New TQ News....

[smerlus]

The source is www.y2hiphop.com....sorry if someone posted this already but......

"If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch."



Those words from the classic Kipling poem "If" speak volumes about the ability to be true to oneself while, at the same time, being open-minded and able to maintain emotional and philosophical breadth. It's about being durable, flexible and multi-dimensional. - They're words that Cash Money Records singer/songwriter TQ could very well have written about himself.


On Gemini, the follow-up to 1998's They Never Saw Me Coming, TQ, whose golden voice has graced Lil Wayne's smash "Way of Life" and a host of Big Tymers hits, takes on the daunting task of being all things to all people: one part hip hop-inspired lyricist, one part smooth R&B crooner. And he does it all without skipping a beat or missing a note.


Born Terrance Quaites, the multi-talented artist says that, like his personality, his music has two sides. "I'm a Gemini to the heart," he says. "One thing that's true about geminis is we definitely have two sides." TQ says Gemini is the antithesis of "Never Saw Me Coming." "When you listen to my old album and compare it to this one, you'll see that this is the other side. This is I guess the more civilized side but it still shows hints of the other one. I still definitely got that fiery, mad at the world attitude about a lot of things but not about everything. I just really wanted to show the difference, how broad my spectrum is. I feel that God has blessed me with a talent and the ability to relate to people on both sides of the fence and I just wanted to showcase that."


Embracing his dual personalities is not just some music industry gimmick that TQ uses to broaden his reach. It's how he grew up. It's how he's living today. And his music, he says, is merely an accurate depiction of his life. "I heard somebody call my music reality R&B," he muses. "And I feel like that's the closest description that I've heard to what it really is. I listen to rap constantly. I hang around rappers constantly. I live a rapper's life except I sing. The fact that this is shown in my music is really genuine. It's definitely not something I'm trying to do. That's just the way I am."


Growing up in Compton, TQ spent most of his time listening to NWA. But thanks to his mother, his musical horizons were expanded to include R&B singers like Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin. In fact, he would often go off to himself to his room with old R&B albums and practice his scratching techniques. "I was sitting on the fence back then," he laughs, "somewhere between hip hop and old school R&B."


But even prior to that, TQ was intrigued by music and performing, often showcasing his skills before the discriminating eyes of his parents and their friends. "When I was young my mom would always have people over on the weekends. Once everybody started feeling good, having a good time, I was known as the little singer. They'd say, `come sing that song'." One of the songs in TQ's repertoire was Rick James' "Super Freak." The other was Prince's "Adore," which TQ masterfully covers on Gemini. "When I was little I'd get up on the fireplace and do that song for everybody and they loved it so when Cash Money CEO Ronald Williams came with the idea to do a remake, it clicked right there. I'd been wanting to do it for awhile but nobody would go there with me. They didn't feel I could pull it off I guess, or they couldn't pull it off on the production side."


But TQ puts the naysayers to rest with his heartfelt rendition of the tender love ballad, with his voice so smooth, soulful and sexy and ever so reminiscent of the R&B crooners of yesteryears.


Like a well-trained juggler tossing pins from one hand to the other, TQ skillfully and creatively navigates through Gemini displaying an equal amount of passion for his R&B and hip hop leanings.


The R. Kelly-produced single, "Up in the Club" is a straight-up party jam while "Ghetto" is a poignant socially-conscious gem whose hook plays on Dennis Edwards' "Don't Look Any Further." "'Ghetto' is definitely special to me," says TQ, "because I feel like it's a throwback to some old Curtis Mayfield or Marvin Gaye where you're taking the approach of looking at the situation around you trying to come up with a solution instead of just putting it out there and glorifying it. That song is really talking about our problems and what little part we play to do something about them."


TQ reflects on his life on "I Remember," a soulful midtempo song, co-written by and featuring his cousins Brandon and Brian Kasey of the popular group Jagged Edge that takes us on a journey to the singer's past. "I remember when it wasn't like this," TQ sings. "I remember when we was hungry and we wasn't poppin' no Crys." And he gets personal on "Until." "It's really my statement to everybody: One thing you gotta know about me is I'm a hustler. I'm not gonna be broke, I'm not gonna be a slave and I'm gonna do what it takes to make that happen. I feel like we all got an opportunity to do something. I've seen people in worse situations than I am and get by, I've seen people in better situations than I am and fall by the wayside so there are no excuses. The song says `til the day I die, I'm gon' live my life. I'm gon' hustle and ball til the wheels fall off."


TQ rounds out the CD with the romantic "All The Way Mine" and "For Life," making Gemini an across-the-board musical success story, fully-loaded with something for everyone from the pants-sagging hip hop head to the well-versed R&B fan.


Produced by Mannie Fresh, Jazze Pha and New York-based production crew Rainbow Entertainment, Gemini lives up to its name as it delivers song after song that showcases the best of both sides of a multi-talented artist. And TQ couldn't be happier. "I think this time around, it's a twofold thing. For the people who don't know me from my first album, I really want them to realize that this is some real R&B.. It's real artistry and not no novelty type thing. This ain't nothing less than real and I want them to know that. For the people that knew me already I want them to know that I can really sing. I'm not a rapper. I'm a singer."

[mauzip]

Definately the best news this year

According to MTV, TQ & Baby will also be on Drag-On's new album "Hell And Back" on the song "I'm A Ryder". That album is due out this spring.

[Gangstauu]

Good to hear news about TQ
hopefully he will have a bangin first single
 

[On The Edge of Insanity]

Sounds dope, hopefully R Kelly has blessed him with a dope track for the lead single.

No release date given yet though.

[DonCorleone187]

good news i've always liked TQ's style soul-full R&B

[mauzip]

www.thugpoetry.com/tq/news.php

--April 13, 2003--

The first single from TQ's new album Gemini will be Keep It on The Low. The single is going to be released on April 29th. This means the album will most likely drop in late May or early June. Great news =)

[Gangstauu]

OOOOOWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEE

Thnx For The INFO Mauzip
Can't wait till 29 april

[mauzip]

ha! new single got released to the net!!!

TQ-Keepitonthelow_(CDS)-2003-BUTT

[Vigilante]

ha! new single got released to the net!!!

TQ-Keepitonthelow_(CDS)-2003-BUTT

can u plz upload it .....

rm_777@hotmail.com is my msn and email...plz hollat at me

its on WCA....the 1st single

[mauzip]

ha! new single got released to the net!!!

TQ-Keepitonthelow_(CDS)-2003-BUTT

can u plz upload it .....

rm_777@hotmail.com is my msn and email...plz hollat at me

its on WCA....the 1st single

lol

i don't add people i don't know to my msn anymore

i'll see tonight if i can upload it somewhere. or holla at me on irc