Talk turns to how his life has been in the last five years.

“My life has changed. I’ve been deepened by music. I play a little piano. I have some music theory so my understanding of what’s happening in a musical scope has increased. I’m still on a search for a loving partner in my life. So y’know I’m just an everyman kind of a guy. I’m not like one of these rappers with a whole bunch of shades on and loads of money, saying ‘I’m the shit’. I’m more of a working class hero like John Lennon would say.”

It shows. The Renaissance is about as far as you could get from Lil Wayne in hip-hop terms in 2008. It took him 8 months to make and was released on Universal / Motown on November 4th. State points out it ties in with another rebirth that took place on the same day involving one Barack Obama.

“Yeh it does actually, ” he laughs “I named the album because I felt that hip-hop music is in a renaissance. There’s been a lot of stuff about misogyny and bling but there are some groups that’s coming up which are good whether that be Amanda Diva, Wale, or Pacific Division. Artists like these are like inspiration,” says Tip, thumping his chest. “Totally inspiring”.

The Renaissance is not, however, a 180 degree turn from those shelved albums. While it does move away from the live band set up in favour of more MPC-assisted sampling, it retains the same effortless cool. It also shares three songs in common with the shelved Open and the last collaboration between Q-Tip and the legendary and rightfully-lauded producer J Dilla who died of an incurable disease in 2006. “He is part of the fabric for me. It’s crazy,” Tip says mournfully. “I kinda brought him in the game. It makes me feel weird in a way, that’s he’s not here.”

Q-Tip feels that lyrically the album is disparate with what came before. “I feel like it’s different because it’s of the times, where we’re at politically and socially, where were at with this administration, the things I’m saying. I’ve got rhymes on there that’s saying stuff about..” He pauses for a second a begins to recite a rhyme from the opening track ‘Johnny is Dead’:

“Magazine debri or shit you have to see / I’m no different from you / I goes through it too

Through the page / I don’t come of age / I’ve not a deity / I’m far from perfect see”

Tip is insistent on explaining his mindset before his tired self leaves for home.

“When I was making the Tribe albums and I did the first one it was like a canvas. I took colours and just threw them on the fuckin canvas right? Without any regard of anything. I just wanted to put some colours on the canvas. That was the first album now the second album I’m looking at it and starting to put a line and shape to those colours. Bleed the colours so it makes more of a formation. On the third album I put another colour on their and I finished the painting. So it’s a three album process for a certain kind of sensibility , a certain sound. I feel like this album The Renaissance is the beginning of a new painting for me. I feel like this painting is the going to be a very nice thing when I get done with it.”