Q-Tip, the legendary A Tribe Called Quest frontman, recently voiced his disagreement with 9th Wonder’s push for a new Hip Hop subgenre: Adult Contemporary Hip-Hop.
This idea was sparked by 9th Wonder’s experience listening to Common and Pete Rock’s collaborative album, which led him to propose a new category for mature hip hop, similar to how the Grammys distinguish between different R&B styles.
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), 9th Wonder expressed his long-held belief: “This Common and Pete Rock album begs the conversation I’ve been having with folks for at least 20 years now.
Adult Contemporary Hip-Hop needs its own category. Word to DO IT ALL from Lords of The Underground….we’ve been said this homie!!!”
He further likened his proposal to the birth of neo-soul in the ’90s, emphasizing how it created a distinct identity within R&B.
“Tell that to the moment in music history when they created the term ‘Neo-Soul’. It not only separated it from other R&B styles, but it damn came with a starter kit,” he explained.
However, Q-Tip was not convinced. He argued that introducing an “Adult Contemporary” label could be divisive. “Adding ‘ADULT CONTEMPORARY’ category 2 hip hop programming is divisive.
It would be nice to have everything in one pot BUT… if there is a need to do so.. call it TRADITIONAL hip hop as ‘ADULT’ will make AGEIST prejudge,” he stated.
Q-Tip also concurred with a fan’s sentiment that such a move could deepen the generational divide among Hip Hop enthusiasts, further fragmenting the community.
