TQ (singer)
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| TQ | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Terrance Quaites |
| Also known as | TQ |
| Born | May 24, 1976 |
| Origin |  Mobile, Alabama |
| Genre(s) | R&B |
| Voice type(s) | Tenor |
| Years active | 1990s – present |
| Label(s) | HUB Muzic / Lightyear Entertainment / WEA |
Terrance Quaites (born May 24, 1976) is an American R&B singer, known professionally as TQ.
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[edit] Background
Growing up in Compton, California, TQ formally revealed his music during the 2Pac era; in which controversy surrounding his Westside inspired lyrics censored and hindered the radio play and award eligibility most likely he would have received. Despite this TQ never stopped expressing. "I guess the truth, for a lot of reasons, mainstream America won't be able to accept. But I think most of those are foolish reasons, but that's just the way it is." There are unwritten rules that says to be a successful r&b singer you must maintain a safe, middle of the road lyrical agenda. Yet, breaking rules is the rule for the LA-bred singer and composer TQ.
TQ isn't the first artist to combine hard-core hip-hop lyrical scenarios with a melodic r&b vocal delivery. But with this 14 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 '90s hip-hop generation, but uses that language to tell stories of cinematic detail and heartfelt emotion.
Terrance Quaites was never a thug in the true sense of the word. His hard-working parents instilled positive values and did not hesitate to set him straight when he was wrong. "From Monday to Saturday, I was hanging out, partyin’, chasing girls, and getting into trouble, straight-up acting like a fool," he admits. "But Sunday my mother dragged me out of bed to go to church. In retrospect, sending me saved my life. Well it did something anyway." - TQ His music is a mix of West Coast hip hop, based on artists like Too Short, Ice-T, Ice Cube, 2Pac and Eazy-E. As far as hip-hop goes, it influenced his writing along with the older R&B acts such as Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.
[edit] Career
[edit] Music
A native of Mobile, Alabama, TQ began his music career in the early 1990s with the R&B ensemble Coming of Age, who had a hit with the ballad "Coming Home to Love". After two album releases, the group went their separate ways.
January 1999 saw TQ explode onto the UK music scene with smash hit "Westside", which was also a U.S. hit, peaking at #12. TQ's success continued in May, when They Never Saw Me Coming was released. Singles "Bye Bye Baby" and "Better Days" followed later that year.
In 2000 the UK release of a new album, The Second Coming further proved TQ's talent. However, the trouble began. Record company's interference saw the album release turn into a bit of a shambles. Missing songs and songs with the wrong guest appearances, hampered the release of the album. It was never released in America.
After this, TQ joined Cash Money Records. He made guest appearances on other Cash Money artists albums. He recorded his own album, Gemini, but again, after problems, it was never released.
TQ eventually left Cash Money and independently released Listen in 2004, in America. It was later released in the UK.
He has just finished working on his new album Paradise, which is scheduled for release on April 29, 2008 in partnership with Gracie Productions and EMI Distribution. This will be his 4th official solo album, as his Gemini LP was never officially released. In November 2007, TQ released the Gemini album for sale online, via a message on his myspace page.
[edit] They Never Saw Me Commin'
TQ wrote every word on They Never Saw Me Coming, with the lion's share of the sparse, 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"; "Gotta Make That Money" is a contemporary hustlers theme song, featuring a guest rap by E-40. "The bottom line," TQ states, "is that this album is about my life, the lives of the people that are close to me, and those that influenced me."
[edit] Westside
TQ's most significant hit was Westside, an homage to West Coast musicians.
[edit] Acting
TQ has also branched out into acting. His first film release, Rockin' Meera, is due out Summer 2007. He plays Rock. He will also be appearing in Richard III, as the DJ.
He has also completed a film with Sally Anthony, The Devil's Grind. It seems to be a film for Sally Anthony's single "CMOM CMON". This was due out around the turn of the year, but no further information is available. [1] [2]
He is also working on a couple of other films, but there is limited information about them at present.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | |||||
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| UK | GER | AUT | SWI | NL | SWE | ||
| 1999 | They Never Saw Me Coming | 27 | 27 | 50 | 45 | 16 | 59 |
| 2000 | The Second Coming | 32 | 30 | - | 74 | 18 | - |
| 2004 | Listen | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2007 | Gemini | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2008 | Paradise | ||||||
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||||||
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| UK | IRE | GER | SWI | AUT | NL | AUS | NZ | |||
| 1999 | "Westside" |
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They Never Saw Me Coming |
| 1999 | "Bye Bye Baby" |
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They Never Saw Me Coming |
| 1999 | "Better Days" |
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They Never Saw Me Coming |
| 1999 | "Summertime" (w/ Another Level) |
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Nexus |
| 2000 | "Daily" |
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The Second Coming |
| 2000 | "Ride On" / "Superbitches" |
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The Second Coming |
| 2001 | "Let's Get Back to Bed - Boy!" (w/ Sarah Connor) |
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Green Eyed Soul |
| 2004 | "KeepItOnTheLow" |
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| 2004 | "Right On" |
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Listen |
| 2005 | "Tear This Bitch Up" |
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Listen (UK Version) |
| 2006 | "Crockett's Theme" (w/ Jan Hammer) |
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Mourners Rhapsody |
[edit] Other Songs / Collaborations
| Year | Title | Album |
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| 1997 | "Gotta Git Mine " (RBL Posse feat TQ, MC Eiht & Tela) |
An Eye for an Eye (RBL Posse) |
| 1999 | "Get Away" (TQ feat Krayzie Bone) |
Blue Streak OST |
| 1999 | "Come See Me" (TQ) |
Trippin' OST |
| 1999 | "For All My Hustlers" (TQ feat Live Luciano) |
South Coast Ballers |
| 1999 | "Imagine That" (CJ Mac feat TQ and Mack 10) |
Platinum Game (CJ Mac) |
| 2000 | "Gotta Git Mine " (RBL Posse feat TQ, MC Ehit & Tela) |
Bootlegs & Bay Shit: The Resume (RBL Posse) |
| 2000 | "I Got To Go" (TQ) |
Baller Blockin' Soundtrack |
| 2000 | "Get Paid" (TQ and Outlawz) |
Ride Wit Us Or Collide Wit Us (Outlawz) |
| 2000 | "Bounce" (Shade Sheist feat TQ) |
Damizza Presents Where I Wanna Be |
| 2000 | "Used To" (TQ) |
Damizza Presents Where I Wanna Be |
| 2001 | "All Of My Life" (TQ) |
Urban Renewal |
| 2001 | "Take Me With You" (Pnutt feat TQ and Shade Sheist) |
Blazin' Soundtrack |
| 2001 | "Life Of A G" (Vandalz Feat TQ) |
Thug Lifestyles Soundtrack |
| 2001 | "My Life" (Juvenile Feat TQ) |
Project English (Juvenile) |
| 2002 | "Day In The Life " (TQ feat C-Bo & Vantanni) |
Platinum Plaques Soundtrack |
| 2002 | "Somebody's Watching Me" (TQ feat Yukmouth, Lurch and CPO) |
Platinum Plaques Soundtrack |
| 2002 | "Baby (Bye Bye Baby Remix)" (TQ) |
Platinum Plaques Soundtrack |
| 2002 | "Da Man" (Big Tymers feat TQ & Trick Daddy) |
Hood Rich (Big Tymers) |
| 2002 | "Gimme Some" (Big Tymers feat TQ & Barewolf) |
Hood Rich (Big Tymers) |
| 2002 | "I'm Comin'" (Big Tymers feat TQ, Mickey, Gilly & Jazze Pha) |
Hood Rich (Big Tymers) |
| 2002 | "Sunny Day" (Big Tymers feat TQ, Gotti & Mikkey) |
Hood Rich (Big Tymers) |
| 2002 | "Way Of Life" (Lil' Wayne Feat TQ) |
500 Degreez (Lil' Wayne) |
| 2002 | "Pop Yo Colla" (Caz Feat TQ) |
Goin Head Up (Caz) |
| 2002 | "I Remember" (TQ feat Jagged Edge) |
Like Mike Soundtrack |
| 2002 | "Life As A Gangsta" (Mack 10 and Cash Money Millionaires) |
Mack 10 Presents Da Hood |
| 2002 | "Bigger Business" (Swizz Beats Feat TQ) |
Swizz Beatz Presents Ghetto Stories |
| 2002 | "Think About You (Looking Through The Window)" (TQ) |
Undisputed Soundtrack |
| 2002 | "Keep On" (TQ) |
Major Work Soundtrack |
| 2002 | "Day in the Life" (TQ feat C-Bo & Vantanni) |
Major Work Soundtrack |
| 2002 | "Let's Get Back To Bed -Boy!" (Sarah Connor feat TQ) |
Green Eyed Soul (Sarah Connor) |
| 2002 | "Can't Get None" (Sarah Connor feat TQ) |
Green Eyed Soul (Sarah Connor) |
| 2002 | "Magic Ride (Whatever U Wish 4)" (Sarah Connor feat TQ) |
Green Eyed Soul (Sarah Connor) |
| 2002 | "Fly Away" (Baby feat TQ) |
Birdman (Baby Aka #1 Stunna) |
| 2002 | "Ghetto Life" (Baby feat TQ, Lil Wayne and Cam'Ron) |
Birdman (Baby Aka #1 Stunna) |
| 2002 | "How It Be" (Baby feat TQ and Jermaine Dupri) |
Birdman (Baby Aka #1 Stunna) |
| 2002 | "Ice Cold" (Baby feat TQ and Jazze Pha) |
Birdman (Baby Aka #1 Stunna) |
| 2002 | "Keeps Spinnin'" (Baby feat TQ and others) |
Birdman (Baby Aka #1 Stunna) |
| 2002 | "Hustlas, Pimps and Thugs" (Baby feat TQ and others) |
Birdman (Baby Aka #1 Stunna) |
| 2003 | "Gangsta Nigga" (Hot Boys Feat TQ) |
Let 'Em Burn (Hot Boys) |
| 2003 | "Baby Girl" (Boo and Gotti feat TQ) |
Perfect Timing (Boo and Gotti) |
| 2003 | "We Can Smoke" (Big Tymers feat TQ) |
Big Money Heavyweight (Big Tymers) |
| 2003 | "Against The Wall" (Big Tymers feat TQ) |
Big Money Heavyweight (Big Tymers) |
| 2003 | "To Be Played" (Big Tymers feat TQ) |
Big Money Heavyweight (Big Tymers) |
| 2004 | "Did You Miss Me?" (Petey Pablo feat TQ & Baby) |
Still Writing in my Diary: 2nd Entry (Petey Pablo) |
| 2004 | "I'm A Ryder" (Drag-On feat TQ & Baby) |
Hell and Back (Drag-On) |
| 2004 | "Love is Color Blind" (Sarah Connor feat TQ) |
Key to My Soul (Sarah Connor) |
| 2004 | "Hasta La Vista!" (Sarah Connor feat TQ) |
Key to My Soul (Sarah Connor) |
| 2004 | "Are U Ready to Ride?" (Sarah Connor feat TQ) |
Key to My Soul (Sarah Connor) |
| 2005 | "Boyfriend/Girlfriend" (Soul Crew Feat TQ) |
N/A |
| 2005 | "Celebrate" (Outlawz feat TQ) |
Outlaw 4 Life: 2005 A.P. (Outlawz) |
| 2006 | "Crockett's Theme" (Jan Hammer Project Feat TQ) |
Crockett's Theme: Jan Hammer Project Feat TQ (CD Single) |
| 2007 | "What About U" (Ultra DJ's Feat TQ) |
various house/promo albums |
| 2007 | "How I Get By" (T-Hud feat TQ) |
Undrafted (T-Hud) |
| 2007 | "Turn U Out" (Merc Squad feat TQ) |
forthcoming LA Griff album |
[edit] Films
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Rockin' Meera | Rock | |
| Richard III | DJ | ||
| The Devil's Grind | |||
| 2007 | A Father's Love | In Production | |
| Consequences | In Production | ||
| The Black | In Production |
[edit] References
- ^ ::Official Sally Anthony Street Team::
- ^ http://www.protocolentertainment.com/newsdetail.cfm?Story=6
