Tonic Mixtape generally focuses on newer acts, but this week we have an unlikely pair of Grammy winners who’ve come together to celebrate hip-hop. In one corner we have rap vet Q-Tip, and in the other we have easy listening queen Norah Jones — because when I think old school rap, I think of the piano girl.
The video for “Life Is Better” debuted today and is featured below. The funk-jazz track, from Q’s “The Renaissance” album, pays respect to everyone from Kool Herc to Jay-Z. Jones does, for the record, hold it down nice. In fact, she even holds down the first 90 seconds all by her lonesome.
In other Q-Tip news, the rapper finally released the cool-jazz album “Kamaal the Abstract” after many label difficulties. The entire album can be streamed for free on the rapper’s MySpace page here.