Tip of Lupe's caption. "Just I will say that Spice 1 and Geto Boys were making records at the aforementioned fourth dimension we was. And when we used to do shows with them, Spice 1 and all those dudes would be knowing Tribe lyrics, and vice versa. So contrary to I guess perchance somebody like Lupe, people listen to other types of music. People don't say I take no interest in listening to different types of music. Just that'south his opinion and he's entitled to information technology."

Q-Tip has since spoken to the "talented immature king of beasts," as he calls Lupe, to get additional description on the rise star'due south mail service-performance comments. "I chosen him and I said, 'You know, I merely wanted to speak to you lot homo-to-man and so you know that I don't have no beef with you lot,'" Tip reveals, "And he was like, 'They attacking me.' He explained himself to me, and I listened. We spoke well-nigh doing a bout together really."

While Tip and Lupe appear to have squashed any potential war of words that could have erupted between the two in the by few days, many other artists added their ii cents on the event via the Okayplayer bulletin boards since this whole ordeal began. Phonte of Little Brother has gotten much attending for his words regarding the situation. Coming from a identify of "respect and business organisation", Phonte offers "I'thousand an artist so I understand how we all become through our times of airs and flat out niggotry, but seriously, now is not the time for this. You had a fuck up and there'due south really no i to blame merely yourself," in response to Lupe defending himself on Okayplayer.com [Click Here To Encounter Thread].

"Oh discussion? I didn't know annihilation virtually that," replies Q-Tip when asked for his thoughts on 'Te's online assault on 'Pe. "But if Lupe wants to make those [statements] he's gonna have to deal with the repercussion of it, whether it be positive or negative. And information technology looks like he'south probably getting a smattering of both."

"Honestly, my mind frame is elsewhere," Tip continues, clearly having had his fill of talking most Fiascogate. He is now turning his attention to the February twelfth release of his long-awaited sophomore solo album, The Renaissance. "Information technology's a little bit more hip-hop," Tip says, reassuring those who might have been expecting a more than not-traditional, avant-garde album from one of hip-hop's original genre benders. "Information technology'due south notwithstanding got some shit in there, some different feelings in there. Just it's definitely hip-hop derived and hip-hop centered. And I'm really excited nearly it."

Die-hard Tribe Chosen Quest fans would be most excited if Tip's Renaissance boasted new Tribe tracks, but he remains committed to a grouping re-reunion but taking identify when the whole group can exist nowadays to participate. "Yous know Phife has been sick," Tip reminds those unfamiliar with the physical struggles the "funky diabetic" has endured of late while undergoing dialysis and awaiting a kidney transplant. "And out of respect to him and his health and his privacy for a long time I've never really addressed information technology. But a lot of people were always asking me, 'Why won't Tribe go back [together]?' You know, nosotros did the bout last year, and recently things got bad with him health-wise and people kept request [about a reunion anthology], but information technology'southward non like I could've just came out and said [what was going on], out of respect to him. Merely he has to get ameliorate first and foremost."

Until his partner-in-rhyme can be back past his side Q-Tip will carry on the ATCQ legacy via his solo works. In addition to the early on '08 release of The Renaissance – a video for the album'south next single, "Fever," is forthcoming – Tip will be making his Andre 3000-esque comeback consummate in the coming weeks with his own Mick Boogie-backed mixtape, also as an additional pre-album treat helmed by Light-green Lantern and Statik Selektah entitled The 21 Breakbeats of Decease, wherein which Tip will be spittin' over classic hip-hop breaks.

Who knows, possibly someday in the almost future a "talented young lion" will pay homage to Tip and Tribe by putting out a mixtape of his ain reinterpretations of the classic tracks on Midnight Marauders. "I was talking to Snoop backstage," Tip begins, launching into 1 last idea regarding Fiascogate before the stop of our conversation. "We were talking about the whole [Lupe] thing considering Midnight Marauders and 36 Chambers came out on the same day. And then the following week Snoop's [Doggystyle] anthology came out."

"Damn, that was a month! I wish Lupe could've been there to see it," this writer said jokingly. To which Q-Tip simply replied, "No comment."