The Ummah

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Ummah


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Origin = New York City, USA, Detroit, Michigan
Genre = Hip-Hop
Years_active = 1996 – 1999
Label = Freelance
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Current_members = Kamaal Fareed (Q-Tip)
James Yancey (Jay Dee)
Ali Shaheed Muhammad
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The Ummah was a music production collective, composed of members Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, and the late Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla) of the Detroit based group Slum Village. Occasional members included Raphael Saadiq, and D'Angelo. In addition to producing the entirety of A Tribe Called Quest's fourth and fifth albums, The Ummah provided backing tracks for a notable array of hip hop and R&B artists, including Busta Rhymes, Whitney Houston, Keith Murray, Brand New Heavies, Janet Jackson, and Jon B. The group was so named because two of its members (Tip and Ali) are devout Muslims. The word "ummah" is Arabic for "community" or "brotherhood".

Biography

Background

The collective took shape around 1995, when veteran keyboardist, Amp Fiddler, introduced Jay Dee (who at the time was shopping for a deal for his group) to Q-Tip. Although Tip wasn't taken by Slum Village as a whole, he was impressed enough by Jay Dee's soulful productions to invite him as an addition to Tribe's music production team, which until then consisted of Tip and Ali Shaheed.

Production work

Their first work, "Beats, Rhymes and Life", was criticized for moving away from the group's earlier, denser, and bottom heavy sound exemplified by tracks such as "Scenario" and "Oh My God". The new sound which now leaned towards a more laid back, and polished tone would be embraced a little more with the release of Tribe's "Find A Way" from their fifth and final album "The Love Movement", although the album itself received a lukewarm reception, and no second proper single or video was released.

Following this, and the split of A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip and Jay Dee continued to collaborate under the 'Ummah' moniker, producing almost all of Tip's solo venture "Amplified", which included two tracks from DJ Scratch. For several reasons, including label complications, Tip's solo career became largely inactive while Jay Dee and D'Angelo went on to form the Soulquarians with other like-minded artists. Although Tribe has since formed somewhat of a reunion, releasing " ICU (Doin' It)" in 2003, the possibility of them once again using the 'Ummah' name for future productions seems unlikely, especially since member Jay Dee's death on February 10, 2006.

Discography

Albums

*A Tribe Called Quest - "Beats, Rhymes and Life" (1996, Jive, RIAA certification: Platinum)
*A Tribe Called Quest - "The Love Movement" (1998, Jive, RIAA certification: Gold)
*Q-Tip - "Amplified" (1999, Arista, RIAA certification: Gold)

Selected production

1996

*Da Bush Babees - "Gravity", "3 MCs"
**"Gravity"
*Grant Green - "Down Here On The Ground"
**Various Artists - "The New Groove: The Blue Note Remix Project Volume 1"
*Keith Murray - "Dangerous Ground", "The Rhyme (Remix)"
**"Enigma"
*Busta Rhymes - "Ill Vibe", "Still Shinin'", "Keep It Moving"
**"The Coming"

1997

*A Tribe Called Quest - "Same Ol' Thing"
**VA - ""
*Janet Jackson - "Got 'Til It's Gone (Ummah's Uptown Saturday Night Mix)", "Got 'Til It's Gone (Ummah Jay Dee's Revenge Mix)"
**12"/CD single
*Michael Jackson - "HIStory (The Ummah Radio Mix)", "HIStory (The Ummah Urban Mix)", "History (The Ummah DJ Mix)"
**12"/CD singles
*Mint Condition - "Let Me Be The One (Ummah Remix)"
**12"/CD single
*Busta Rhymes - "So Hardcore"
**"When Disaster Strikes"
*Brand New Heavies - "Sometimes (The Ummah Remix)"
**12"/CD single
*Jon B. - "Cool Relax"
**"Cool Relax"

1998

*Jamiroquai - "Deeper Underground (The Ummah Mix)"
**12"/CD single
*Towa Tei - "Happy (Q-Tip Remix Dub)"
**12"/CD single
*Whitney Houston - "Fine"
**""