Can somebody Explain Q-Tips verse on "Drink Away The Pain"?

[Black Ball]

You got Hav & P obviously talking about their favorite liquor and the situations they got into behind them.

But then Q-Tip comes in and drops as off topic a verse as I've ever heard on a track. Didn't even make a throw away reference to fake like he was addressing the topic.

Now on one had he did drop a dope ass verse, using fashion designers/brands symbolically throughout, but what the fukk does that have to do with drinking away the pain

Please explain.

Verse Two: Q-Tip

Tommy Hil was my nikka, and other's couldn't figure
How me and Hilfiger used to move through with vigor
Had to sit and plan on how to make these seven figures
Said the Brinks is comin through, at Fashion Avenue
At Tuesday at two, now we gotta form a crew
Now we gotta forum a crew, of motherfukkers
who ain't goin out like suckers
Told me call Karl Kani, and all my other brothers
I told my sister Walker, who was the smoothest talker
Negotiate the deal with them other money stalkers
Diesel drove the the beemer, the hatchback of course
Nautica'll navigate to keep us on course
Polo's acting bolo trying to say he the Boss
I said shut the fukk up, the kid is out where the loot's at
Got a big trey pound, picture just to swoop back
Timb is on the roof with the twelve gauge rifle
Scope is on the top so you know he livin Eiffel
Took the aim of Oswald, caught him North in the face
All them other kids they had they tools aimed at space
Levi had the snub so you know they gettin laced
Donna Karan was cryin, cause mad shells was flyin
Damn all we want is a piece of the pie and
Nike scooped the sess cause he moves like Air
Threw them shyts up in the trunk now we up out here
Got back to the mansion, to divvy up the paper
Helle Hansen was the brain of the whole entire caper
So she felt it was right, for her to get the whole slice
Everybody in the crew didn't think it was nice
I guess not, and guess what's hot, so guess what
Guess took the jigga, and jigged her in the gut

 

[hustlemania]

Q-Tip doesnt drink alcohol.. so, they let him spit whatever he wanted on the track..

sounds dope.. dont see the big deal.. besides, his names "Abstract"..

 

[SoulController]

drives me nuts, he could have rapped about some weed or somethin

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

The verse was a nice added touch to the song. The whole album really because it was the only reprieve from pure savagery. If there was any knock on Hell On Earth it's that it didn't have a Drink Away the Pain type track to lighten it up some.

 

[labelplant]

Q-Tip: “They were obviously doing the liquor shyt and it was they shyt really. But they were just like, ‘Yo, jump on this shyt.’ And, I mean, I was drinking but I wasn’t really drinking like that back then. That wasn’t my poison of choice. So, I was just like, ‘Yo, being that I’m the sore thumb on this record, let me just stick out all the way and go left of what they were saying.’ I flipped it and that’s one of my favorite rhymes actually.

“I loved doing that record. That’s that smooth criminal shyt. It’s hard but it’s got that energy on it. Like when you listen to some thugged-out albums—for the majority of it—it’s real sausage music. You ain’t gonna really have a lot of chicks listening to that shyt. So you can either do one of two things: You can make a song directly speaking to ladies or you can make it dark.

“There’s a difference between dark and hard. Hard shyt is really hard for women to like because it’s such a sausage [fest]. You speaking to dudes, really. But if you do it dark, that’s a different emotion, a different sensibility. With dark, you could add sensuality or sexiness or all that shyt. So, that’s what those songs kind of had to them for Mobb Deep. That’s what enabled that album to reach dudes but women as well.”

 

[The MOUNTIE]

SWERVE AND SABOTAGE STATUS. YOU DIDNT KNOW THIS?
RIC FLAIR USED TO SWERVE STORY LINES ALL THE TIME.

 

[deeznutz]

If he wasn't going to stick to the theme he shouldn't have done a verse IMO

 

[I love Latina women]

Q-Tip: “They were obviously doing the liquor shyt and it was they shyt really. But they were just like, ‘Yo, jump on this shyt.’ And, I mean, I was drinking but I wasn’t really drinking like that back then. That wasn’t my poison of choice. So, I was just like, ‘Yo, being that I’m the sore thumb on this record, let me just stick out all the way and go left of what they were saying.’ I flipped it and that’s one of my favorite rhymes actually.

“I loved doing that record. That’s that smooth criminal shyt. It’s hard but it’s got that energy on it. Like when you listen to some thugged-out albums—for the majority of it—it’s real sausage music. You ain’t gonna really have a lot of chicks listening to that shyt. So you can either do one of two things: You can make a song directly speaking to ladies or you can make it dark.

“There’s a difference between dark and hard. Hard shyt is really hard for women to like because it’s such a sausage [fest]. You speaking to dudes, really. But if you do it dark, that’s a different emotion, a different sensibility. With dark, you could add sensuality or sexiness or all that shyt. So, that’s what those songs kind of had to them for Mobb Deep. That’s what enabled that album to reach dudes but women as well.”

link up the whole interview please, i forgot where i read this but i'd like to read the whole thing again

 

[Black Ball]

drives me nuts, he could have rapped about some weed or somethin

The verse on it's own merits is clever and dope. But the shyt is just way left field. Even if he wasn't a heavy drinker, he could have come clever and "abstract" on the topic. Maybe rap about the perils of drinking, or from the standpoint of somebody he knew who's life was greatly affected by liquor.

 

[Jack Trippa 3z company ho]

He should have at least had his verse pertain to the song...could have spoken about mistakes and mishaps from drinking away the pain etc. Seems like he had 16 that he thought was real hot and was ready to put on a record and drink away the pain was his first opportunity.

It's funny cuz he's acts all self righteous, and ironically as he became more "Muslim" the more his verses had curses and materialism.

 

[Commander in Chiefin]

As stated earlier, Q-Tip didn't drink much so he rapped about his poison of choice, clothing and shopping.

 

[god shamgod]

I always thought he was talking about bootleggin gear verse makes no sense whatsoever

 

[Jack Trippa 3z company ho]

Shop away the pain brehs

 

[KplusK]

i know I've seen this thread before many times and i bet ill see the same answers….

 

[DaveyDave]

He still sticks to the theme because he personifies the clothing labels. Using clothes as his "addiction" instead of alcohol. You could say clothes was his way of escaping and what he was interested in instead of alcohol.