It’s Aries season, y’all! And the month or so of the astrological sign is busy and auspicious for music history:
- DJ Premier‘s birthday was on the 21st
- Edward James “Son” House‘s birthday was on the 21st
- Damon Albarn‘s birthday was on the 23rd
- Chaka Khan‘s birthday was on the 23rd
- Aretha Franklin‘s birthday was on the 25th
- Sir Elton John‘s birthday was on the 25th
- Diana Ross‘s birthday was on the 26th
- Teddy Pendergrass‘s birthday was on the 26th
- Mariah Carey‘s birthday was on the 27th
- My birthday was on the 28th
- Tracy Chapman‘s birthday was on the 30th
- AC/DC‘s Angus Young‘s birthday was on the 31st
- Gil Scott-Heron‘s birthday was on the 1st
- Marvin Gaye‘s birthday was on the 2nd
- Muddy Waters birthday was on the 4th
- Kraftwerk‘s co-founder Florian Schneider‘s birthday was on the 7th
- Biz Markie‘s birthday was on the 8th
Today, we must celebrate another ridiculously talented Aries: A Tribe Called Quest co-founder, Q-Tip, who turns 52 today. Not only is he arguably one of the great emcees of hip-hop, he’s also one of the great producers, crafting Tribe’s beloved, forward-thinking sound on their first few albums. The man’s work is so influential that it forever changed how hip hop sounds from that point forward.
Happy birthday, brother! May there be many, many more!