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TQ isn't the first artist to combine hard-core hip-hop lyrical scenarios with a melodic r&b vocal delivery. But with this 18-track collection, he's taken this particular form to the next level of expression. TQ wraps his soulful, yearning tenor around the raw, uncensored language of the new hip-hop generation, but uses that language to tell stories of cinematic detail and heartfelt emotion.
For example: The brilliantly sung, powerfully produced tribute track "Westside," the album's Top Ten single and hit video. Dedicated to late rap icons Eazy-E and Tupac Shakur, "Westside" gives props to the rappers who most influenced TQ's life and music. Taken on its own terms, the song is as much of an urban anthem as Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City"—and as tuneful as any Luther Vandross or Babyface hit.
"This song means a lot to me," he explains, "because it accurately reflects how I feel about real brothers like Eazy, Tupac, Too Short, and Ice Cube. They were all instrumental in giving a powerful global voice to Black kids who, without rap, might never have been heard. I had to be down with that, but in my own way. Most people rap about it - I had to sing about it."
TQ wrote every word on 'They Never Saw Me Coming', with on-point production handled by Mike Mosley of Steady Mobbin Productions. Mosley's outstanding studio work with such artists as Tupac Shakur and E-40 speaks for itself. "Mike and I really like and respect each other," TQ acknowledged. "He's very serious about his work, like I am. By motivating each other, we both gave my project 110 percent."
"Bye Bye Baby," a Mosley/Ty Howard produced track, is based on a true story about a woman shot by a drive-by bullet meant for her man; it's followed by "The Comeback," a soul-searing track detailing the violent revenge wreaked on the shooter. "Darling Mary" is a playful ode to urban life's blunted reality; "When I Get Out," a pulsating ballad between TQ and Ericka Yancey, about an incarcerated brother's insecurity when it comes to his lover on the outside.
A horrifying drug-related incident from TQ's past was the source of "Remember Melinda"; "Make That Money" is a contemporary hustlers' theme song, featuring a guest rap by E-40 and another show stopping performance by TQ. "The bottom line," he states, "is that this album is about my life, the lives of the people that are close to me, and those that influenced me."